Remodeling a Bathroom to Increase Your Home Value

Of all the rooms in your house, bathrooms represent the greatest and fastest return on your remodeling investment. According to Remodeling Magazine, more than 80 percent of your bathroom remodeling expenses can be recouped within a year of resale.

You certainly won’t see that kind of return from a family room or even a kitchen redo. Surprisingly, kitchens are sixth on the list with about 60 percent of the costs returned. The only way you can do better than remodeling your bathroom is to add another bathroom, for a 90 percent return. If your home is one of the few one-bath houses in the neighborhood, this might be the best investment in your home you could make.

Before you start, weigh the pros and cons of taking on an entire bathroom project alone. Your know-how will be the key to whether you finish the project on time and under budget. If the remodeling project involves more than cosmetic fixture replacements or counter re-tiling, it may be time to call in an expert to assess your home’s plumbing and pipe placement. Bruce Wicker, owner of Wicker Construction, recommends using a professional if you will be moving a plumbing fixture, wall, or exterior venting. (After all, water entering the bathroom in novel ways won’t add value.)

If you don’t know the plumbing and building codes, but consider yourself handy, you might want to step up to the challenge of replacing sinks or toilets on their original site. An amateur with good instructions might also be able to replace shower doors, install shelves, or do the tiling or wallpapering.

Your goal is to create a more attractive bathroom. But how do you judge the quality and durability of a fixture? Common sense helps. Does that new faucet have rubber washers or plastic valves? Rubber and plastic just don’t last like metal. Cheaper versions of the real thing are not repairable and have to be replaced. This means you are spending twice as much time and money in 10 years as you would once for a quality faucet. Look for quality fixture manufacturers. Ask your local plumbers and hardware salespeople for names.

Seek sinks and toilets made of vitreous china that resists dirt and bacteria. Or acrylic tubs with a fiberglass bonding for extra strength. Wicker recommends using a mildew resistant drywall. “Standard drywall can’t stand up to the constant moisture in the air, even with venting,” he says.

Do your research. The payoff is an attractive bathroom that pays for itself in resale value.