Renovating your home is an exciting prospect, whether you’ve just moved in or you’re simply in the market for an updated look. Bathroom renovations are the single most popular form of home improvement to UK households, and for good reason – after all, they are essential spaces for our health and wellbeing. But before you get a quote from your nearest contractor, consider taking on your bathroom renovation DIY-style. Here are three simple reasons DIY might trump professional help – and help you get the bathroom of your dreams.
Control Over the Finer Details
It’s all to easy to see any project given to a third-party transform without your approval – whether small-scale changes to tile boundaries or larger issues such as the replacement of your chosen fixtures with an inadequate alternative. Granted, these outcomes are rare with good professionals, but taking on your bathroom as a DIY project can eliminate the possibility entirely, and give you complete control over the final outcome of the project.
This also rings true for any minor repairs or detail work you’d like to carry out. Having the necessary tools and skills to replace a cracked tile, or to refresh your bathroom with a re-grout, can save you a lot of time, money and headache in in calling out a professional – especially where work can be carried out with little more than a good quality tub of floor tile adhesive and an afternoon of your time.
Cheaper Overall
The major knock-on effect of taking on bathroom renovation work yourself can of course be found in your budget. Labour costs represent a significant proportion of any bathroom renovation budget, and can quickly balloon if you bring in a contractor on an hourly rate; there’s no guarantee the project will be finished within a set time, and various setbacks can lead to a bathroom which cost much more than you bargained for. Even in the best-case scenario, a fully-realised, fully-costed project with a defined budget and deadline can set you back much more than you might expect – and there’s always the prospect of emergencies or supply shortages which can extend the project further.
While the labour rate for contractors can represent real value-for-money in terms of the skills and expertise you’re paying for, taking on your bathroom project DIY can more-than-halve your renovation budget – giving you more wiggle room for acquiring more expensive tiles, or a nicer bathroom suite. Even just bringing a professional in for the difficult plumbing, and doing the rest yourself can make a huge difference to your spend.
The Start of a New Hobby?
Lastly, taking the DIY approach to renovating your bathroom can open up to you the great sense of accomplishment that comes with learning a new skill, or finishing a large project. DIY is something of a national pastime, after all – and taking on a renovation task yourself could be the beginning of something beautiful: the makings of a new hobby.
