Friday Focus: Bathroom Updates
Bathroom Style Revolution and the Resale Market
It was tucked away in a backwater of The Wall Street Journal’s online Design tab, which is actually just a sub-section of their Real Estate section. “The Rise of the Colorful Bathroom” was like a conceptual hand grenade tossed into the placid lagoon of home decor orthodoxy.
As far as design insights likely to affect our area’s home resale market, the pointers found in Design lately haven’t been particularly noteworthy. This month, there had been a piece about metal versions of “The Classic Peacock Chair.” That might have had some impact in Rangoon, but here in town, where peacock chairs are few and far between, it scarcely ruffled a feather. Similarly, there had appeared “A Décor Lesson in Subtle Patriotism” with marginally subtle red, white and blue illustrations—but especially since it first appeared after the July 4th weekend, local readers were unlikely to run that one up the flagpole…
But now, tucked away beside a Most Popular Videos sidebar, came this subversive “Rise of the Colorful Bathroom.” An excellent illustration showed an example of how far the author was willing to go: it portrayed a stark blue bathroom wall and sink featuring clapboard-like blue-and-gray porcelain tiles: the blue plank special. Did this mark a warning shot over the bow of one of the longest unchallenged home décor conventions—that the American bathroom palette should be, in the author’s phrase, “compulsively neutral”?
If so, would the new trend force homeowners poised to enter the area’s home resale market to have to expensively retool their bathrooms’ calming hues?
Fortunately for the budgets of local home sellers, a close reading made that unlikely. Although the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) does report some tip-toeing by their members in the direction of bathroom color infusions, no more than 10%-15% of them actually expect to decorate more baths “in green, blue and black”—at least for this year. There were also tacit admissions that the Colorful Bathroom’s Rise might become somewhat diluted before it spreads much further. “Muted beats candy bright” was the caption describing a mid-toned bathroom, displaying an almost traditional “quiet, palatable personality.”
Some designers also expressed some reluctance to jump on the Colorful Bathroom train—at least in one part of the rainbow. Palm Springs designer Christopher Kennedy may opt for small touches of bright color, but will always “avoid pea greens and acid greens” because “they aren’t so great on the skin.” He goes in a rosier direction, with hip colors like blush “because it makes you look beautiful.”
As far as townhome resale prospects are concerned, one devil-may-care subhead gives away a quite possible impact. The genuinely cool blues to emphatic blacks are labeled “resale-be-damned” colors. As we near the end of the hectic peak selling period, most local sellers continue to choose much more of a resale-be-welcome disposition.
5 Tips to Modernize Your Home’s Outdated Bathroom
How many times a day do you find yourself in your home’s bathroom? A home’s bathroom sees some heavy traffic, and any prospective buyer will want to take a look at what it has to offer them. That’s why it’s absolutely vital that you dress up your bathroom just as you would any other room of your house for a buyer visit – and dress it up the right way. An attractive bathroom needs modern style and amenities, and you can install them to really wow your buyers.
A Modern Take on Your Walls and Floors
Tiles are all but a necessity in your bathroom since few other flooring and wall options handle the heat and humidity of your bathroom better. However, plain tiles in ugly colors will do nothing to impress. Take a page from today’s hot interior design trends, and check out the options available to you. Arty geometric patterns are all the rage in every interior style area and can have a bold and elegant impact in your bathroom. Classic whites will always have a bathroom color-picking place, but think outside the box: try metallic chromes or grays, bold blacks, or add a splash of color. Wine reds and nautical blues are excellent complements to blacks and whites, respectively, and will add visual interest and modern taste to your bathroom, without losing any classic flair.
Shedding Light on Your Situation
Good lighting is an essential part of any room, and you can modernize your bathroom quickly by simply updating the light fixtures. Consider the style you’d like your bathroom to show off, and adjust your lighting accordingly. Modern, sleek, and chic bathrooms benefit from strong lighting and elegant, minimalistic fixtures, but be sure that the glare isn’t painful. A more romantic style can call for softer lighting and more elaborate fixtures. The addition of stylish mirrors can not only accentuate your lighting’s effects but can also make the room seem larger.
Cabinets, Storage, and More
Bathroom cabinets don’t have to exist as an afterthought to the rest of the room – indeed, they can be what really pulls together the overall aesthetic. Your bathroom countertop is a perfect canvas to add a splash of pattern and color to an otherwise minimalist room or act as a sleek anchor in a room that pops with geometric design. Storage cabinets can be accented with attractive handles and, above all, no smart buyer can ever say no to loads of storage and counter space. Get creative with adding unique storage to the room, and you’ll be able to expand your bathroom’s utility and space astronomically. The addition of storage to a standing shower area is both shrewd and convenient, and wall storage units can be a tangible way to clear off bathroom counter space.
The Modern Way to Clean
Your shower and tub are the centerpieces of your bathroom, and if you’re looking to sell your home, bringing them into the modern age is an excellent way to up the wow factor for prospective buyers. While the traditional bathtub still has its devoted fans, standing showers are easily the most significant bathroom design trend today. Removing your tub for a standing shower will significantly expand your bathroom to the eye, and the accessibility and ease of cleaning that a standing shower grants is a huge plus for seniors and those with disabilities. The addition of seating in your standing shower can increase this accessibility for anyone who steps in. Standing showers are an undeniably great canvas for artistic interior design, and can make or break your bathroom’s aesthetic. More rustic rooms can benefit from cobblestone walls, while chic rooms are all about sleek smoothness.
However, the simple bathtub is hard to give up for many buyers, even withstanding showers’ trendy looks and convenience. Modernize your bath by taking it out of the wall and replacing it with a stylized ceramic standing tub. It’s a great conversation piece for the room and is sure to please any bathtub fan. If your bathroom has the floor space, you may want to consider splitting the difference: a standing shower and standing tub combo or the real favorite, a standing shower, and Jacuzzi combo.
It’s not just about showers versus tubs when it comes to this part of bathroom design: pay attention to other convenience features that can wow buyers. Removable showerheads and attachments make cleaning easy, and the addition of low lighting to your shower can make for a relaxing, romantic atmosphere – just make sure that the lighting is certified for wet and damp environments. For your hardware selection, stainless steel will always have a place in the bathroom design world. However, if you want cutting-edge style, try chrome or brass work.
Saving the Planet, One Eco-Friendly Toilet at a Time
Eco-friendly bathroom appliances are designed to lower a homeowner’s resource consumption by requiring less water and less electricity to use. Not only are they an earth-friendly way to go about your daily life, but they also will save you big on your water and electric utility bills and come with rebates from government programs: making them a very attractive buy for any homeowner, even those that couldn’t care less about the push for green appliances. Water-friendly showers, sinks, and toilets are available from any local home improvement store, and a switch to LED lights is as simple as changing the bulbs. Installation is simple and can often be at least partially covered by the government rebates mentioned above. You’ll be able to sell your home on its green merits, as well as its newly economical bent.
A modern, updated bathroom is an excellent addition to any home and can charm buyers when they set eyes upon it. Even the most straightforward bathroom improvement project can provide considerable results in a buyer’s eyes and can help your home sell for more, faster. Consider what kind of updates your bathroom needs to get with the times, and go forth to get it up to speed.
3 Things That Are Key to an Equity-Boosting Bathroom
A bathroom renovation can add value to your property if it’s done right. These three things are critical.
According to the 2015 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report issued by the National Association of Realtors in conjunction with Hanley Wood’s Remodeling Magazine, a bathroom remodel can add up to 70 percent of its cost to the home’s value. But, you shouldn’t expect to recoup anywhere near that if you don’t make smart renovations.
How do you renovate your bathroom, so you add value to your home? Start by taking the time to assess your home’s value. (Consult a real estate agent for an accurate estimate.) The last thing you want to do is price yourself out of the market by spending $25,000 on a bathroom in a neighborhood where the average home price is $150,000.
Once you’ve set a reasonable budget, spend wisely. Every home will have different needs, and some renovations won’t make as much sense in one neighborhood as they would another. However, these three guidelines will keep you on track and help you add value to your home.
Think Simple
An upscale bathroom renovation—defined by the cost vs. value report as one that costs approximately $54,000—rarely offers a good investment return. Instead, it recommends sticking to midrange renovations of $40,000 or less. But even that figure can be misleading.
According to interior designer Katie Orin of Home Rescue 411 and KTO Designs, you can remodel a bathroom without spending a lot of money. Replacing the toilets and vanities may not be as sexy as glass tile, but it can have a huge impact, she says. Other cost-effective improvements can include replacing faucets, showerheads, or the mirror. Give the room a fresh coat of paint, and you have an inexpensive renovation that recoups a large percentage of your expenditures while adding value to the property.
On the other hand, you run a risk when you incorporate trendy elements and accents into your bathroom renovation. Those glass tiles look fabulous in the magazine, but they can make the bathroom look dated and worn in five years. (Contractors call this stylistic depreciation.) At that point, when buyers walk through your home, they mentally subtract value from your home because they’re calculating how much they will have to spend to update your renovation.
If your goal is to boost your home’s equity, keep your bathroom renovations modest and conservative. Don’t overspend, and don’t over decorate. Instead, focus on updating the essentials like the sink or faucets. When it comes to materials, choose basic, such as ceramic tiles, instead of trendy materials that will all-too-soon the property.
Make the Master Regal
If you are going to splurge a little on any bathroom renovation, make it the master bathroom. Buyers today have certain expectations when it comes to this area—at the very least, they want side-by-side sinks, an upgraded shower, and great lighting. Without these items, the master bathroom can actually be a turnoff, so spending a little more money may be worth the investment.
Balance is the key. You don’t’ want to overspend because you won’t be able to recoup your renovation costs, but at the same time, if you fail to make necessary renovations, you could turn buyers off. So, how do you strike that balance? Bring the bathroom up to date with buyers’ wants and needs but don’t go overboard. Add that second sink if you only have one in the master bath, but don’t install something over-the-top like electronically activated faucets, if you are more concerned about boosting equity.
The same applies to the shower. Buyers want an upgraded shower in the master bathroom, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to pull out the existing shower and put in a custom snail shower during renovations. If the shower is in good condition, you can hire a professional tub and tile re-glazer, Orin says. A white glaze will make the shower look new.
You don’t have to skimp, though. If you plan to stay in your home long term (five or more years), make the changes you want to your master bathroom. Just realize that you probably won’t see a boost in equity from upscale renovations like heated master bathroom floors, audio systems, and saunas.
Increase the Size
People have expectations when it comes to the number of bathrooms a modern house should have. A home with one full bathroom, even if there’s a second, half-bath, is just not going to cut it anymore. If your home has only one full bathroom, consider converting the half-bathroom into a second full one.
In the case of the home with one full bathroom and one half-bath, this could entail simply adding a shower to the existing bathroom. Or, you may have to knock out a wall and incorporate square footage from another room to increase the second bathroom’s size. It can be an expensive remodel, but it will almost certainly add equity.
On the other hand, if your property only has one bathroom, adding a second bathroom can increase the home’s value by up to 58 percent of the cost of your renovations. It’s not a great return, but it definitely makes the property easier to market since most buyers are looking for at least a 3-bedroom, 2-full bath home.
Adding a bathroom takes extra time and effort, so it’s not for everyone. The renovation is involved, especially if you physically add square footage versus converting existing space, like an unused closet, into a bathroom because it involves extending the foundation and roof and putting up new exterior walls. If that sounds expensive, it is. According to the cost vs. value report, you can spend anywhere from roughly $40,000 to $75,000 on a bathroom addition.
When in doubt about whether adding an additional bathroom is a good idea, talk to a real estate agent who can tell you what’s appropriate for the neighborhood and estimate how much value the new bathroom could add.
KEVIN SHIRLEY is a real estate professional with almost twenty-five years of experience. He is an Associate Broker with Long & Foster Real Estate in Washington, DC. He is also an Accredited Staging Professional and a Graduate of the REALTOR Institute. He graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classical Civilization and Art History. Find his author page on Facebook; e-mail him at kevin@realastute.com; call/text him on 202.320.6634.
