The holidays are a special time for many people, particularly because this is often the one time of year when you can count on spending time with friends and family. And when those friends and family members are coming to your home, it often makes sense that you’ll want things to look perfect for them. When you’re hanging the holiday decorations and cleaning up the kitchen, don’t overlook those important areas that guests are often using, regardless of how long they stay. The powder room is one area that gets a lot of use at this time of year as everyone from carolers to out of town guests ends up in there. If your powder room is looking a little shabby, consider giving it a makeover in time for the holidays to help your home look its best.
Three Levels of Renovation
Not everyone has the time or the budget to undergo a complete bathroom renovation, especially when you’re also buying presents and food for your guests. There are three distinct levels of bathroom renovation, however; one of which may fit perfectly into your holiday plans and budget.
Complete Renovation
In a complete renovation, everything in the room is taken out and stripped right down to the studs. This is your chance to pick out new flooring, as well as a new toilet and sink. It’s also your chance to deal with things like mold, moisture problems, leaks, or plumbing problems.
A complete renovation will take the longest, lasting around four to six weeks from start to finish, and you may be without a working bathroom for a while. This is a good type of renovation to undertake if there is a serious issue you need to address, you want a complete change, or you plan on changing the layout of the room.
Partial Renovation
In a partial renovation, most of the items in the room are changed or removed, but the basic layout stays the same. In other words, you may get a new toilet, sink, and flooring, but the room’s size will stay the same and things will remain where they are now.
A partial renovation takes less time – as few as three to four weeks start to finish, but you may still be without a working bathroom for part of that time. This is a good type of renovation to undertake if you want a change in the way the room looks, but you like the way it functions, and there are no major issues to address.
Cosmetic Renovation
The third type of bathroom renovation – and the most common around the holidays – is cosmetic. In a cosmetic renovation, you’re leaving the bulk of the room alone, and only dealing with those few, non-invasive areas that need a face-lift. In other words, in a cosmetic renovation you may be picking one or two areas that need serious help and addressing them without touching the rest of the room.
This type of renovation will not address layout issues, or help if you have moisture or mold problems. However, if you have an old, out of date sink and toilet in a baby pink color, a cosmetic renovation could address this issue with a new toilet, sink, and faucet while leaving the flooring and walls alone.
Cosmetic renovations can go as far as you like, so you can decide the scope of work ahead of time. This is a good way to address minor issues before guests arrive. For example, you may want to add in a new towel rail for additional hand towels and have it match a new faucet with lever handles that are easier for elderly relatives to operate.
Any renovation is also a good time to address things that can make your powder room more accessible for guests. For example, you may want to invest in comfort height toilets and sinks to make the use more comfortable. Or you may want to add a new fan, a larger sink, or radiant heat flooring to warm the room.
Renovating for the Holidays
When renovating for the holidays, it’s important to keep a few things in mind:
- You may want to avoid large scale renovations if you have a tight schedule or guests arriving, as sometimes work can take longer than planned
- This is a good time to address things that have been left undone, so putting in a new bathroom floor can be a good time to fix an uneven substrate that could trip someone
- Renovations can be stressful at the best of times; remember to relax and enjoy the holidays even while you’re having work done
Get Your Home Ready
While you’re laying out the guest towels and getting your spare bedroom ready, give some thought to the other areas of the home that may need some help this holiday season. Impending guests can be a great way to motivate yourself to take care of those rooms that may need a makeover. Consider a powder room renovation this holiday season and get your home ready for the holidays. When you’re ready to begin, be sure to give Bianco Renovations a call. Our expert design team can work with you to help make sure your project gets done right on schedule. Call today to get started and make your home improvement dreams come true for the holidays.