Your beautiful bathroom picture galleryI'm always surprised when I hear of people who embark upon lengthy and expensive bathroom remodeling projects but don't bother to record progress in any way. It only takes a few minutes to photograph all aspects of your bathroom especially if you have a digital camera, and the results will serve you well as both a tool in the redesign and as a talking point and reminder for the future.
What you must remember when you're about to begin your bathroom remodel is that your bathroom is never again going to look like it does now. Once all the fixtures have been ripped out, all the ceramic tiles hacked off the wall and the floor covering is lifted, it's never going to look the same again. In fact you won't even recognise it.
Try to look forward a few weeks to the point in time when your bathroom remodel is complete and you are admiring it for the first time. You are going to wish that you had taken a few pictures of the bathroom before it was remodeled because you're already having trouble remembering what it used to look like.
Bathroom remodeling picture - Before work starts
Why should you bother to record a picture of bathroom renovations in this way? Well first of all you are going to forget what your bathroom looked like before the redesign. You might not think it now but you will and even if you don't you're going to have a hard time explaining what it looked like to anyone that asks.
If you take pictures of your bathroom before remodeling then you will have a permanent record of what it looked like to refresh your memory and to show to your friends. The pictures that I took of my small bathroom before remodeling began are a constant reminder to me of how bad it was and they more than justify my decision to spend the money on the bathroom makeover.
The before and after bathroom remodel picture gallery from my small bathroom renovation can be viewed at Pictures of Bathrooms Before and After Remodeling
Bathroom remodeling picture - While work is in progress
I like to make a visual record of any major work I have done by taking pictures at regular intervals as the work progresses. If you photograph your bathroom say once a day it will give you the opportunity to review the work as it evolves in your own time. Pay particular attention to any detailed work being carried out and be sure to photograph any new pipe work that hasn't been boxed in yet.
Pictures of pipe work and other detail that hasn't yet been covered up can come in very handy later if you ever need to have more work done on your bathroom. The pictures will show you exactly where the pipes and other concealed features are located. You will also be able to examine the quality of joints and bends in the plumbing and identify any problems early.
You might also want to use some of your pictures to point out to your contractors any problems that you want them to correct. I like to take work-in-progress pictures like this when the contractors aren't around so that I can poke around in places they might not want me to go.
Bathroom remodeling picture - After the dust settles
Any new bathroom picture that you take after remodeling has been completed will be amongst the most satisfying of all the pictures in your visual record. At this time your bathroom looks clean, bright, uncluttered and the ceramic tiles are gleaming. You will want to refer to these pictures often to make sure that you keep your beautiful bathroom looking the same as it does now.
All your friends will be interested in seeing your before and after bathroom remodeling pictures especially if they are considering doing something similar themselves. Make sure that you show off the dream bathroom picture that you have created for yourself and be proud of it.
Hiring a Contractor For Your Bathroom Remodel
The process of hiring a professional contractor to tackle your bathroom renovations can make your head spin pretty quick.
First, there are many bath renovation companies out there. Look under 'General Contractors' or 'Bathroom Remodeling' in the phone book and you will see what we mean...there are hundreds of bathroom remodelers and general contractors in each area. On top of that, there are hundreds of other great contractors that remodel bathrooms but are not in the phone book.
Second, it is pretty easy to go around calling yourself a professional bathroom remodeling pro. People don't necessarily need an office or a lot of fancy equipment or tools to start a business. Therefore, individuals that have done some repairs on a few houses or rooms can try to trick you into believing they are a highly skilled and experienced bathroom remodeling professional. If they have a truck, a tool belt, and a business card they could fool a lot of people!
Finally, there are many different types of contractors that remodel bathrooms. There are handymen, general contractors, builders, construction companies, and companies that specialize in only bathroom renovations.
So what do you do when looking for a contractor to remodel your bathroom?
We recommend:
o Asking your friends and neighbors to see if they have had good or bad experiences with local contractors. Simply knowing that another person has had a good experience with a contractor prior to calling them lessens your chance of hiring a problem.
o Call 3 or 4 companies to bid on your remodeling project. This will help you determine fair market price for your job. This does not mean you should always go with the lowest price. You should go with the company you feel most comfortable with and who you feel will do the best job. If an individual is offering a real low price you should ask yourself, "why?".
o Decide exactly what you want to do to remodel your bathroom. At a minimum you should have a few general ideas before calling a contractor. They can help you make some final decisions, but you need to be able to explain your basic needs before letting them talk you into things.
o Try to decide if your work can be accomplished by a handyman, or if it is more involved. If you are simply laying some tile, painting, and changing some fixtures you should feel confident that a quality handyman could handle this work. If you are talking about tearing things up and changing the entire bathroom around, then your best chance of success is by hiring an experienced general contractor.
o Make sure the company has insurance. There is a chance for injury and for destruction of your house when remodeling a bathroom. As mentioned above there are many fly-by-night contractors that may not be insured. Ask them for their insurance company's phone number and call them to prove they are insured. If you skip this part you could be held liable for an uninsured worker's injury while working on your house. You could also be left with the bill for tons of repairs if an uninsured contractor leaves you with a destroyed bathroom or house!
o Ask if the bath remodel contractor will be able to handle all of the work you require themselves, or if they will have to sub some of the work out to other companies (such as a plumber). If they are subbing jobs out, make sure that their contract states that they are still directly responsible for all work. In other words, you will not have a situation where a plumber installed your new toilet incorrectly and the contractor is telling you that it is not his problem. What happens if you can't get in touch with the plumber they hired after the job is complete? You want one person to be held responsible.
o If your bathroom remodel requires a general contractor, or you simply decide to hire a company that states that they are general contractors, make sure they have a valid General Contractors License
o Always get a statement of work performed in writing. Keep this filed away. Make sure the statements clearly state what work is to be performed.
o Ask if the bathroom remodeling comes with guarantees. These are factors to weigh when looking at the total cost estimates left by different contractors.
o Some contractors require an upfront payment. Agree to a payment schedule (which is a written document that clearly states how much and when payments are due). Make sure your payment schedule is discussed and documented on your contract prior to beginning work. Stick to this schedule even if the contractor asks for early payment. You do not want to get into a situation where you have paid for the majority of the bathroom remodeling work, but the majority of the remodeling in your bathroom is not completed!!...these situations often end in unfinished or poorly finished jobs.
o Check in on your bathroom remodeling progress regularly- try to catch potential problems or misunderstandings before it is too late.
Good luck with your bathroom and remodeling needs!
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