Never put off a much-needed bathroom remodel in Boston! Your home’s bathroom should be both functional and stylish, providing lots of accessible storage for everyone who uses that space. In some cases, overlooking needed bathroom updates can also mean eventual water damage and resultant mold growth.
While there are many reasons to invest in a bathroom remodel for a Boston home, homeowners might wonder if such an update adds value to their property. While only a real estate agent or property appraiser can determine if a renovation will add value to your home, consider why a bathroom update is an excellent way of enhancing your home’s appearance and function. It’s also good to review why an old, outdated bathroom can easily lower your home’s value!
Old, outdated shower and floor tile is more than just unsightly; that tile is designed to repel water, protecting drywall and subflooring under it. Over time, wall and floor tiles might crack, split, pull away from the surfaces under them, or otherwise create gaps that allow in water and moisture. Grout and caulk might also dry out and get brittle, also pulling away from surfaces under them.
Strong, watertight surfaces are especially vital in the bathroom! Even if you put down a bath mat before stepping out of the shower, exposed drywall and subflooring absorb humidity and water vapor very easily. This leads to wood rot that can mean warped and unsafe floors as well as damaged wall framing, allowing the house to potentially sink and settle.
As drywall and subflooring absorb moisture and humidity, this increases the risk of mold growth as well. Mold is unhealthy for humans and also damages wood framing and surfaces, and can be quite costly to clean and remove properly.
Installing new floor and shower tiles regularly over the years ensures proper protection for your home’s subflooring and framing. You’ll guard against water damage and resultant mold growth by updating your home’s bathroom as often as needed, making that update a great investment in your home’s overall condition as well as its appearance.
Remodeling a bathroom in a Boston home often means a more stylish and functional space in an existing bathroom, but adding a new bath almost always adds value to your home! Additional showers mean an easier routine for everyone in the family and out-of-town guests; a homeowner might even consider taking in a roommate if there is an extra bathroom in the home, so the house then makes money for you!
If you’ve never thought about adding a bathroom to your home, consider that you only need a few square feet of space for a lavatory, meaning a toilet and sink. While you don’t want to remove needed storage from a bedroom or create an awkward floor plan around the family room, note if you might expand or cut into an underutilized broom closet, pantry, or linen closet to create a small washroom. If your current bathroom has an oversized tub you never use or other such wasted space, a bathroom renovation contractor in Boston might use that space to create an entirely new bathroom. This is an excellent way of ensuring full function from your home and potentially increasing its overall value.
Outdated, worn-out cabinets and bathroom fixtures might detract from your home’s appearance and potentially decrease its value; new cabinets, flooring, and other materials protect property values and reduce the risk of losing value over the years. However, if you’re looking to do everything possible to increase your home’s value with a bathroom remodel in Boston, ensure you add both style and storage!
Increased storage in the bathroom is almost always appreciated by potential homebuyers, which then adds to your home’s value overall. It’s especially useful if you consider accessible storage designed for the bath in particular; for example, a roomy linen closet ensures space for towels and toiletries, but stylish shelving around the mirror with small cubbyholes offers space for all those little items you use in the bathroom every day.
Accessible storage also means having items close at hand, where they’re needed. Shelving over the toilet keeps towels near the shower or tub rather than in a linen closet in the hallway! Knocking back the shower wall also provides shelf space for shampoo and other such items, so you don’t need to retrieve them from under the sink or stack them up along the tub edge!
Adding style to your home’s space with a bathroom renovation in Boston also helps add value. If you cannot afford stylish cabinets, invest in oversized hinges and hardware for added visual interest. Opt for a nicely framed mirror, and ensure you leave money in the budget for a new shower curtain, bathroom rug, and other accessories that bring personality to the space.
If you are concerned with adding value to your home when planning a Boston bathroom remodel, ensure you address needed repairs and updates to plumbing fixtures, electrical wiring, wood framing, subflooring, and other such features. Even if the plumbing works fine, as an example, it might suffer corrosion and wear over the years; new plumbing ensures it lasts as long as possible without corrosion and leaks, potentially increasing home values.
Increasing a bathroom’s functionality is also needed to protect your home’s value. This might include updating the ventilation fan and even adding ventilation to the space. A light fixture inside a dark shower area, low-flow toilets and showerheads, and a new water heater can also ensure a space that appeals to a wide range of buys.
It’s also vital that a homeowner choose neutral colors and materials that appeal to a wide range of homeowners, as homebuyers might be put off by loud colors and eclectic styles. Stick to earth tones or soft shades of green and yellow, as these are popular colors for bathrooms and ensure a bright, clean look.
Your renovation contractor can also suggest how to add value to your home with a Boston bathroom remodel. They might know of changes to homes in your area that appeal to buyers and that have increased surrounding property values, and that might work for your planned remodel as well.