One of the best investments you can make in your home is remodeling the bathrooms. In fact, according to HGTV columnist, Kathy McCleary, updating your bathroom is the best way to achieve more than 100% return on investment.

Bathroom remodeling can be stressful, expensive, and time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be hard. By following our complete guide to bathroom shower remodeling, you’ll have all the information you need to find the best shower for you and your family.

Why Should I Choose a Professional Contractor?

This should go without saying, but some things are so technical and valuable that it would be negligent to try and do it yourself. For example, every bathroom should have at least one outlet near the vanity. If you need lighting in your bathroom, that requires an electrician as well.

We’ve seen homeowners think they can rewire or reconfigure their electrical wiring from watching a youtube video. However, what a lot of videos don’t show is that you can blow out your entire electrical system to your home if you do it wrong.

Even worse, you could potentially burn your house down or get electrocuted and cause serious injury or death. I think we can all agree that saving a few hundred dollars isn’t worth the lives of your family or the structure of your home.

How Do I Start My Bathroom Remodel?

Anytime you’re starting to remodel a bathroom, there are quite a few questions you need to ask the contractors and yourself.

1. The first thing you need to do is figure out your budget and make sure you know exactly how much you can spend.
2. Once your budget is set, you can start to research ideas for bathrooms online or go to home improvement stores to get an idea.
3. As you research and realize that some items may be too expensive for your budget, it gives you a clearer picture of what you can truly afford. For example, if you’re wanting a marble tile floor, but you also want a quartz tile shower, that’s going to cost a lot of money and may not be worth it for you.
4. Before you contact one of our professional contractors, ask yourself how much time you have for the remodel and how long it will take from start to finish.
5. Call a contractor, preferably one from Monumental Contractors, to get a quote and assessment.
   

Bathroom Shower Remodel

I know it might sound weird, but my favorite part of the house, besides the kitchen, is the bathroom shower. Having a great shower is the first step to rejuvenation and recovery from your hard workday.

Bathtub or Shower, Which Should I Choose?

A bathtub is still the most common type of bathing done across the country because they’re more universal.

Some important questions to consider are, do you have children? Do you use your bathtub more than a standing shower? Are you elderly or have elderly members of your family living with you? If you could answer yes to any of these questions, chances are, a bathtub is a good idea for your family. However, a standing shower is going to get you the most return on your investment, especially if done by one of our contractors.

What Are Some Common Tiles for Showers?

There are more than 15 different types of tiles you can use to remodel your bathroom. However, for the purpose of keeping this blog concise, we’ll talk about the top 3 tiles used to remodel a shower.

1. Ceramic
   

Ceramic tile is one of the most popular choices for bathrooms because it’s very affordable, at anywhere from $3-$25 per sq/ft. Most people like ceramic because there are a lot of different styles, colors, and patterns to choose from.

2. Granite
   

Granite is one of the most popular stones for use in kitchens and bathrooms because of its durability, beauty, and customization. Granite can be very expensive to install, especially if you want to customize the stone for that unique touch we all want in our home. Granite countertops or flooring can cost anywhere between $15-$140 per sq/ft, not counting labor fees.

I’d choose granite if there was going to be a lot of foot traffic, from multiple, people on a daily basis. Granite holds up incredibly well under heavy foot traffic and repels water very well.

3. Marble
   

Marble can be some of the most beautifully designed shower tiles available, but it can also be more affordable with little to no customization. For example, if you’re not interested in creating a unique pattern or getting a custom design, you can save a lot of money on pre-cut marble. Marble tends to run a little cheaper than granite at about $15-$85 per sq/ft.

What is the Best Shower?

It really comes down to your personal style, budget, and available space when remodeling a shower.

According to HomeAdvisor’s Dan DiClerico, the best shower for return on investment is a large walk-in shower. There is nothing like entering your shower with room for 2 adults and a nice waterfall style showerhead.

Adding a bench to sit on and recess shelving inside your shower adds another element that really makes your shower pop.

In our opinion, the more recess shelving and places to put you soap, lotion, conditioner, and razors, the better. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a customer complain or regret having too many shelves.

What is the Best Shower for Small Bathrooms?

D.C. is one of the most populated places in the world and that results in not having a lot of room for everyone in and around the city. With that being said, there are some great options to optimize your bathroom with a space-saving shower.

We recommend asking about the quarter-round bathroom showers that will save you a ton of space and money. The quarter-round showers are perfect for small homes, but can still look amazing and elegant.

What is the Average Cost for Shower Remodeling?

Since we work exclusively in the Northern Virginia region, we’ll only offer the average prices for our area. As everyone in D.C. knows, everything here is expensive and that can cause a lot of issues with a remodel.

However, according to HomeAdvisor the average cost for our area is around $5,000-$8,000, depending on materials used and size of shower. A walk-in bathroom shower is always going to cost more than any other traditional bathroom styles, but it offers the biggest return on investment.

For Northern Virginia a large walk-in bathroom could cost as much as $15,000 with unique tiling, recess shelving, bench, hand rail, and a frameless glass sliding door.

Red Flags to Consider When Hiring a Contractor?

There are dozens of contractors across the northern Virginia area and it can be difficult to find a company you’re comfortable with. There are a lot of companies out there that are not as transparent or honest and should be avoided if possible.

Below are a few red flags that we look for when hiring contractors, and we encourage all home owners to consider the following red flags of contracting.

1. If you ask the contractor for references from past and/or current clients, they should happily agree and provide you with some references. If they don't, that should set off an alarm for you.
2. Companies should alway offer you some kind of warranty on their work. Any contractor not willing to offer a warranty on their work should be avoided.
3. Too many times, we see other contractors offer ballpark numbers and time frames on projects. This doesn’t help the customer and sets them up to pay more than they anticipated and agreed upon. Our contractor should be very concise and always offer you an accurate budget and time frame.
   

Why Should I Choose Monumental Contractors?

Monumental Contractors believe in offering the best, most honest, and transparent service for our customers across northern Virginia. When you call for a consultation with Monumental, we get all the information from you needed and do our research. Once we find the best, most affordable contractor for you, we connect you with them and ensure their work up to our high standards.

How many times have you called a home improvement company or contractor for a quote and they were dishonest or overcharged you? Here at Monumental, we believe in integrity and always offering the most fair price for the work.

The last thing we’d want for our customers is for them to overpay for a service or not meet their deadlines. There is always the potential for something to go wrong with electrical, plumbing, or issues with the logistics. However, Monumental prides ourselves on ALWAYS meeting our deadlines and ensuring our customers are not inconvenienced more than they already are. We offer realistic quotes and guarantee our work for every project.

If you’re interested in learning more about Monumental Contractors or would like a quote on building your dream bathroom shower, give us a call and make your dreams come true.