Plumbing Considerations for a Successful Home Remodel

Plumbing Considerations for a Successful Home Remodel 

Remodelling a home’s interior is not just about changing the layout of the amenities or tearing down a wall or two – it’s also about the functionality of the space and how numerous factors will affect the outcome of the project. One such consideration is the plumbing network in your home, which, even though you might not have thought about it until now, can significantly affect the financial projection, as well as the course of the entire undertaking. Let’s take a closer look at the essential plumbing considerations you need to think of in order to plan out a successful home remodel.

Talk To A Professional First

It should go without saying that a professional and experienced plumber should be a part of your project, especially during the planning and preparation phase when you will be talking to your contractor and architect. While they are experienced in the matter as well, nobody will be able to advise you on how to avoid the possible consequences of changing your layout in areas where water supply is crucial, such as the kitchen, the bathroom, and the laundry room.

Make A Detailed Financial Plan

Truth be told, there is no way of predicting every possible expense involved in the remodeling of your home’s interior, but you can make a detailed financial plan with a contingency fund in reserve in order to prepare for any setbacks. Concretely, if you involve plumbing repairs, upgrades, and alterations into the initial projection you can offset many a financial drawback in the process.

It’s important to understand how plumbing modifications can affect the financial projection for the project, and an experienced plumber will be able to give you their estimate to complement the contractor’s initial projection. Remember, always look for more than one professional opinion.

Inspect Existing Plumbing And Repair As Needed

Another crucial element of a successful remodeling project is the thorough inspection of the existing plumbing network. Many a homeowner will simply start the project hoping that the internal plumbing network is in stellar condition and that there are no leaks, cracks, or faulty faucets at play. 

Alas, this is usually not the case. More often than not, a problem in the plumbing network will be present somewhere in the walls, and dealing with emergency plumbing issues before or during the renovation will be imperative in order to avoid costly problems down the road. Make sure the plumber inspects all faucets and internal plumbing, and advises you on the possible consequences of rerouting the network for a new layout.

Research The Best Materials And Fixtures

Different plumbing materials and fixtures will require different maintenance, but also consume water and energy resources in a different way, which is why it is important to plan for these expenses well in advance and choose the right materials and fixtures for your current and future needs. Moreover, it’s important that your contractor confirms that these fixtures and fitting will be available when the project begins. Otherwise, you are running the risk of having to settle for sub-par materials that will lead to costly problems down the road.

Understand Your Plumbing Network

Last but not least, you need to have a detailed understanding of your plumbing network, and how it works as a whole. If you don’t have the updated blueprints for your home at hand, you should have a professional plumber map out the plumbing scheme for you and point out which areas can and which cannot be tampered with. While there is always a way to reroute and restructure the entire plumbing network with sufficient time and finances, a better cost-effective idea would be to work with the pipeline and fixtures instead of against them.

Plumbing plays a key role in any home renovation project, and it should be an integral part of your project plan, monitored throughout the process by an experienced professional. With these essential considerations in mind, you can go ahead and plan a successful home remodel without the fear of financial setbacks. 

Guest Contributor, Lillian Connors

Bedroom Doors - How To Pick Them and What To Look For

Bedroom Doors – How to Pick Them and What to Look For

Doors are an integral part of every house design. Whether you are building a new house, renovating a couple of rooms, or completely redesigning your home, you should consider replacing your doors. Doors are not only prone to wearing out, but they can also go out of style. Some types of interior doors that were popular a decade ago look quite ridiculous in the modern setting.

That is why we have decided to sort of put together a list of the biggest trends when it comes to interior doors and bedroom doors in particular. We want to show you the best bedroom door designs and teach you all the ins and outs of picking one.

Types of materials

First, let’s talk about materials. First material that comes to your mind when you see a door is probably wood. There is nothing surprising about this, in fact, the majority of good-quality doors are made from wood. But that doesn’t mean that other materials are bad or not suitable. Let us show you what the most popular materials for bedroom doors are.

First of are solid wood doors. These doors are completely made from wood. They are the sturdiest ones, offer the best insulation, and create a natural sound barrier. They have an everlasting look and can easily fit in any design. Solid wood doors are perfect for the entrance to your bedroom.

Next up are solid-core doors. They are pretty similar to the above-mentioned solid wood doors, but the biggest difference is the price. These doors are made from plywood, making them a lot cheaper. If you don’t have a budget for a solid wood door, solid-core ones are a great substitute for a bedroom entrance door.

The third option is a hollow-core door. They are the cheapest option by far and because of that offer the worst insulation and quality. We don’t recommend using this type of door at the entrance to your bedroom, their sound insulation is pretty terrible. But you can put them at your bedroom closet or bathroom entrance.

Lastly, we would like to mention steel frame doors, glass doors, and aluminium doors. They are not that commonly used as the bedroom entrance door, but they are perfect if your bedroom has a balcony. These materials handle elements better than the wood does and if you install a flyscreen door, you will get a lot of natural light in your bedroom.

Styles

After you’ve settled on the material of your bedroom door, we can talk about the different styles that are available on the market. Styles are not universal and they are intended to serve a specific purpose. For example, you can place a bulky front entrance door in your bedroom. That is just impractical and doesn’t make any sense.

But what you can do is place a panel or a flush door at the entrance to your bedroom, use a flyscreen door for your balcony, and install a bifold door in your bedroom closet. These styles are all perfect for their specific roles. Flyscreen doors let the sunlight enter your bedroom from the balcony. Bifold doors take less space than the regular doors, making them perfect for small places like bedroom closets. And panel or flush doors have just a great overall design for entrances. Pair these styles with solid wood and you’ll get a timeless design and long, long lasting doors.

Guest Contributor, Diana Smith