Bathroom Remodels: Turning your Bathroom Into an Oasis

An atmosphere of personal indulgence, which used to be the domain of day spas, is finding its way into master bathroom remodels. Limited only by imagination and a project's budget, standard master bathroomss are turning into customized retreats. The good news is luxury can be incorporated into any design by using higher end tile designs, fixtures, and bathroom vanities or decorative bathroom furniture vanities.

STYLE
Start scouring those magazines that you see in the waiting rooms... make sure you check out the local design studios and design tradeshows. Styles change year to year, so if you want to keep up with current trends make sure you do some research.

MATERIALS
"For master baths, no material is too luxurious or too unusual. Whether it is installing travertine tile from floor to ceiling, find a rare type of granite countertops, or buying a one-of-a-kind decorative bathroom vanity, the options are endless" says Dale from Artistic Bathroom Designs in Philadelphia, PA.

LAYOUT
To create a custom floor plan, consider hiring a certified bathroom designer, who will analyze the size of the space and your family's needs. Some things to discuss with the designer include:

Shower or Bath: "The master bath has undergone some changes in recent years. Giant tubs, once wildly popular, have fallen out of favor. Instead, people are choosing custom showers including overhead showerheads, wall-mounted showerheads, hand-held showerheads, shower tiles, rain bars, body sprays and steam showers. Oversized tubs and jacuzzi tubs are under-utilized these days. When people are shopping for homes, they are not looking for the high end tubs, but they are demanding more and more out of the shower features" says Jake Parks of Atlantic States Realty.

Choosing a custom shower with a smaller bathtub can have a big impact on the layout of a bath, too. "A big tub with a nice surround takes up a tremendous amount of space. We can do a great big custom shower in a lot less space," Parks says.

Number of Sinks: If it is new development, it is almost expected to have two sinks in the master bathroom. In a remodel of an older home, the running of the second line and installation of a second sink can be cost prohibitive. Think about the return on investment before making a major change like installing a second water line and sink.

Delicate Matters: While it may seem a bit awkward to talk about the toilet versus the tub, whenever doing a remodel or new bathroom, the recent trend is to separate the tub and toilet by creating a second room. This can add a lot of value to your home.

Universal Design: Another trend in master bathrooms is the use of universal design. This approach, designed to accommodate people of all ages and abilities, includes wider doorways, showers with no raised lip around the bottom, larger shower doors and more room around fixtures. Once thought of as industrial-looking, universal elements such as grab bars now blend seamlessly into even the most luxurious master bathrooms.

THE DETAILS
When it comes to extras in a master bathroom remodel, look toward the luxurious. Hang an extravagant chandelier over a soaking tub; install a high end decorative bathroom furniture vanity; add built-in warming drawers for towels or install a pass-through fireplace for ambience and warmth. You might also consider increasing the master bathroom's convenience by housing your washer and dryer, adjacent dressing rooms or even massage tables in the space.

Sound systems and televisions have become quite common in master bathrooms, but today's remodels are taking the concept to a new level. Flat screens are becoming more popular and in-mirror models, where the television is visible only when it is on, are another option.

A master bath should be a calm, quiet retreat, and that can be tough to pull off with the noise from a television or stereo bouncing of the room's hard surfaces. These finishing touches will add that extra bit of luxury to an already spa-like master bath remodel.