Remodeling Your Small Bathroom Quickly and Efficiently

Homeowners often imagine that remodelinga small bathroomone that is about 50 square feet or lesswill be much quicker, much easier, and much less expensive than remodeling a large bathroom. And they are often surprised to find that it's only a little bit quicker, a little bit easier, and a little bit less expensive. The reason? A small bathroom has most of the same elements as a large bathroom and remodeling requires assistance from the same in-demand professionals as does a large bathroom. The reality is that a 50 square foot bathroom may be one-third the size of a large 150-square-foot bath, but it typically costs about 75 percent of a large bath in terms of time, money, and effort.

Still, there are ways to make your small bathroom remodeling job a little quicker and less costly.

Bathrooms can be categorized as one of three types, regardless of size. Recognizing the type of bathroomyou have will help you be realistic in your planning.

Along with defining the type of small bathroom, you're remodeling, consider who will be using the bathroom.

There is no way around it: it costs more to remodel quickly than it does to take your time. This is primarily because a quick remodel really requires a general contractor (GC) to coordinate the project withvarious subcontractors (plumbers, electricians, tiling contractors), and you are paying for the general contractor's skill and experience. While it is possible for a homeowner to serve as his or her own general contractorinterviewing, hiring, supervising, and paying individual professionals to do their work in orderthis is always a slower process than allowing a GC to coordinate his preferred subcontractors. Hiring your own subcontractors, though, can save you quite a bit of money, as you eliminate the time and overhead of the general contractor.

The cheapest route of all also typically the one that takes the most time: doing all or most of the work yourself. A very (very) skilled DIYer with plenty of time and a group of willing friends and helpers may be able to finish a bathroom remodel nearly as fast as a general contractor, but very few homeowners fall into that category. And there is the issue of quality: good contractors will do the job professionally, while many DIY installations will be recognizable as the work of an amateur.

While there are exceptions, the formula plays out true to form in most instances:

The choice of whether to do the work yourself or to hire pros (a general contractor or managing your own subcontractors) will, of course, depend on your assessment of your own skills, but also on your budget and your time schedule. If you have limited DIY skills and the small bathroom is the only bathroom you have, then getting the remodel done quickly and correctly is worth the extra cost of hiring proseven if it means taking out a loan to do it.

On the other hand, if your home has one or more additional bathrooms that can fill in,and if you have moderate to advanced DIY skills, then there is no reason you can't take your time and do all or most of the work yourself. This route also has the advantage of giving you the time to find and buy all the materials for your bathroom, which can offer huge cost savings.

There are also contractors who are perfectly willing to split the work with energetic and skilled homeowners. You can, for example, offer to do all the demolition and painting/finishing work yourself, in exchange for a discounted bid from a general contractor. And if there are other tasks you are able and willing to take on, discuss this with your contractor. But make sure to discuss itup front. Time is money for a general contractor, and he will not want his progress delayed while a homeowner dawdles over installing the ceramic tile floor, for example.

Bathroom contractors always provide you with a range of choices as you select materials and fixtures, but you can still expect to pay some markup on those materials. There is no better way to reduce costs than to do your research and look for discounted materials from online sources or local retailers who might be closing out last year's product lines. If you have the time and a place to store materials, buying everything you need to remodel your small bath well in advance will make your remodeling job much cheaper and much faster.

A word of warning: some general contractors willinstall the materials you choose and buy yourself, but others prefer to (or even insist on) working with the suppliers they are familiar with. If you are working with a contractor, discuss this up front and make sure you are in agreement.

A general overview of the remodeling process will help you determine where you can save time or money.

1. Usea corner sink.In very small bathrooms, a sink configured to fit in a corner can be a great space-saving option. Even pedestal sinks can be difficult to fit in very small bathrooms.

2. Use a shower curtain or sliding shower door.Shower doors that pivot on hinges may not work for small bathrooms. Instead, use a shower curtain or glass shower door that slides on tracks.

3. Choose avanity with rounded corners.In tight spaces, vanities with sharp corners can be hazardous. A vanity with rounded corners can prevent bruised hips.

4. Extend the counter over the toilet.A little extra counter space created when thevanity counter extends over the adjacent toilet can be surprisingly effective.

5. Use large-scale patterns.Large squares, wide stripes, and other large patterns can fool the eye and make spaces seem larger.

6. Mirror the wall.Intight spaces, having a mirror occupy the entire wall behind the vanity can help two people to use it at once.

7. Mount the towel bar on the door.When space is limited, mounting a towel bar on the shower door or the back of the entry door keeps towels at easy reach.

8. Choosea trough sink.When mounted on a wall, the low profile of a trough sink frees up floor space for storage.

9. Usea vanity with open shelves. Open shelves offer storage without swinging doors that can get in the way in a small bathroom.

10. Use a wall-mounted faucet.Mounting a faucet on the wall allows for a smaller vanity, which helps free up space in a small bathroom.

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Remodeling Your Small Bathroom Quickly and Efficiently