How to Renovate a Bathroom to Maximize ROI and Resale Value
For the first installment of #FlippinBrushy, we’re revealing our plans for the Primary Bath. If you haven’t check out the announcement, be sure to start here to learn about how we picked our flip, the $$ numbers and other good stuff.
When Nick and I first toured #FlippinBrushy, we knew the current configuration was a problem. First of all, looking towards the bathroom off the primary suite entrance, you get a lovely view of…. the the toilet. There is a very small vanity with a single sink, and a good size closet to the right of the vanity. To the left of the vanity there is the toilet, and a small tub/shower combo.
If you remember from the initial walkthrough video, there are a series of small closets in the hallway leading to the primary suite. One of the first and easiest decisions was to seal off access to the closets from the hallway and instead create an opening from primary suite to provide more closet space. Creating more closet space there gives us more freedom to borrow closet space from the bathroom area to enlarge the shower and add a double vanity. Since the neighborhood attracts a lot of young families, we need to keep a bathtub in one of the two bathrooms and a large shower in the primary just feels right.
Here you can see the closet off the bathroom.
So plan is to:
- Remove shower/bath combo and enlarge shower
- Move plumbing for toilet and vanity
- demo and reframe closet to allow for dual sink vanity
- solve the door situation (entry into the bathroom and entry to closet)
Because we are moving some walls and plumbing, I knew we needed to perfect the layout on SketchUp. If you’re not familiar with SketchUp it is a 3D modeling computer-aided design program. It is used quite a bit in the design world, but there is a pared down free version that works great for many applications. I created a simple rendering in 2D for space planning purposes below and Nick can also click on any segment to verify measurements. So here is the preliminary layout for the primary bath (and second master closet on the right).
You can see I changed the swing of the door from right hand swing to left hand swing to improve our view of the toilet as you enter the primary suite. I also think we will go with bi-fold doors in the bathroom leading to the closet to maximize space and closet layout. I considered changing access to the closet from the bathroom to the primary suite but decided there are two many doors within a small space which is hard to see from the pictures and the rendering.
Of course, I’ve been pinning inspiration like crazy. If you don’t follow our Pinterest account yet, you can find us here. You’ll see I was and am really drawn to natural wood tone wall mounted vanities for this home. I love the clean, modern look, but practically wall-mounted vanities feel lighter and less intrusive in a space. I think the glimpse of the floor underneath must create an illusion of more space in the room.
Unfortunately, I do not know who to credit for this photo but it was posted on PasserineHome Instagram account.
Photo credit Michelle Berwick Design, Houzz.com credit. I am drawing major inspo from this clean, modern design.
Over the next few days, I’ll be posting a mood board and our selections, but I know it will definitely include a wall mounted vanity in a natural wood tones. Otherwise, on the subject of design selections…
When making design selections, it all comes back to ARV and knowing your market
If you read our last post, we talked about ARV or after return value. ARV is used to predict the future value of a home after renovations. The key is after renovations because no two properties are alike. Buyer preferences based on location can significantly impact repair and renovation budgets. If your flip is in an urban location, your pool of prospective buyers would likely expect high-end finishes. However for more suburban, family-centric neighborhoods high-end finishes might be lost on your prospective buyers. Based on the location of #FlipppinBrushy, within walking distance to a top-rated elementary school, we are imagining a young family move into this house. Our selections will be made with this future family in mind. Built into our ARV, we allocated between $10-12K for the remodel, including labor and materials. Top priorities for this remodel including enlarging the shower and adding a double vanity for mom and dad, both involve moving plumbing. Moving plumbing will eat up a significant portion of our budget. Otherwise, the goal is to create a clean, modern modern bathroom, while steering clear from bold use of color and more high-end design touches (like wall-mounted faucets) that our target buyers would not likely appreciate.
Have you ever heard the rule something to the effect of “the two things you can’t fix in a home are layout and location”? Totally agree with the latter, but former not so much. There is so many good things that this house has going for it (including location), we can’t wait to start tearing down walls in here to bring functionality and new life.
Stay tuned for the #FlippinBrushy Primary Bath moodboard and a round up of my favorite wall-mounted vanities!