The number 1 room planned for renovations this year is the bathroom. In a recent Angie’s List survey, 42 percent of respondents said they plan to redo the loo.
“Remodeling bathrooms is a popular home improvement project, but they’re not cheap,” Angie’s List founder Angie Hicks says.
Bathroom projects used to run $10,000 to $15,000, but $20,000 is now a common starting price, as homeowners want their bathrooms to be more spa-like than just functional. The only thing they really want to scrub is themselves.
“They’re tired of fighting the grout lines. They’re tired of having to re-caulk,” says Mary Wright, of Economy Plumbing Supply. “Maybe they don’t have a lot of people in their family members that squeegee a lot. So, by that maintenance standard, they want something that’s easier to clean.”
Trends include cultured marble, thick-glass shower doors and sleek fixtures, quartz or granite counter tops, and luxury vinyl tile, used commercially for years due to its durability, and that offers either a wood or tile look.
“Consumers are looking for less work around the house, especially when cleaning their bathrooms, so the trend remodelers are seeing is more walk-in showers with frameless doors, because they’re just easier to maintain,” Angie says.
Frameless doors and floating vanities help make the bathroom seem larger. Traditional tub and shower combos are out, with larger, more luxurious showers moving in. If any tubs are in, they’re free-standing, artsy models. Hot fixture finishes include chrome, brushed nickel and Venetian bronze.
“People really like having that open feel. They don’t like, necessarily, feeling so built-in, so compartmentalized in the space any longer,” Wright says. “They’re trying to more or less to take down the walls, have a much more spa feel.”
Angie says it’s too early to write the obituary for bathtubs, as most families with young children still need a traditional tub. But in the master bath, it’s getting the royal spa treatment and they’re out, she says.
