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Your bathroom is more than just a functional space. It’s a haven where you can relax, rejuvenate, and unwind. When it comes to bathroom renovations or remodels, many homeowners focus on fixtures such as sinks, toilets, or bathtubs. However, one such addition that often goes overlooked is a shower bench. 

A shower bench is a waterproof seating platform or stool designed for the bathroom to provide comfort and safety. Installing a shower bench may seem like a minor change. Still, its impact on your daily bathing routine extends beyond mere convenience. 

Let’s explore why you should consider installing a shower bench in your bathroom.

Benefits of a Shower Bench

A shower bench is a practical addition to any bathroom. It offers a range of benefits that can make your daily routine easier and more enjoyable. Here are five advantages of incorporating a shower bench into your bathroom remodel.

1. Functional

Shower benches provide a multitude of conveniences that enhance the overall bathing experience. They offer a comfortable and secure seating option within the shower, allowing individuals to relax and enjoy their bathing routine without the need to stand for prolonged periods. 

Shower benches get used as platforms to help while shaving legs. They enhance safety and reduce risks like slips caused by shaving creams and running water.

A shower bench also provides a stable surface for storage activities. They create a convenient space to place your toiletries, such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and shaving supplies. The spaces underneath them can also be used for other toiletries.

2. Relaxation

Shower benches create a spa-like atmosphere contributing to a relaxing bathing experience. They offer relaxation by providing a comfortable and supportive seating option. 

Why stand in the shower the whole time when you can sit back and relax on your custom bench? Not only will you enjoy the calming feeling of the water, but you’ll also avoid the stress of standing and trying to keep your balance.

Shower benches also provide a space to unwind and take their time. Sitting on a bench creates a tranquil environment where you escape the daily hustle and bustle. It allows you to pause, reflect, and release stress and tension. This experience can be meditative, providing a peaceful, serene ambiance that promotes relaxation.

3. Accessible

Shower benches are crucial for individuals with limited mobility, disabilities, or elderly facing challenges when standing for extended periods or maintaining balance in the shower. They provide a stable and secure seating option, allowing them to shower safely and comfortably. 

A shower remodel also facilitates more effortless mobility in the bathroom. Disabled people using wheelchairs can use it to transition from the wheelchair. An injured person can also use it to shower and avoid standing for too long.

4. Safer Bathing

Shower benches act as grab bars and provide stability and support, reducing the risk of accidents in the bathroom. They offer a secure seating option that helps individuals maintain balance and stability, particularly for those with mobility issues or balance impairments. 

Shower benches also reduce the strain and fatigue associated with standing for extended periods, promoting safer bathing for individuals with physical limitations. Additionally, these benches facilitate easy access to showering essentials, minimizing the risk of accidents due to excessive movement or reaching.

A custom bench eliminates the risk of slipping on a wet surface or losing balance while standing. You can shower confidently, knowing you have a secure seating option that supports your body weight and helps maintain stability.

5. Better Aesthetics

Shower benches not only offer functional benefits, but can also make your bathroom feel luxe. They can be a stylish and visually appealing addition to the shower area, adding a touch of elegance and sophistication to the space.

These benches contribute to better aesthetics through their design and materials. They are available in various styles, including modern, minimalist, rustic, and contemporary, allowing you to choose a bench that complements your bathroom’s decor.

Moreover, a custom shower bench can serve as a focal point or statement piece within the shower area. With their unique shapes, patterns, or finishes, these benches draw attention and become a design element that adds interest and character to the bathroom. 

Upgrade Your Bathroom Today With A to Z Construction

When optimizing your bathroom space, installing a shower bench is a wise decision that offers numerous advantages. You’ll enjoy increased accessibility and safety, not to mention improved comfort and convenience. Trust us, it’s a game-changer.

In need of a shower bench specialist? A to Z Construction is well-versed in the latest trends, designs, and materials for custom shower benches. Our expertise and commitment to customer satisfaction make us a reliable choice for a bathroom remodel.

Contact A to Z Construction today and embark on a journey toward a custom shower bench that will enhance your bathroom’s functionality and aesthetics.

If you are ready for something new in your bathroom, consider redoing the entire thing on your own. There are plenty of DIY tutorials and before and after pictures on social media, Pinterest, or the internet. However, it’s not always as easy as it looks. 

Remodeling a bathroom by yourself is much more complicated than it looks. It may end in disaster if you aren’t properly trained. From flooring to plumbing to rewiring, hiring a professional is better to ensure that you will have the best bathroom possible. That’s the best way to reduce avoidable costs and mitigate disasters such as water damage. 

If you aren’t convinced, keep reading. Here are the top reasons you should hire a professional to help remodel your bathroom instead of trying to do it yourself. It’s crucial that everything is done well in all the different aspects of bathroom remodeling.

Why You Should Hire a Professional for a Bathroom Remodel

There are multiple elements to remodeling your bathroom. Although you can likely take on one or two of these elements successfully, it is a massive project and should be done simultaneously. Without professional help, a bathroom can end in flooding, faulty wiring, or uneven tiling. 

Hiring a professional to avoid disasters and ensure an excellent bathroom remodel is crucial. Here are just a few aspects of bathroom remodeling that are better done with the help of a professional. 

When you hire a professional contractor, they will handle the entire process. From plumbing to tiling, each contractor has a team of experts who specialize in various parts of home improvement. So you won’t have to worry about hiring several different people. Instead, just one expert can help you handle the whole process.

Design 

Of course, one of the most exciting parts of a bathroom renovation is designing and creating your dream bathroom. However, this can be difficult if you don’t know how to account for new appliances, flooring, and other aspects. 

If you want to design the perfect bathroom, hiring a professional remodeler can help you match your expectations to reality. A good remodeler will help you take your designs to reality and set up the ideal bathroom.

Plumbing

Plumbing ensures that the sink, shower, and toilet function smoothly. If you are replacing any of these large appliances, you’ll need a plumber to ensure that you don’t cause leakages, floods, or long-term pipe damage. 

Remodeling a bathroom might involve new pipes or in-depth plumbing. This is extremely specialized work and should be performed by a professional only. While you can hire a plumber separately, it’s much easier to hire a contractor to do the entire bathroom and allow them to bring their own plumber.

Flooring and Tiling

There are multiple options for reflooring a bathroom. From hardwood to tiling, you can choose a variety of options and colors. However, getting it completed well is a matter of professional expertise. Tiling is a hard thing to do, and any miscalculation can end in an uneven floor. 

To ensure the best possible flooring, you should hire a professional. They will be able to find you the best materials and install them at an affordable and efficient rate. Your flooring is crucial to tie the whole bathroom together and should not be done on your own.

Appliance Replacement 

While you don’t generally think of the appliances in the bathroom as appliances, they are crucial. Replacing a toilet or shower is a significant task that requires physical expertise and knowledge of tiling, plumbing, and other aspects. Hiring a professional is the only way to replace any large bathroom features properly. 

Because all of the bathroom features include water somehow, you could easily cause leaks or flooding by attempting to replace them on your own. In addition, water outside of the pipes will lead to mold and can ruin a bathroom or a home. This is another reason that professional help is essential when remodeling a bathroom.

Lighting and Wiring

While some aspects of remodeling can be done on your own, it’s essential to hire a professional for replacing lighting fixtures or rewiring a bathroom. Faulty wiring can lead to electrical fires, shorts, and danger for anyone using the room. This is especially true for a bathroom. 

A bathroom renovator will have an electrician on contract to help with any rewiring needs. However, if you decide to do the rest of the bathroom DIY, lighting and wiring is where hiring a pro is crucial.

Walls and Painting 

Whether you want a simple paint job or a tile backsplash, getting a pro to install it is a great idea. They can redo the walls while everything else is getting done, so you won’t have to worry about messing up your new floors or appliances with paint. 

Painting is one of the easier aspects of remodeling, but the difference between an amateur and a professional paint job is easy to tell. Every aspect will look perfect when you get a professional to finish the job.

Start Remodeling Your Bathroom With A to Z Today!

Unless you are a professional, hiring someone to help you complete your ideal bathroom renovation is best. From designing the layout to implementing plumbing and wiring, a professional contractor can ensure that everything goes to plan. Rather than attempting a DIY project and potentially ending up with a messy bathroom, it’s best to contact the local experts at A to Z Construction today to get started.

Remodeling a bathroom is not only a chance to upgrade features but also a cost-effective way to boost your home’s value. However, many homeowners view a project like remodeling the shower as a huge ordeal that is costly and time-consuming. 

Just how big of a deal is it to remodel your shower? What is the shower remodel timeline like? How long does a shower remodel take? In this article, we’ll go over the average timeline of a shower replacement, including the different stages of the project. 

What Is the Timeline for a Shower Replacement?

If you have roommates, children, or a large family, having bathrooms fully accessible is critical. We understand that having a bathroom become out of service while a shower remodel is taking place can be stressful and massively inconvenient. It’s essential that you, as a customer, are on the same page concerning the timeline of your shower remodeling project. 

So, how long will the shower replacement take? That can be a tricky question to answer depending on the availability of materials and materials used. However, most shower remodel timelines are typically a month long from start to finish. 

Some basic shower remodels can be completed in as little as three weeks, and bigger projects can span up to 7 weeks or more. Thankfully, our team at A to Z Construction is skilled and knowledgeable when it comes to bathroom remodeling.

Stages of Shower Remodeling

To further understand the shower remodel timeline, let’s break down the project stage by stage. 

1. Evaluation and demolition. This is the first step to getting the project going. A staff member will arrive onsite and evaluate the current state of the bathroom. Structural beams and walls will be noted, as well as any walls you would like removed. If mold or asbestos is discovered during the evaluation, plan for an extra delay to ensure it is properly removed. If everything goes smoothly, your old shower and parts will be removed. Expect this state to last under a week.
2. The “Rough-In.” During the “rough-in”, it’s essential plumbers, and electricians work together cohesively to deliver the best shower remodel possible. At this point in the project, plumbers will work on the respective plumbing locations on the floor and walls in the shower. Electricians will ensure the wiring is configured. This stage should last 1 or 2 days.
3. Tiling bed and wall working. This stage lasts 1 or 2 days to prepare for tiling. A tiling bed, or a cement slab, is installed and must dry completely. Walls must also be prepared and often need straightening and other adjustments.
4. Sheeting and waterproofing. Now that the walls have been prepped, our team is ready to sheet the walls and ceilings for your future shower. Once that is complete, we waterproof the entire area to prepare for functionality. Typically this can all be accomplished in a day.
5. Additional waterproofing. To ensure your shower space becomes fully functional, we need to apply 2 or 3 coatings. Each coat needs 24 hours to dry to ensure the area is sealed from water damage. When done by an expert team, this process extends the life of your shower for many years. This stage of the project takes 2 or 3 days.
6. Tiling. This is one of our favorite parts of the shower replacement project and really makes it feel like the end is near. The tiles are cut and placed in the new shower area on the day of the renovation. Depending on how large the space is, this part of the project can take the better part of the week. Usually, it takes about five days.
7. Grout and tile finishing. The last part of the tile job can take 1 to 2 days to finish. During this stage, grout is added, as well as silicone, to strengthen the jointed areas.
8. Plumbing connection. The end is near! The plumber can now return and connect all the plumbing and ensure everything is in working order. Expect 1-2 days.
9. Electric connection. After the plumbing is complete, the electrician can come in and make sure all of the electric components of the new shower space are in working order. Expect 1-2 days here.
10. Clean up and accessories. The last 1-2 days are spent cleaning up the work site and installing any additional accessories the customer has requested. 

Factors That Affect How Long a Shower Remodel Can Take

So, how long does a shower remodel take? Several factors can affect how long you can expect the job to take. Let’s take a look at the most common below.

• What are you replacing your current shower with? Popular options include walk-in showers, tub/shower combinations, and adding spa elements. As expected, the more drastic the remodel is, the longer the project will likely take.
• How much demolition is necessary for your remodel? If you want to open up the bathroom space and tear down one or more walls, this will increase the project time.
• What materials do you want to incorporate? Some materials can take a while to order. Keep this in mind when ordering tiles and special shower heads. 
• What about unforeseen circumstances? Several factors can speed up or slow a job down. Here at A to Z Construction, we strive to keep strict deadlines. However, unforeseen circumstances like bad weather, delayed materials, or illness can delay a shower replacement project. 

Scheduling Your Shower Renovation

The reality is this: a shower renovation will likely take a few weeks. We understand that no one likes a bathroom to be out of operation, so we do our best to stick to the schedule and do a quality job promptly. A fresh new bathroom boosts your home’s value, and showering will become a luxurious, self-care experience! 
We’ve completed some fantastic renovations that elevate the space entirely. Because we put so much pride into our work, we’ve earned rave reviews from our customers.

The sooner you contact us to schedule your first consultation, the sooner you’ll be to the shower of your dreams. Contact A to Z Construction today to get started.

A long, hot shower at the end of a long day is hard to beat. However, the quality of your shower experience will take a nosedive if your shower stall is the size of a tin can or your bathroom fixtures are outdated.

If you’re planning to upgrade your bathroom design, you might wonder how much a shower remodel is going to cost. Let’s find out.

There are many factors to consider when estimating a bathroom remodel cost, but the nationwide average cost is around $11,000. The typical range people spend on their bathroom renovation is from $6,000 to $16,000. Again, many factors go into this, and you have a fair amount of control over how much you spend.

Knowing what to expect for the size of your bathroom and how extensively you plan to renovate it can help ensure you end up with the best bathroom for your needs. A plan can also help you lower your bathroom remodel costs. If you need help with your bathroom remodel, A to Z Construction is the place for you.

What Influences a Bathroom Remodel Cost?

The main factors that will decide the average cost to remodel a bathroom are the extent of the remodel, the size of your bathroom, and what type of fixtures you choose.

How Extensive Are Your Renovations?

Your bathroom remodel cost will largely depend on how extensively you plan to renovate. If you are only doing a minor refresh, you may only give the bathroom a fresh coat of paint and replace some details, like the faucet, towel bars, and mirror. You can often accomplish these projects for only a few hundred dollars.

If you replace the major fixtures, including the tub, shower, sink, and toilet, your cost could be in the thousands, depending on how high-end your new fixtures are. Bathroom remodels that include replacing tile and flooring in addition to the fixtures will probably be upward of $10,000.

Finally, if you’re digging into the walls and floors and moving elements around, you can reasonably expect to pay $25,000 or more. Projects this extensive involve rerouting electrical wiring and plumbing, so there is a lot of extra cost from the experts hired to do those aspects of the job.

How Big Is Your Bathroom?

The size of your bathroom is another significant determining factor in your bathroom remodel cost. Larger bathrooms require more materials, such as flooring and tile, and often have larger or more fixtures.

For instance, a large bathroom may have a double sink and larger counter or a jetted tub and separate shower. A small bathroom likely would not include these items, so the overall bathroom remodel cost would be lower.

A small-sized full bathroom averages 40 square feet and between $2800 and $10,000 to remodel. On the other hand, a large 100 square foot bathroom could cost between $7,000 and $25,000, and an 18-32 square foot half bath averages just $1400.

Do You Plan to Include High-End Fixtures?

The cost of the fixtures in your bathroom is the part of the bathroom remodel cost over which you have the most control. The average cost to remodel a bathroom has quite a wide range due to the various choices of fixtures.

For example, you could spend as little as $1,000 on a prefab shower stall or $15,000 or more on a tiled walk-in shower. It depends entirely on your preferences and how much you are willing to spend.

Breaking Down Your Budget

Many elements go into a bathroom remodel, often making it difficult to budget for those individual components. Make sure you are allocating funds within your budget appropriately, so you don’t get left short toward the end of your project.

For example, if you have a small budget of $8,000, as much as you may want to splurge on that $5,000 tiled walk-in shower, that will likely put you significantly over your budget.

For a general idea of how to divvy up your budget on a complete remodel, here are some of the larger aspects and how much of your budget you can expect to spend on them:

• 25% on cabinets and shelving
• 23% on the shower, tub, and toilet
• 15% on your contractor and permits
• 12% for counters, sinks, faucets, and plumbing

The remaining 25% needs to cover your demo and site prep, flooring and tile, windows, doors, vent fans, lights, and other details.

It is wise to leave some extra budget at the beginning of your project for unforeseen repairs. Bathrooms are high-moisture environments, and an unknown leak can cause significant damage.

If you plan a small-scale remodel of only replacing the sink and vanity, it is tempting to pick out the best elements you can afford. There is nothing wrong with dreaming big, but if those items will take most of your budget, try to hold off on purchasing them until the demo has begun.

For instance, if you find damage from a hidden leak under the flooring under your current vanity and mold growth, some of your budget will need to go toward replacing or repairing the floor. This situation could strain your finances if you’ve already purchased an expensive vanity.

Sometimes, you must order elements well ahead of demolition. If that is the case, make sure there is leeway somewhere in your budget to handle any unpleasant surprises. If the project goes smoothly, you can always splurge toward the end of the project or designate the leftover funds for other household projects.

Tips for Reducing a Bathroom Remodel Cost

How much is a bathroom remodel? If your budget is tight, or if you want to splurge on certain elements, you can often cut in one area of the bathroom remodel cost to allow more spending in another.

Refresh Only Certain Elements

If you want a new tiled shower, but your budget isn’t enough to accomplish an entire remodel with a walk-in shower, maybe you can leave the toilet, sink, and cabinets as-is and put your entire budget toward your dream shower.

If you have definite desires, think about what your priorities are and what other elements can be left alone to allow that splurge.

Finish Small Jobs Yourself

Doing work yourself is a fine line to walk. It can save on your bathroom remodel cost, but it will always take you more time than it will take the professionals, and the bathroom is often not a room people want to live long without.

However, if you truly need to scrimp on the budget, consider doing finishing work like painting, installing towel bars, or adding door handles and drawer pulls yourself. These small end projects won’t affect the usability of your bathroom once the pros have handled the functional aspects.

Choose Less Expensive Fixtures

Everyone wants their newly remodeled bathroom to look its best, and you may have dreams of the exact fixtures you want. However, if those fixtures are going to break your budget, you can often find similar items at a lower price point.

Don’t go too cheap, as extremely low prices usually indicate a lack of quality. If your intricate tiling work doesn’t fit in the budget, however, perhaps you can find a less complicated arrangement using the same colors to make for less labor and lower your bathroom remodel cost.

Splurges You May Want to Budget for

Don’t be afraid to dream big with your bathroom remodel. Even if you’re wondering “how much is a bathroom remodel?”, you shouldn’t let the potential price affect your choices. After all, you want to love the result of your renovation, and many more expensive, high-quality items will save you money in the long run.

Some items that may be worth splurging on include:

• Built-in niches or shelves
• Heated floors
• Natural stone countertops
• Double sinks
• Custom shower seating
• Jetted tub

If you can work them into your budget, these items can increase the overall function, beauty, and enjoyment of your bathroom.

Contact A to Z for Your Bathroom Remodel Today!

You can accomplish a bathroom remodel on just about any budget, but remember that the average cost to remodel a bathroom is around $11,000. You can expect to spend more for a larger bathroom and fancier renovation, whereas you’ll likely spend less for a smaller bathroom and less extensive upgrades.
Whatever your bathroom remodel costs, make it a place you can appreciate for years. Contact A to Z Construction today to get started on creating your dream bathroom remodel.