If you need to renovate your bathroom, you can do it yourself or hire a professional. A DIY bathroom renovation means you need to take care of everything from prep work to applying finishing touches. Although DIY projects can help you save money, risks can result in more expenses. This article explains the disadvantages of DIY bathroom renovations and why it is better to leave some home renovation projects in the hands of professionals.
Longer completion time
DIY renovations can take more time to complete compared to bathroom renovations completed by professionals. Renovation experts have years of experience to help them complete tasks faster. While DIY’ers need to follow instructions and learn as they go, professionals have techniques they can rely on to finish their work quickly without sacrificing quality.
A longer completion time can also affect your family’s quality of life because they cannot properly use the bathroom while you are renovating it. This can lead to stress and more pressure on you, resulting in poor quality results. If you have another bathroom in your house, the pressure is not too much but can still throw off your family from their established routines.
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Imperfections in work quality
The results may not be perfect if it’s your first time handling a renovation project. This can be challenging if you are a perfectionist and want to get the best-looking bathroom. Aside from the frustration of not having a perfectly renovated bathroom, you might end up dipping into your funds to hire a professional to correct imperfections.
When you hire a professional building designer to renovate your bathroom, that building expert has sub-contractors to handle the different aspects of bathroom renovation, like laying down tiles, installing bathroom fixtures, and fixing your plumbing system. Each sub-contractor specializes in one aspect of bathroom renovation that allows them to produce fantastic results.
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Non-compliance to codes
A good number of renovation work requires submitting to building codes and permits. These include bathroom renovations involving electrical, water heating, and plumbing work. You also need a permit to install an underfloor heating system. This means that you need to complete your renovation according to your local code.
Building professionals are knowledgeable about compliance codes and are bound to deliver results that comply with them. They also make it a point to get oriented with the latest changes in compliance codes. This is tricky because local councils often have different codes, so the code you know may not be applicable in your location. This means you must consult your local council, which will add time to your home renovation project.
Violating codes can result in prosecution and penalties. For example, performing unlicensed plumbing work violates the Plumbing and Drainage Act of 2018, and the penalty for first offenders is 250 Maximum Penalty Units.
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Safety issues
There are safety risks involved in DIY renovations, and bathroom renovations are no exemptions. Injuries can stem from the improper handling of tools like hammers or power tools like drills. Falls are common during home renovations if you are trying to fix the ceiling of your bathroom.
If you haven’t used the required tool before, it is better to start practising in a safe environment before using them on your renovation project. Aside from safety concerns, the improper use of tools can cause more damage to your bathroom.
Another issue is with the safety of the working environment itself. Bathrooms are magnets for health hazards that can harm you and your family. If you renovate an old bathroom, it might have lead-based paint that can cause high blood pressure, headaches, dizziness, and memory loss. Bathrooms are also magnets for black mould because they are humid. Exposure to black mould can trigger allergies or cause respiratory issues.
Building experts have the proper safety gear and materials to keep themselves and your family safe during renovations. These include masks, safety gloves, eye protection, and safety boots. You can buy these materials to protect yourself, but these additional expenses can inflate your budget.
There are also safety risks that you’ll only see after completing renovations. An example is the improper installation and calibration of a water heating system, which can result in burns.
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Using poor-quality materials
How long your newly-renovated bathroom will look great depends on the quality of the materials you will use. If it’s your first time renovating a bathroom, you might end up using poor-quality materials.
Renovation experts are knowledgeable about the different bathroom materials, so they know which ones to use. It is also important to note that not all bathrooms are alike, so one material may work great for one bathroom but perform poorly in another. For example, if you have underfloor heating in your bathroom, the best flooring materials are tiles and stones because of their excellent thermal conductivity. This means they quickly absorb heat and evenly distribute heat. If you want to have a sauna-like bathroom and want to use waterproof wood planks, your underfloor heating system may not work efficiently. However, if you really like a wooden bathroom floor, there are special underfloor heating systems suitable for such materials.
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Expensive materials
Sourcing renovation materials and supplies can be difficult for DIY’ers because they might not know the best suppliers in the area. Most self-made handymen rely on mainstream suppliers that may not offer the best prices.
Bathroom renovation experts always source materials so they know which suppliers offer competitive prices that can help you save money. Most building contractors also have established relationships with suppliers offering discounted prices for bringing them their business. This is a disadvantage for DIY’ers because suppliers will most likely charge them the regular prices for materials.
Lack of fallback options
Things don’t always work out during bathroom renovations. Renovation mistakes can happen, and these mistakes can lead to disastrous results. Unfortunately, a backup plan may be hard to come by quickly if this is your first bathroom renovation project. You might need to search online for solutions or consult an expert to know what to do next. This can result in renovation delays and throw you off your timeline.
Building experts know what to do in case of emergencies or renovation mishaps because they’ve most likely encountered similar situations before. This means your renovation expert can react quickly to resolve an issue to prevent it from affecting the entire renovation project.
Design limitations
We all have visions of our ideal bathrooms, and we hope that renovations can transform an old bathroom into the bathroom of our dreams. However, no matter how great our vision is, design experts may have better ideas we can explore. A bathroom renovation expert can also elevate an existing design concept to make your bathroom look even better.
Another disadvantage of renovating a bathroom yourself is you might have an excellent design but have no idea how to turn that design idea into reality. You can try to bring your bathroom design idea to life, but the results may not turn out as you imagined them. An expert bathroom renovator can take a design concept, polish it, and transform it into your dream bathroom.
Improper installation
Bathroom renovations often involve updating bathroom fixtures, which may not work properly when improperly installed. For example, improperly installing a bathroom faucet can result in a leak that can result in water wastage and a higher water bill. This will require you to remove the leaking faucet and replace it. Although this will fix the issue, it will require additional time and affect your bathroom renovation timeline.
Improper installations can also damage other parts of your bathroom that don’t require renovations. For example, if you are not adept at installing a new bathroom vanity, you may damage your bathroom floor tiles. You can leave the damaged floor tiles as they are, but they can ruin the overall look of your bathroom. You can also fix them yourself, which will result in additional expenses.
Lack of sub-contractors
Although you can DIY some bathroom renovation work, others require expert handling. An example is replacing old water pipes or fixing the electrical lines in your bathroom. In addition, these require compliance with existing building codes. This means you need to look for a sub-contractor to help you during renovations. Unfortunately, looking for the right sub-contractor can be challenging because you need to screen applicants to ensure you have an expert to help you. There is also the issue of scheduling because the availability of the sub-contractor may not align with yours, and you might need to push back your bathroom renovation timeline.
Aside from screening sub-contractors and looking up their credentials, you must find a balance between expertise and cost-efficiency. Some sub-contractors have impeccable credentials but command higher rates than others. Bathroom renovation experts have a network of tested and trustworthy sub-contractors who can help them, so you don’t need to handle the leg work.
Final thoughts
Home renovations are rewarding experiences, and completing the renovations yourself can help boost your morale. However, experts better handle some renovations to achieve excellent results while keeping your budget under control. If you want to make sure that your bathroom renovation project proceeds without hiccups, hire a professional building designer so you can relax while watching your dream bathroom come to life.
