So you want to remodel your bathroom. Whether you are looking for a total upgrade or just a cosmetic refresh, it’s tempting to want to DIY your project.
With the rise of DIY and design Instagram accounts and TikTok influencers — it also seems accessible and doable for someone outside the residential construction industry to get good results quickly!
However, there are some pros and cons to renovating your bathroom yourself, and there’s a reason the most successful bathroom renos are done by professionals. In this article, we’ll cover: the pros and cons of each approach and help you decide how to tackle your project.
Pros of DIY
DIYing a home project is an awesome feeling. There’s something special about taking a step back and looking at something you’ve built. In addition, DIYing allows you full control over your project. Here’s the upside to doing it yourself:
Saving Money
Most DIY projects are started because homeowners want to save money. And it’s true — without paying a contractor, you will pay less overall for your project. Since you don’t have to pay for labor, just materials and equipment, you can spend far less than a professional project.
However, this gets tricky when you consider the specialized tools needed for many bathroom projects. Tile cutters, wet saws, drills, and impact drivers aren’t necessarily in every homeowner’s toolkit. Overall, a DIY remodel won’t be quite as expensive as a professional version, but the costs can still add up.
Full Creative Control
When you DIY a bathroom remodel, you call all the shots. If you can dream it — you can do it. Create a mosaic out of tile, stencil a mural on your ceiling, or turn a vintage dresser into a vanity. If your taste is eccentric, or you have a strong vision that would be time-consuming and labor-intensive to execute, DIY allows you to do that.
Sense of Accomplishment
DIYing a bathroom renovation is an amazing feat! It will be exhausting and frustrating, but when you’ve brought your vision to life, it will give you a huge sense of accomplishment. Plus, it can be enriching to learn new skills and gain confidence doing work around your house.
Cons of DIY
While DIYing has some upsides, it can also go very wrong, very quickly. Especially with surfaces that are going to handle water, mistakes can be costly. If your bathroom remodel requires updating a bath or shower, make sure you’ve thoroughly planned ahead and have access to support.
Creaking an area where water seeps into your walls, bursting a pipe, or incorrectly installing a drain can all cause your results to be subpar and require professional help to fix,
In our opinion, full bath remodels should be left to the professionals.
Pros of Going Pro:
If a full bath remodel is what you’re after, it pays to work with a professional. Here’s why:
The Permitting Process
If your remodel includes updates to electrical, mechanical, or plumbing systems, it will likely require a permit. Anything beyond a cosmetic upgrade typically requires a visit to the building department.
If you work with a professional bathroom contractor, the permitting is handled for you. At 10 Day Kitchens, we will take care of the entire process, so you don’t have to fret about filing paperwork, submitting plans, or waiting for approval.
Experienced Perspective
A professional bath remodel also comes with something money can’t buy: experience and expertise. A pro can help guide your decisions to steer you toward the best results.
If you DIY, you have full creative control, but you don’t always know the impact your decisions will make. Some tile options are beautiful but challenging to clean — a pro will know this, and if “low-maintenance” is your goal, they’ll tell you before you order.
Similarly, if a steam shower is on your wishlist, but your bathroom is small and in a challenging place to add more robust ventilation, a pro can advise you on the best way to achieve that and give you associated costs so you can prioritize your wishlist.
Local Knowledge
A massive reason to hire a pro is their knowledge of your locality. Permitting rules and regulations can vary from municipality to municipality. Not to mention environmental factors can have an impact. In areas like the Washington, humid air can corrode pipes faster, and sandy dirt tracked in my people and pets can cause blockages in your drain. Knowing this, a local pro can help you design the best bathroom for your location.
Adherence to Codes
Any pro worth their salt will know codes like the back of their hand. DIY-ers are prone to accidentally going against codes — especially in bathroom remodels. Not on purpose, but simply because the intricacies of a building code are hard to understand. For safety and longevity in your remodel, building to code is vital.
Building codes for bathrooms dictate spatial requirements to ensure room to move around, outlets that protect against water intrusion by shutting off quickly in the event of a fault, and installing the correct size of pipes are all vital to a safe and successful remodel.
Access to High-Quality Materials at Scale
A professional bathroom contractor has something that a hardware store can never provide — access to the highest quality materials at scale. A professional knows where to go for the best countertops, fixtures, and wholesale cabinets. Since they typically have access to these items in bulk, and can go through channels only available to professionals, they can pass their cost-savings through to you.
While the ultimate result of working with a pro may be more expensive, you’ll have access to much better quality materials than you would if you order through Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Amazon.
Cons of Professional Bathroom Upgrade: When Does DIY Make Sense?
DIY can make sense for a lot of folks, especially if your remodel consists of lower-maintenance cosmetic upgrades. A fresh coat of paint, upgrading shower fixtures, installing new faucets, or adding a statement with some humidity-resistant wallpaper are all great projects to do yourself.
For the bolder homeowner, refinishing a tub, retiling a floor, or adding built-in storage can all be achievable as well.
But for full bathroom renovation, or to have peace of mind that a professional warranty backs the work done, trust a professional.
Have a Bathroom Remodel Project in Mind?
10 Day Kitchen isn’t just all about kitchens, we are also a professional bathroom remodeling company.
We offer fast and efficient renovations that will have you back into a beautifully refreshed bathroom in as little as 10 days. In addition, we offer wholesale cabinets which means your bathroom remodel can benefit from our in-house selections, shorter lead times, and less complexity with vendors.
To learn more about our services, get in touch for a free consultation.
