First things first I would like to say renovating your bathroom or bathrooms is a big investment in your property. The word that is key to that is “investment”. So it’s important to treat this like any other investment, make sure you make informed and responsible decisions, to ensure you don’t end up throwing money away on a renovation that doesn’t deliver a reasonable return. I’m talking about both financial and emotional returns. You want to add value to your home and love the look and feel that you experience. A professionally designed and fitted out bathroom renovation can potentially increase the value of your property by far more than the investment of the bathroom renovation alone.

However, by getting it wrong, and making some or any of the mistakes detailed below, can potentially end up costing you much more than the money you spent on what you thought would be a wise investment. The worst part of it is that its something you will use and look at every morning of your life and no wants to wake up mad every day. Sure, you can’t be expected to know everything there is to know and consider when planning your bathroom renovation. It’s not something you deal with every day but there are traps and pitfalls you must be aware of to help you every stage of the way and that’s what On the Ball Bathrooms wants to always do helping you archive the best result.
 

Mistake 1 – Waiting Too Long To Renovate

This is a mistake we often come across. Because a bathroom renovation can rightfully be viewed as an expensive investment, it is quite often put off where problems are patched up or sealed over with the view of prolonging the inevitable. It’s quite understandable you may not value the benefit of renovating your bathroom before the paint starts peeling, the shower starts leaking into your walls or the tiles start falling off. Often by the time many symptoms of bathroom failure become apparent, costly damage beyond the surface you can’t see has already taken hold. The biggest one is that pesky rising dampness spreading like a disease through your walls

It’s not only the localised damage to the walls, framework and flooring in your bathroom. It’s the termites that just thrive in a moist environment and spread quickly causing monstrous damage. Also, mould, a major cause of debilitating allergies and illness including asthma, eye, skin and lung infections.

Mistake 2 – Doing The Partial Renovation Or Sealing

What may seem a more economical option at first, can sometimes create greater problems. As tempting as it may seem upfront, there is no possible way to guarantee the integrity of your bathroom without a complete renovation taking everything back to a bare shell. Commonly what occurs during a partial renovation is they do not remove all the tiles in the shower so it’s not long after the damage will occur again. We have been to so many jobs where the client is so angry about spending $500 to $1000 on quick fixes that only last 6 months. The issue with over the top of tile sealers is,any movement, using the wrong chemical or a piercing of the grout will cause the leaks to happen again so there is no way to tell how long it will last.
 

Mistake 3 – Choosing A Dodgy Tradesman

Bathroom renovating can be attempted as a DIY project but it will take a lot of time, tools and extensive research and planning. Even with over 30 years of experience every week we find a new issues we have never seen before so it can be a daunting task when you do it yourself. Below is a list of trades and skills your average bathroom renovation will or might need:

• Electrician
• Carpenter
• Plumber
• Plasterer
• Waterproofer
• Tiler
• Cabinetmaker
• Glazier
• Painter
• Asbestos specialist
• Stonemasons / concretes / renders
• And at times others not listed

Due to the complex nature of bathrooms, many contractors come and go. Often leaving behind a trail of substandard renovations. At On the Ball Bathrooms all our employee’s are our own employees with no subcontractors. In another article I will give you the 9 things to look for when picking your renovator.
 

Mistake 4 – Choosing the Wrong Design that Doesn’t Suit Your Needs or Your Property’s Style

Always renovate your bathroom for your needs, not the needs and wants of others. To create something that someone may or may not want in the future is setting you up to be unhappy with your choice. Now it’s important to listen to advice but many people are swayed by the opinionated salespeople or tradesperson who only want to make their job easier so they can take your money and move on to the next job as quickly as possible.

Even the most basic of bathroom renovations done with the right design can create a real WOW factor and improve its functionality. Many people put too much pressure on themselves to save a few dollars here and there, avoiding the design elements and finishes that really provide what had previously been sorely missed.

The way I approach your bathroom is to never tell you what you have to have but to do what you want me to do. If you don’t know about something or want to be told I can paint you the best bathroom design you could want but it’s important to be happy with what you are picking as mentioned before you will look at it every day of your life.
 

Mistake 5 – Choosing Poor Quality Fixtures, Fittings and Tiles

It’s confusing to navigate the styles, the options and of course the prices. You don’t want to waste money on excessively priced fixtures or fittings. But you want something that will last, and come with a good warranty in case it fails. In reality, you don’t have to pay too much for products that come with extensive and longer warranties. From our experience, the ones with the better warranties stand true to their claims and by far have lesser problems.

When it comes to choosing your tiles, there are a few tricks here to be aware of. Because a bathroom is a wet area, you must ensure any tile you choose is first quality and non-porous or they just won’t last. Make sure all tiles are consistent in shape and sizes. After all, the last thing you want is uneven grout lines in your new bathroom caused by inconsistent tiles of random sizing.
 

Mistake 6 – Not Insisting on References from Previous Clien Ts

You’ve decided to renovate your bathroom and begun to get a couple of quotes but how do you know who to trust. How do you know you haven’t been sold to by a slick salesman? Only to be treated later like a number once your commitment is made.

You want to trust and believe you will be treated with respect and honest not held to ransom by a company that only wants your money so they can move on.

Not only because us at On the Ball Bathrooms provide over 20 references but its important to gauge the company from there previous clients. I’m not saying perfection is a must but if you speak to 9 out of 10 people about a company that say they are fantastic you know they are a great company as renovations are difficult due to the unpredictable nature and the length you provide a warranty for so if they can provide multiple references they must deliver
 

Mistake 7 – Choosing Your Bathroom Renovation Company on Price Alone

We quite often when making a choice that requires significant investment the cost is what people look at. Price is an important consideration its the only way to gauge if you are being ripped off so it’s important to look at all factors.

Considering the complexity and importance of getting your bathroom renovation right, without hassles and stresses that can cause even greater problems… it’s more important to consider ‘who’ to choose, based on trust and confidence before price.

We may not always present the cheapest quote, after all, there will always be somebody cheaper who underhandedly buys your job cheap to hit you up for extras later.

Whilst we commit to being competitive on pricing, we believe by offering you the best deal is far more valuable than just the cheapest price. If however, you are able to obtain a better-written quote, we would appreciate the opportunity to match those prices or be give the opportunity to asses why there may be a difference.

Always ask questions regardless of how silly you may think they are as you want to be happy at the end and that small questions might result in a big difference at the end.

 
It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature and all bathrooms are unique so always speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice. At on the ball bathrooms we love feedback so let us know what you think with a comment below or if you are looking for a bathroom renovation quote and live in Perth, Western Australia contact us on 0419964678 or email us at info@ontheballbathrooms.com.au

 
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