Complete Guide to Planning Your Bathroom Renovation

A step-by-step, homeowner-friendly guide to help you design, budget, and build a modern bathroom that works for your lifestyle.

Assess Your Current Bathroom

Start by measuring the room. Note wall lengths, ceiling height, door swings, and window sizes. Mark where the supply lines, drains, vents, and electrical runs are now. This map tells you what can stay and what needs to move.

Walk the space like a daily user. What slows you down? A cramped vanity, poor storage, slippery floor, or a dark shower are common issues. List what must change and what would be nice to have.

Think ahead. If you plan to sell in a few years, choose a layout that most buyers like. If you plan to age in place, allow room for a wider doorway, a curbless shower, and blocking inside walls for future grab bars.

Design a Smarter Layout

Split the room into wet and dry zones. Keep the shower or tub away from the entry if you can, with the vanity and toilet in the dry zone. That simple split reduces puddles and keeps the space tidy.

Make the walk paths clean and direct. Leave enough elbow room around the toilet and at least a comfortable shoulder width at the vanity. If you change fixture locations, plan the new plumbing and electrical routes now so they don’t clash with joists or beams.

Know the trade-offs. Moving drains or vents can mean opening floors or ceilings in nearby rooms. That adds time and cost. If the current rough-ins are good, you can often get a big upgrade without major rerouting.

Choose Fixtures and Materials That Last

Pick brands with parts you can get locally and warranties that are easy to use. Stick to standard rough-in sizes for valves, trims, and cartridges, so repairs stay simple.

Use tough, water-ready finishes. Porcelain or ceramic tile holds up well on floors and walls. For counters, quartz resists stains and needs little care. Solid brass or stainless hardware looks good and stands up to daily use.

Match style to future resale. Clean lines, warm neutrals, and classic shapes stay in style longer than trend pieces. Bring personality with mirrors, pulls, and paint rather than hard-to-change items.

Build a Waterproof Shower the Right Way

Start with cement board on the walls. Pair it with a sheet membrane or a roll-on waterproofing system. Seal all seams and niches. A tight envelope protects the framing and stops mold from taking hold.

Choose the base type early. A standard curb works for most homes. A curbless entry adds comfort and looks clean, but it may need floor recessing and a careful slope.

Plan the glass. Frameless panels open the room and spread more light. If you want a wider entry or a fixed panel, you might adjust valve locations so the controls sit within easy reach.

Add Comfort Features

Heated floors keep tile warm and help dry surface moisture. Decide on 120V or 240V, check the breaker space, and run the dedicated line with a smart thermostat. Do this in the rough-in stage to avoid rework.

Think through small upgrades that pay off: a handheld shower for easy cleaning, a quiet fan timer, and soft-close hinges on doors and drawers. These touches make the room feel finished.

Ventilation That Works

Pick a fan sized for the room. Look at the CFM rating and aim for quiet operation. You can vent through the roof or a side wall. Use the proper duct size and a smooth route to reduce noise and improve draw.

Smart features help. Humidity sensors kick on when steam rises and switch off when the air dries. Some models add LED lighting or a night-light. Keep the fan on a timer so it runs long enough after showers.

Convert a Tub to a Shower

If the tub rarely gets used, a shower often makes more sense. Choose a curb or curbless entry, then match the drain to the tile plan. A linear drain works well with large-format tile and gives you a single-direction slope that’s easy to lay out.

Confirm the drain location early. Moving it a few inches is common. A solid pan, proper slope, and waterproof corners matter more than any other detail in this conversion.

Plan for a Bidet

Decide if you want a bidet seat or a full fixture. Most heated seats need a nearby outlet. Add a GFCI-protected receptacle at the toilet wall and a clean water supply. Make these calls during design so you don’t have to open finished walls later.

Cabinet and Storage Solutions

Custom cabinets use every inch and solve tricky corners or odd walls. They’re great when you need specific drawers, hampers, or tall linen storage. Store-bought vanities cost less and install faster, but sizes are fixed.

Choose durable finishes. Painted hardwoods and high-pressure laminates hold up in damp rooms. Use soft-close slides and hinges, and plan drawer depths for tall bottles and hair tools you actually use.

Build Niches That Last

You can tile a custom niche to match the field tile or frame it in stone for a clean edge. Prefab niches cost less and come in set sizes and colors. Either way, slope the bottom slightly so water runs out, not in.

Place niches where you can reach them without bending or blocking spray. Avoid the wall that takes direct water unless you detail the waterproofing carefully.

Lighting That Works for You

Layer the light. Use pot lights over the tub or shower where rated for wet locations. Add bright, even face lighting at the mirror. Modern mirrors and medicine cabinets often include integrated LEDs and defoggers, which need power behind the unit.

Add task light where you need it. A strip under a floating vanity or a toe-kick night light helps on late nights without waking the whole house.

Set Your Budget and Timeline

Write a line-by-line budget that includes fixtures, tile, glass, cabinets, lighting, fan, waterproofing, rough-in parts, paint, and trim. Add labor and a cushion for surprises like hidden rot or crooked framing.

Build a simple schedule by phase: demo, rough plumbing and electrical, framing fixes, board and waterproofing, tile, paint, cabinets, tops, glass, and final trims. Share it with everyone who will work on the project so hand-offs are clear.

Balance Style and Resale Value

Pick a look you’ll enjoy every day, then anchor it in shapes and colors that age well. Warm whites, soft grays, natural stone looks, and matte black or brushed metal trims tend to hold value. Save bold choices for paint, towels, and art that you can swap later.

Final Review and Execution

Walk the plan with your contractor before anyone swings a hammer. Confirm the layout, drain and valve heights, outlet locations, fan route, cabinet specs, glass size, and all finish selections. Clear decisions now prevent costly changes later.

During the build, keep short check-ins at key points: after rough-ins, after waterproofing, and before glass is ordered. Protect nearby rooms, set daily clean-up rules, and agree on work hours so family routines stay on track.