64 THE QUEENS COURIER • AT HOME • JANUARY 16, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
at home
Make the most of your bathroom renovation
Adding additional bathroom space to
your home or renovating an outdated lavatory
can improve your home’s usability
and increase its value, too. To get the
most practical benefi ts and value out of
your new space, there are several factors
to consider.
Before you get started, take into account
these considerations about the design and
function of your new bathroom from
the remodeling experts at the National
Association of the Remodeling Industry.
Space
A primary consideration is the available
footprint to create your new bath. Th is is
oft en a concern as children reach their
teen years and also with expanding families.
If there aren’t enough bathrooms in
the house, you may want to add another,
or it may be that you simply need to
improve the layout and features to make
better use of the existing space. For example,
if the bath will be shared by multiple
members of the family, a separation of
the sinks from the rest of the room may
be helpful.
Features
Determining how you will use your
bathroom dictates the features you’ll want
to include. A guest or hall bath is likely to
have far fewer features than a master bath
but may share some similarities with a
kids’ bathroom. First, you’ll need to make
decisions about basics like lighting, the
number of sinks and amount of counter
space you’ll need.
If you like baths, you’ll need to decide
between a tub and shower combination
unit or separate facilities. With a separate
tub, the style you prefer may guide your
overall design. Th e aesthetic for a bathroom
with a focal point like a claw-foot
tub is likely diff erent from a jetted tub.
Storage
Storage is one of the biggest concerns
in any design, particularly in rooms as
small as typical bathrooms. Carefully consider
this aspect of the room during your
pre-planning phase. To help determine
how much space you need, make a list of
all the items you need to store in the bathroom,
including cleaning agents, toiletries,
linens, fi rst aid items and medications.
It’s a good idea to also think about
where in the room you would like to store
each of these items. You may want some
of the toiletries in the shower area, while
others will be used near the sink or dressing
area.
Sustainability
Many contemporary bathroom fi xtures
are designed with sustainability in mind,
so you can manage your water usage while
still enjoying a water-rich environment.
You can fi nd water-saving features on
everything from toilets to shower heads
to even sink faucets.
Accessibility
Applying universal design principles
to your project can promote safety and
increase your home’s appeal to a wider
range of buyers in the future. In the bathroom,
you can improve safety by incorporating
non-slip fl ooring surfaces and
ensuring the space is well-lit.
Other ideas include adjusting counter
and toilet heights to make bathrooms
more accessible (wall-hung toilets should
be approximately two inches higher).
You could incorporate structural bracing
around the tub, shower and toilet for grab
bars. You might also consider a walk-in
tub or stand-up shower with no threshold,
levered handles for faucets and an adjustable
showerhead.
— Courtesy of Family Features
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