What you should know before your bathroom or kitchen remodel. By Ty Breitman Diversified Builders

Phone 720.459.2477

There are many ways to get what you want in a bathroom or kitchen remodel. Some are better than others and some are more cost effective than others. What I like to do when remodeling a bathroom or especially a kitchen is assess my job before I start and think about the end game. What’s the best method for me to have a happy homeowner.

Going into a project, understanding the total scope and determining what the best method is that will get you to a job well done is crucial. It should help save some money and time as well.

If your trying to perform your own remodel, know and understand local building codes. Sometimes this will help in a big way during purchasing scheduling and layout. Remembering things like placement and spacing is important. For instance, knowing your fixtures and appliances have different requirements regarding locations for connections. Some of those requirements will need to be done before wall coverings! A great and important example will be ovens. Some have different power draws and require upgrades in wire size and circuit breakers.

Ordering things ahead of time and verifying they came correctly. Often times there are lead times for what you may order. Sometimes those lead times get pushed back from your suppliers or their suppliers and then after all that they come wrong!

Best thing to do is get a space at the job and get everything ordered BEFORE you even start demo!

If the remodeling is extensive and your moving plumbing and electrical and if it affects 3 out of 4 walls and possibly the ceiling, right away I know I’ll be removing all of the drywall/plaster surfaces. A lot of patches will cost more than just installing new drywall. Additionally patches are often visible when textured. It’s very difficult for most good drywallers to match texture. This is avoided if you are doing all new drywall.

If patching, your best bet is to complete the patch and skim the wall (referred to as an angle) then texture the entire angle, (a wall from corners to corners). Removing all finished surfaces also may save money as it’s much easier on the electrician, plumber or HVAC person to run all their stuff without having to do additional demo, (which can also increase the number of patches) in addition to getting a much better job.

When the walls are open it also is a great time to locate backing for towel bars, handicap railing, anything that may be better off with solid mounting rather than some wall anchors which can fail. Think about the current trend with hanging framed mirrors. I sure like ample backing to place my hangers in exactly the right place. I love backing. When doing bathrooms and especially kitchens where there are cabinets it’s great to have cabinet plans in hand. I’ll get a bunch of 2x material (wood that’s 1.5” thick) and install it before I rock (drywall) and write some dimensional information of where backing is and get photos with measurements, print them out and after drywall, post them on the walls for my drywaller and cabinet guy to see when he installs. It’s also good for the drywaller to see if there’s anything they should avoid piercing! I will mark studs and pipes on the subfloor before drywall and use upside down spray clear to make the markings survive sanding. Kinda sucks puncturing something like plumbing vents, pipes or wiring! This is not only going to make you your cabinet guys best friend but is going to make the install much better. Another thing to watch for that is often overlooked is how drawers open or cabinet, shower and entry doors open. For instance if you don’t have a spacer between cabinet and the wall and a drawer front that overlays your face frame it could be impeded by your door casing. Watch for the door swing regarding traffic areas or locating switches. Think about the shower door. Does it have to open right or left. Should it have a panel then a smaller door? This comes back to layout. If you know ahead of time what materials your using and dimensions of materials to be used before layout you will avoid much pain and suffering.

Now you have ordered everything, scheduled everything you can demo and lay everything out. Get your subs in to do all their roughs your golden. Now your job flies and the rest is just installation and finish.