A bathtub remodel maybe?

Here are two bathtub scenes. Which one suits you better?

1. Does your brother keep himself clean? Oh, yes. He takes a bath every month whether he needs one or not.

2. After a simple bath, Joan feels her muscles relax, her mind calms down, her body feels moisturized and detoxified and she feels like her circulation is stimulated. Every other day she enjoys a beautiful soak.

If you’re like the brother in #1, you might just look at a bathtub as a practical fixture in your bathroom. If you’re like Joan in #2, the look and feel of your bathroom matters since it’s a place where you decompress.

Now, walk into your bathroom. Are you staring at an ugly pine sink structure and wondering how uninviting your bathtub has become? You’re running through the motions at home and anytime you think you should do something relaxing, it involves staying at a nice bed and breakfast or hotel. You realize that functionality has taken over, and you never intended that. Initially, your bathtub was going to match the universal symbol of relaxation and your sink area would look like you were washing your face above a pond. Once upon a time, you pictured a soft habitat to embrace daily cleaning rituals that showed imagination. So, how do you return to that possibility and make your bathroom feel like a mini daily spa?

Don’t just start ripping your bathroom apart! Planning ahead is the best way to stay in your budget and give yourself the proper amount of time to consider how you can remodel or renovate your bathtub and sink fixtures. 

Begin by answering a few basic questions:

When you look at home design magazines, blogs and articles, what catches your eye? Make sure you spend a little time doing this, so that your design style and objective for that bathroom emerge. While reviewing different designs, ask yourself:

·        What inspires you?

·        What type of bathtub?

Consider choosing the right bathtub material.[1]

Here are some pros and cons on various bathtub materials.[2]

  

·        What’s my budget? Don’t forget to build a budget.  The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) provides an online worksheet that makes building a budget easier.[3] Create a wish list and see how best you can make your dream bathroom a reality. Maybe you don’t need to buy everything brand new either.

·        Do I need to buy everything new? Consider repurposing ideas various furniture pieces for a unique look that inspires.[4][5]   

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.”

- Henry David Thoreau

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[1] http://www.bhg.com/bathroom/shower-bath/choosing-the-right-bathtub/

[2] http://www.inman.com/2012/02/17/pros-and-cons-9-bathtub-materials/

[3] http://www.nari.org/homeowners/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=5

[4] http://www.salvagedgrace.com/tag/repurposed-sink/

[5] http://www.houzz.com/photos/bathroom/repurposed-furniture-