<p>Funny you should bring up this question – we are starting our master bathroom remodel on Monday! The goal is to make it look more updated and less like the 90’s – new floor and bath tile, new marble countertops, sinks and faucets, getting rid of wallpaper, and adding a “fur-down” to have recessed lights over the sinks. We’re using a trusted contractor to do the work, and we’ve made the selections ourselves (more neutral tones). We’re going to use rectangular sinks, as I’ve stayed in some Omni and Westin hotels lately that have them and they look much more modern – no difference in cost. Have fun! I’ll let you know how it goes.</p>
<p>Gardenwebforums are quite good, more technical are the ones at Finehomebuilding. Taunton press has some nice bathroom idea books. I almost got their Bathroom Idea Book today. A radiant floor is well worth it in my opinion. Make sure you use small tiles in showers so it isn’t slippery. Good light is a must by the mirrors and be sure to install an exhaust fan if you don’t have one. </p>
<p>If you really aren’t moving anything you problaby don’t need an architect, but you might be surprised if you hired one. I can usually find more space than the owners thought there was. I’m not too fond of marble - you have to seal most varieties. Look at a bunch of kitchen and bath stores to get an idea of what materials and fixtures really appeal to you. I love shower seats - great for shaving legs!</p>
<p>I second the motion on the Toto toilet. I do, however, still like my 50’s pink bathroom, but will probably have to give it up at some point soon, since it needs to be re-done.</p>
<p>We finished a major master bath overhaul a year ago. It turned out beautiful. Lots of great ideas in the previous posts. I subbed out my own work and also did a lot of it myself. Do the tear down yourself, you’ll save a lot of money and it isn’t hard. We also had old carpet and replaced it with tile. We went with a beautiful porcelain tile that had the look and feel of real stone, but not the price. We did not go with the underfloor tile heaters and really don’t need it here in the South, but regret we didn’t do it anyway. Our old shower shared the same wall with the whirlpool tub and had a cheap plastic tray floor with thin short glass and the wide gold aluminum trim. We shortened the base that housed the tub and gave it to the new shower which provided room for a nice seat. Put in a tile floor and much larger thick frameless glass. Absolutely beautiful. Can’t overemphasize how nice the frameless glass is. We had new vanities built and had them built up higher to accommodate our taller needs. Took the wall paper and the lick and stick mirrors off the walls. Repainted. Replaced the lick and stick mirrors with new lick and sticks, but framed them using trim casing painted a rich metallic brown. Came out great. Recommend you replace your toilet with one of the new comfort height toilets. They are so nice. I could go on and on. Have fun!</p>
<p>We too have a master bath that needs much of what OP describes.
However, with 2 in college, we have to do the “projects” one at a time and don’t have the luxury of spending for everything at once.</p>
<p>My question is about sequencing:
What happens first…
new tile floors, replacing the shower “basin”, repainting cabinets, getting rid of wallpaper, new countertops, etc.</p>
<p>For example, should we start first with the floors? I’m a little stymied, but want to start steadily toward an overhaul. We plan to downsize in about 3 years so everything we’re doing is with an eye towards resale.</p>
<p>Thanks for any suggestions!</p>
<p>curioser-
The sequencing will depend, to a large degree, upon the scope of what is needed. We looked into regrouting a tub but found the wall behind it had been water-damaged and needed replacing. We were unable to make significant financial outlays at the time, so we glued a plastic tub surround to the existing tiles as a stop gap measure.</p>
<p>The point of this is to tell you that you may encounter the unexpected as work begins. Maybe a consultation with a home inspector can detect underlying issues before you start work, then you can plan your sequence accordingly.</p>
<p>When we worked from a gutted bathroom, the shower enclosure was framed, the plumbing and electrical connections (to accommodate the new fixtures) were installed,then the wallboard went up. The shower was tiled first, then the floor. The cabinetry, new toilet and lighting were installed before painting the walls and ceiling. Shower doors, towel bars and switchplate covers were last.</p>
<p>We recently redid two bathrooms - another vote for the Toto toilets! We put a granite vanity top in one and marble in the other. They both look fabulous but I will say that the granite is easier to care for. The marble has the potential to develop rings if wet bottles are left on the countertop.</p>
<p>We had the marble and granite cut at a stone yard and installed by the yard’s people. At the same time we had them cut matching corner shower shelves which is a really nice touch and brings the room together. </p>
<p>Also, the triview medicine cabinets are really nice and afford lots of storage space. Many come with built in or optional matching light kits. </p>
<p>The frameless shower/bath doors make a huge difference in the airiness of a small bathroom.</p>
<p>[triview</a> medicine cabinet - Google Image Search](<a href=“http://images.google.com/images?q=triview+medicine+cabinet&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GFRD&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi]triview”>http://images.google.com/images?q=triview+medicine+cabinet&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GFRD&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi)</p>
<p>Edit: We followed the same sequence as mominva (above) and did put in new subfloors as ours were quite rotted.</p>
<p>If you are thinking of doing your own tiling, check out the Tile Shop or a local Home Depot/Lowes. They all have seminars on tiling which can be helpful if you’ve never done it before. We just remodeled our kitchen and, though my dh has tiled small spaces in other houses before, he decided we’d have it professionally done. It’s not the tiling itself that’s difficult, it’s after you’ve acquired all the specialized equipment to do a first rate job <em>and</em> rented a tile cutter, there may not be so much money to be saved, especially when you factor in the inevitable mistakes. Plus we went with a diagonal pattern which I really didn’t want to tackle. Figure out if you have more time (projects always take longer than you think) or more money. Plus figure how long will your bathroom be ripped up. The pros are faster than the amateurs. </p>
<p>As for plumbing and electricity, definitely go with a pro. There were unexpected plumbing difficulties left over from the original build and the plumbing/electrical guy had a quick and inexpensive fix because he’d seen the problem before. Dh admits that he wouldn’t have done it that way…the plumbing guy’s way was better and much less convoluted. It also didn’t mean running to Lowe’s six times in one day to figure out which part we would need only to find we needed something else instead.</p>
<p>Another one who has general-ed a bath remodel herself, keeping everything in original location.</p>
<p>Lots of great advice already.</p>
<p>I second: use of Expo/Lowe’s/Home Depot. Expo is great for ideas as are magazines and local high-end kitchen/bath design stores. If you do not have Expo in your area, be aware that Home Depot can obtain for you virtually any item you want, even if they do not carry it in the store. They have relationships with pretty much every manufacturer and if you want, say, a Grohe faucet, you can find it online and HD will look it up in their catalog, determine the discount arrangement they have with Grohe and pass it on to you. Lowe’s might be the same; we just didn’t have a local Lowe’s when we were doing our work.</p>
<p>Home Depot also has kitchen/bath designers and some of them are very, very good. Will do computer drawings for you, help with layout decisions and can keep you from making small but annoying mistakes (eg, ours guided me away from cabinet pulls that I liked but she knew constantly twist out of position and look off kilter and make you crazy). These services are (1) free (2) no obligation and (3) they are not paid on commission so you do not have to feel guilty if you do not end up buying much from HD. Just make an appointment and bring your dimensions and ideas.</p>
<p>I took the “sensible chic” approach with strategic splurges. Used fairly basic white 6" tiles for the shower surround with a double row of same tiles in a diagonal pattern for a feature strip. You can save a lot by having your field tile be fairly simple and then using more expensive tile/mosaic/what have you for a feature strip. </p>
<p>Our splurge was for a frameless glass shower enclosure. We love it and it makes the bath sparkle. We were also going for the light and airy feel.</p>
<p>I found it easy to budget and plan using online information for products and prices. BUT… be AWARE. Professional plumbers are EXPENSIVE. We had to make a SLIGHT move in the location of the lavs, because we were replacing a vanity with pedestal sink. Egad, the plumbing bill was costly - for that and the install of all of the other fixtures (shower, toilet). Be forewarned.</p>
<p>Good point, jmmom, regarding the feature strip.
We used 6in x 12 in tiles for the shower walls and chose shower floor tiles that were 2in x2in on a 12in x 12in web backing. That same line also had a 1in x 2in on a 12in x 12in backing. We ordered these and cut 4 rows of the 1in x 2in from each to use as accent/feature in the shower. Each 12in x12in of the 1in x2in cost about $4-5, we got 4 accent pieces from each. Other tile lines accent pieces were $10-20 each linear foot.</p>
<p>curioser, I think that sequencing in your case might well be different than for those of us who gutted a bathroom.</p>
<p>What you want, I think, is to only do projects that you are SURE will not impact other projects. Hard to see without seeing the bath, but:</p>
<p>For example, retiling the floor might not work out right if you later replace the shower basin and there is any, even slight, variation in the dimensions of your shower. Then your new tile floor might either have a gap or need to be cut into. </p>
<p>Similarly, changing the wallpaper, if you later change other things might either damage the wallpaper of leave you with gaps (different mirror size, new countertop slightly smaller or larger than current…).</p>
<p>My guess is that you could do the new countertop and painting the cabinet without encountering such problems. </p>
<p>But that is the thought process I would use.</p>