The bathroom is one of the most important rooms in any house and designing it for maximum utility and comfort is essentially. When remodeling your bathroom, here are 5 common design mistakes to avoid.
Inadequate Waterproofing
Bathrooms are naturally quite wet. It’s estimated that proper waterproofing costs should account for 5 to 10 percent of the total cost of the room. ready-mix concrete comes handy in such situations. Also, many materials that work fine in the design showroom don’t necessarily hold up to long-term exposure to moisture. This is why it’s best to design and build with durable materials that stand up to any moisture.
Slippery Floors or Carpet in Bathrooms
Bathroom floors need traction. Having a shiny floor such as glossy tile or polished stone for a bathroom is a major no-no. Also, carpets and bathrooms don’t mix, due to the fact that with how much moisture ends up being in a bathroom, you invite mold, mildew, or other things to collect in the carpet. Bath mats are fine as long as they’re washed often, but carpeting, especially around the toilet, can collect a lot of unwanted smells and sanitary issues.
Insufficient Lighting
Many designers will suggest that having no natural light in any room, especially the bathroom, is a major sin. This can’t always be avoided based on where the bathroom needs to be put. Skylights and light tubes are good ways to get around not having space for a window available. But these options aren’t always available for the space, either. There are innovative design options such as finding ways to bring in light from adjoining rooms. In any case, if you have no way to let in natural light, use light cabinetry and have plenty of ambient lighting in the bathroom to avoid making the space feel creepy.
Using Bland or Overpowering Tile
Typical 4×4 white tile is something found in far too many remodeled bathrooms. This rather bland design choice is often made in anticipation of future home resale value. Some remodels go the exact opposite direction and use tile designs that are either incredibly bright or overpowering. It may be the choice of some to go overboard to add visual interest to one of the most important rooms in the home. The trick is to add a splash of color to make for a nice conversation piece, not to have a distracting design that confuses everyone but you that uses the bathroom.
Not Venting Quickly and Quietly
The last thing you want to do when using the bathroom is to feel like you’re taking off in a jet when you turn on the exhaust fan. Despite building codes requiring “fart fans” (yes, that’s an actual term), far too often cheap $25 fans that are extremely loud and attached to cheap flexible ducts. While they may pass inspection for the airflow, measured in CFM (Cubic Feet per Minutes), no one wants to turn on that fan. There are many options that are long-lasting and so quiet that you forget they’re even there, well worth the extra few dollars.
Keeping these 5 design aspects in mind, your next bathroom should turn out to be durable and enjoyable for many years to come.