When Should You Use a Professional for a Bathroom Renovation?

Renovating a bathroom is an exciting and worthwhile endeavor, whether you’re creating your dream spa environment or simply fixing an outdated bathroom. It’s also an expensive, time-consuming, complicated, and often messy project that can be daunting to a DIY enthusiast. Even if you want to do it yourself to save on costs, should you do your own bathroom renovation? Let’s look at some factors to consider when you’re debating DIY vs professional bathroom renovation.

Modern Moroccan style bathroom in Dorchester

DIY Project or Professional?

It’s easy to see why someone would want to handle this renovation without calling in a professional. The materials involved in a bathroom renovation can get expensive enough on their own, and when you factor in the cost of hiring someone to do all of the work, the expense can be somewhat staggering. Most homeowners who have experience in DIY projects can shave a significant amount off of the budget by handling their own bathroom renovations. In fact, by some estimates doing it yourself can cut the bill by fifty percent.

So why wouldn’t you want to do it on your own? One very good reason is that bathroom remodeling is time-consuming. It can sometimes take a professional up to a month to complete a bathroom remodel, so imagine how long it would take an amateur!

A homeowner trying to squeeze in bathroom renovation between work and family time can easily spend six months on the project. During much of this time, the bathroom is likely to be out of commission. If you only have one bathroom, you should definitely ditch this idea and call in a professional.

Should I renovate my own bathroom?

Consider, also, the risks of doing a bathroom renovation as an inexperienced homeowner. You could easily run into more serious problems than you expected, and you won’t know what to do about those. If you’ve been committed to doing it yourself, by the time you call for a professional bathroom fitter, you may be out of luck. Then, too, it’s easy to make a mistake when you’re not used to doing this kind of work. One slip of a tool and you could end up with expensive breakage or, worse, an injury.

wooden floor bathroom with glass shower by Bathroom Inspirations

What should I leave to the professionals?

Still, if you’re the handy type, it might be worth tackling some parts of your bathroom renovation on your own. Which elements of a bathroom renovation can a homeowner handle, and which are better left to the professionals? Let’s take a look at some common aspects of bathroom remodeling.

  • Framing: This is just basic carpentry work, so if you know what you’re doing and feel confident that you can do it with precision, it’s a good way to shave off some of the cost of your renovation.
  • Plumbing and wiring: This is complicated, not just because of the work itself but because it’s subject to all sorts of bathroom renovation regulations. It’s better to leave this kind of work to the experts.
  • Flooring: Whether or not you can accomplish this on your own depends largely on the type of flooring you choose. Luxury vinyl plank tile, for example, is easy enough for most homeowners to handle. Ceramic and porcelain tile, however, requires the skill of a professional.
  • Wall surfaces: Drywall and moisture-resistant green board are easy enough to install, in theory. However, it takes a professional drywall to produce a beautifully flawless bathroom wall. Given that it’s not a huge expense, it’s probably better to hire this work out, unless you’re fine with drywall that looks like you did it yourself.
  • Cabinets and countertops: You can do this yourself, but it’s more convenient to have a professional crew come in and do it. Whether or not you do this on your own depends on whether you’re willing to pay for that convenience. In most bathrooms, though, it’s a fairly easy DIY project.
  • Plumbing fixtures: Installing a shower can be difficult unless it’s a pre-fabricated shower stall, so it’s probably better to leave it to the pros. The same goes for sinks and faucets, unless you already have the plumbing lines installed. Toilets are fairly simple to DIY, so the only reason to hire a plumber for the job is if the plumber is coming out anyway.
  • Painting and trim: It makes perfect sense to hire a contractor to paint the exterior of your home or a large interior room, but for a bathroom, it’s not necessary. It’s such a small space that it’s easy to do it yourself.
  • Structural changes: Any time you’re making major structural changes, it’s better to call for professional assistance. Wiring, plumbing, installing vapor barriers, or tiling a shower are all easily accomplished by an experienced professional but can be stressful for the average homeowner.

Visit Bathroom Inspirations Dorchester

When you’re ready for a bathroom renovation, call the bathroom installation professionals at Bathroom Inspirations. Founded in 2004, Bathroom Inspirations is a Dorchester-based company owned and managed by Bridport-born brothers Patrick and Paul Ackerman. Today, the business has one of Dorset’s largest showrooms, presenting stunning, innovative bathroom designs in real life settings. We’ll even help you design your bathroom, with free design services that use state-of-the-art 3D design technology, for visualizing the finished bathroom before committing to the work. To learn more, feel free to explore some of our work or schedule an appointment to visit our showroom in Dorchester.

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