Bathroom
Makovers:
An Every Day Treat
by Tim Carpenter
Is your bathroom looking dingy, but still functional so you feel
like you should just bear with it until something really goes
wrong? Paint peeling perhaps, or broken fixtures, water damage or
maybe stained flooring. It's okay to remodel your bathroom simply
for esthetic reasons. An old worn, but still function pair of
shoes, might be so comfy you can't give it up. They have a certain
value as long as you don't wear them to a business meeting. But a
bathroom? Nah.
What would you like? Larger bathrooms are very popular now. If
you can afford it, and if there's room for it, why not expand a few
feet. Years ago many bathrooms were built with barely enough room
to turn around. But that's not what today's busy people want now.
Think sanctuary.
Maybe you've got just a small window too. Why not enlarge the
window along with the room, and add more lighting, and more variety
in the lighting. If you're settling in for a bath (in your new
sunken tub, instance) you might want dim, relaxing light. But if
you're shaving, well you know you need something brighter. It's
your room, so go ahead and enlarge your options along with the size
of the room.
Are your
cabinets worth keeping? If they are, simply refinishing them in a
lighter color will give them new life. And if you top them with
custom-cut marble, you're going to smile every time you walk into
the room. So will your guests.
Another thing you can do to transform your bathroom is install
radiant heat, the kind that radiates up from the floor. It'll cost
you to install, certainly, but once you've gotten past that initial
hurdle, it's very efficient and will save you money. Imagine being
able to walk around barefoot on your warm bathroom floor. And, if
the floor's warm, that means the rest of the room is too.
Doesn't this make you want to get started on your bathroom
remodel right away? Before your begin though, do some window
shopping at home improvement store displays. Take note of what you
like and what you don't like. Read through several home improvement
magazines for inspiration. Then, when you start interviewing
prospective contractors you'll know some of the terminology and be
able to give guidance to the pros you hire right from the
beginning.
Let your imagine go wild, pull in a professional recommended by
someone you know preferably. Absent that hire a firm that has a
Diamond Certified rating, and you most likely will be
satisfied.
About the Author:
Tim Carpenter hosts a series of interesting home improvement
websites: www.toolsshed.com,
www.stained-glass-easy.com,
plus several more. Please check them out as well as this
site.
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