Five Tips to Make Your Bathroom Stand Out

By Michelle Gillespie

Every homebuyer has a vision of their perfect house and the rooms inside that are most important to them. Because of their relatively small size in comparison to the rest of a home, bathrooms are often overlooked in the staging process, but for many buyers, it could be the most important room of all.

A bathroom is more than just a place for grooming: it’s a sanctuary. It’s a place where you can relax in a hot bath and escape the stresses of daily life for a few moments at a time.

Updating a tired bathroom is one of the best things you can do to increase a home’s resale value, and the fixes are not too costly or labor-intensive.

Easy changes include adding new, luxurious-looking towels, replacing your shower door or adding some scented candles or greenery. However, with a little more money and effort, your bathroom can become a talking point of the house.

Here is a look at five great ways to upgrade a bathroom:

 

BEAUTIFY:

By adding decorative glass, stone tile or accents to the bathroom, it will stand out among the other houses that are for sale.

Extra-wide wall tiles and plank style ceramic or porcelain floor tiles are popular these days.  Plus wood cabinets can be beautifully embellished with intricately carved wooden inlays.

 

 

LIGHTING:

Add more lighting options around the room, especially around the vanity, to reduce shadows and glaring. This is something that isn’t too expensive and can really highlight the positive features of a bathroom. Mood lighting around the tub area is also increasing in popularity.

 

RETHINK YOUR SHOWER:

The most popular changes happening to bathrooms today is the rethinking and modernizing of showers.   The changes that I am seeing include adding acrylic panels to the shower walls for a more modern look.  Some of these panels have the options for shampoo or soap holders for a more functional shower.   But the one that is the most sought after is adding natural stone for the walls, along with rain shower and shower bench.  Recently, I updated my shower and the product I used was Tere-Stone for the walls, along with a shower bench and rain showerhead.   I would highly recommend F.W. Webb Home for their knowledge and wide assortment of quality products, as well as great customer service. Last, but not least is your shower door.  The most popular option today is to add a frameless shower door.

 

UPDATE FIXTURES:

Not as costly as some of the other tips, changing the fixtures in a bathroom can add a great deal. From cabinet handles to faucets, the addition of brushed nickel or other polished metals are always a huge hit. Adding a massage element to the showerhead or one that replicates rain showers will also appeal to buyers.  And if space permits, consider adding a second sink, a popular request from buyers.

 

THINK GREEN:

The bathroom is a prime place to start employing those environmentally friendly devices. Installing fixtures that save water, such as a low-flow showerhead, a low-flow faucet aerator and a dual-flush toilet, can save thousands of gallons of water each year. Adding energy-efficient windows is another easy option, since the size of bathroom windows is relatively small. Another fix that is both decorative and energy-efficient is the addition of natural stone flooring, which helps the bathroom stay cool during the summer and warmer during the winter.

When buyers walk into an updated bathroom that exudes quality and offers an intimate feel, it’s one of the top things that people will remember about a home.