The Budget-Conscious 2008 Bathroom

Posted on February 15, 2008
Filed Under Real Estate

If you are thinking of putting your house on the market, it could make a big difference if you take a few weeks to improve it first. It is easy to make a home look more inviting without breaking your budget.

Real estate agents are advising that in today’s realty market, home owners do not get their money back on big reno jobs. Therefore a small reno job is all that is recommended to make your home more attractive to prospective buyers.

Almost all of us can paint the walls, doors and windows in our home. Not only is it an easy job but it is also a cheap job, and it makes a huge amount of difference in a home. The last two years have seen a big change in home decor; color schemes are almost non-existent.

To modernize your home, paint it all in white, pale beige, cream or silver gray. The favorite color scheme is white all over the house with either silver gray or beige trim. This may sound austere to you, but it does suggest a recent decorating job to the prospective buyer.

A bathroom reno can be a quick fix for your home. Do not be tempted to leave the bathroom ceiling unpainted. It may look pristine now, but once the walls are completed, the white of the ceiling will look shabby. Keep a fan running and do it all in one go.

If you are replacing flooring in the bathroom, then choose the bamboo colored wood floor tiles. Choose the same tone in your bathroom storage baskets, to carry the look through. Another sensible option in a bathroom is cork tiling; cork is mildew resistant.

Keeping the humidity out of the bathroom is an important necessity. If you have an ugly fan in your walls or window, think of changing your lighting to include a small attached fan.

The latest trend is to aim for the ’spa-feeling’ in a bathroom, and many interior designers recommend dimmer lights in your bathroom to achieve this. Do you have room for a carefully placed table with magazines, candles and a wine glass?

If you decide not to paint white walls, but you wish to choose a beige or gray tone, buy a small pot of the paint and come home and run a tester. Do this by painting a large square on the wall, say two feet by two feet, and leave it to dry. (Drying makes a big difference to the color.)

The type of lighting you have will also make a big difference, so look at your two by two foot painted sample and decide if you really like the shade. Check it in the morning light, in the evening light and in artificial light.

So far your bathroom renovation has cost very little. If you want to splash out a little, then buy new taps. There are some very unusual designs out there which will give your bathroom the luxury touch.

Once you have painted everything white, it is difficult to resist throwing brightly colored towels and matching bath mats all around. However, to keep your bathroom up to date, keep ‘colors’ out and try natural shades for bath rugs and towels. The neutral colors can look very classy, and in a bathroom it also
looks especially clean.

If you have a beige or gray floor, then you could add a silver gray shower curtain and towels and go for white bathroom rugs. The days of the burgundy and pink bathroom are out. The new bathroom will not be a bland white-out, it will be a vision of delicate lightness - and right up to the minute!

To complete the mood, light some scented candles and have some ethereal sounding music playing softly in your new spa.

Maryland’s first “EcoBroker” designated Realtor, Branden Schroeder. To search Annapolis real estate or for more information on Maryland homes, visit Branden online at MarylandHomesAndProperty.com.