Part 1-How to Project Manage Your Own Bathroom Remodel
Episode #90: Welcome to the She Builds Show, I’m your host, Stefanie Olson and today I’m excited to delve into the world of bathroom remodeling and equip you with the essential knowledge to successfully project manage your own renovation. If you’ve been dreaming of transforming your outdated bathroom into a stunning and functional space, this episode is a must-listen.
In this two-part series I will empower you with practical tips, expert advice, and insider secrets to guide you through the project management process from start to finish. Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or looking to oversee contractors, this episode will provide you with the confidence and tools to achieve your dream bathroom.
In Part 1, let’s kick off the series by laying the foundation for a successful bathroom remodel. I share my own personal experiences and lessons learned from countless bathroom renovations, highlighting common pitfalls and how to avoid them. From design to organization, I help you understand the different stages of a remodel, navigating you through the planning phase with ease.
** Tune in to the She Builds Show and get ready to transform your bathroom into the oasis you’ve always dreamed of. Stay tuned for Part 2, where Stefanie will dive deeper into the implementation phase, installation, and the finishing touches that bring your vision to life. **
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
0:01 Welcome to the She Builds Show, I’m your host, Stefanie Olson, a licensed general contractor who builds new construction, renovates and designs your vision today.
0:12 More than ever, we need raw, authentic women who are willing to rise above society’s norms, break those glass ceilings and encourage each other to boldly build the life we were meant to live.
0:24 So, honey, what are you building?
0:27 Welcome to the She Builds Show, I am so excited to be on here. I don’t have a guest today and I thought I would just give you information that if you have a bathroom that you’re disgusted with that you hate and you don’t really have the money to hire a contractor.
0:48 I want to go through a series of how you could project, manage that project yourself.
0:55 Now, if you have an extensive rot problem or major, you know, structural issues, this doesn’t apply.
1:01 But if you just have a pretty cosmetic flip of a bathroom that you want to just update, I think that this would be really, really helpful and I wanted to keep it to a bathroom because the bathroom can be pretty simple.
1:13 And this also applies to you if you’re just not really that handy, but you’re organized, detailed and you know, like the vision of what you want.
1:22 So this is just going to be part one of a series I’m going to do on just being able to project, manage your own bathroom remodel.
1:32 And I would say it could either be a primary bath or a hall bath that you just like the kids’ bath that you’re just done with.
1:38 So the first thing you want to do is if you have any skill in this, I suggest that you could easily do this yourself.
1:47 There’s so many cool apps and the first step is to just measure the space.
1:52 So you just take out a tape measure, write down all the walls and all the measurements, the ceiling heights, everything that you just basically want to redo and then you can put it inside of an app and then you can just make a floor plan of that little bathroom.
2:09 There’s all kinds of apps out there to do this.
2:11 This is really easy if you’re like, no, I’m not good at measuring.
2:14 I don’t know how to do this.
2:16 I would say there are drafts, men and women out there who are not architects, but they draft, which means they draw for architects.
2:27 And there’s a lot of those people out there that do not cost as much as architects and they’re usually like on an hourly basis.
2:33 And you can have someone like that come out and draw for you, the purpose of this is to be able to get the layout correct and where you want everything.
2:41 And also if you do something a little bit more extensive than just like redoing the cabinets and the tile, you are going to want to get a permit if you’re moving any plumbing or electrical and you’ll need those plans to be able to submit.
2:55 So after you have the floor plan drawn, the next thing you want to do is the fun part which is the design and in the design process, it’s always really good to just get inspired.
3:05 Like what do you want?
3:06 What do you love?
3:07 What colors you know, speak to you and you can either do this by going on Pinterest and saving a project, you know, within Pinterest or you can just go to your local design store.
3:18 I like to physically touch and see things I get inspiration from Pinterest.
3:24 But then when I go to the tile store or to the design store, I can see that vision in reality and then I can start to put the pieces together and a lot of people have this eye, but you need to be able to make sure everything cohesively goes together.
3:42 So before you go to the design store, make a list of all the things that you’re going to want to replace.
3:47 So in a bathroom, it would be floor tile, wall, tile grout edging.
3:52 For your tile, which is either Schluter or Jolly.
3:55 Schluter is like a metal piece that’s much easier to install.
3:59 Jolly is going to be basically like a little strip of tile.
4:04 It gives it a more custom look.
4:06 So you’re going to want to know what type of edging and grout colors you’re going to be putting in the bathroom for both the floor tile and the wall tile.
4:14 If you want a niche, you know, like a little inset inside of your bathroom, you’re going to want a tile and you know, basically edging or trim around that niche, you’re going to need a backslash if you want to do a backslash on your vanity.
4:31 So these are all just tile pieces, a backslash on your vanity that is tile or you can always take the countertop up into the backslash.
4:39 So that’s tile.
4:40 Then you’re going to want your paint colors, your cabinet, colors, your countertop, colors, your sink and your plumbing fixtures.
4:49 So like your toilet, your faucet on your sink, your shower head.
4:54 If you have a tub, you want all of those pieces.
4:57 And so make a list of all the things you think you could possibly need.
5:00 And then it goes into light fixtures, right?
5:02 So do we want pendants hanging beautifully on either side of the sink?
5:06 Do we want, you know, just one coming out of the wall?
5:09 And then I always say like your finishes are your mirrors.
5:13 And to me, these are like once you have your outfit on, you put your earrings on and those to me are your mirrors, your accessories, so your toilet paper holder, your towel bars and the hardware on your cabinet.
5:26 So those are like the finishing touches that you want.
5:28 So make a list of all of those things and then go to the design store and get inspired.
5:32 So the thing I like to get inspired the most about is either usually a countertop or a tile because you can either go wild with that or you can go really clean and subdued and then bring in a little pop of color in the cabinet or in the floor.
5:47 And so just go get inspired and then you have to go through the list and you need to make sure like the main things go together.
5:55 So once you have your tile and your countertop, then you need to pick out your cabinet and you need to actually physically see all of these things out in front of you.
6:05 You can’t just have, it’s really hard to have a picture of them online.
6:09 That’s why every designer has a warehouse or room, a spare room in their house full of samples.
6:16 Because if you can’t physically touch and feel it, you can’t really see if the colors are going to match.
6:23 And you want to make sure that your floor and your counters and your tile and your paint color.
6:28 Those main things all really mesh together well, and they aren’t, you know, clashing each other in any way.
6:35 So you want to lay out all of those main pieces and then you can add in the details like, oh is a, you know, a honey brass going to look beautiful with the, you know, with like a light white oak cabinet with a white countertop.
6:46 And we’re just going to do a white, you know, subway tile with a splash of turquoise and the niche, whatever it is.
6:54 And then are you going to put, you know, some beautiful brass finishes or nickel finishes or black finishes or bronze finishes on the cabinets.
7:02 And usually I carry through into the faucets, the hardware, the light fixtures and the plumbing showerhead, you can mix and match metals.
7:12 There’s nothing wrong with that.
7:14 Don’t be afraid to go out into the different metal world.
7:18 There’s also chrome.
7:19 So come up with your design, get inspired and then you have to make the final decisions on those things before you can move forward.
7:28 So you need to know your tile.
7:31 You need to know the list of everything that I just listed.
7:33 Your tile, your countertops, your cabinets, your sink, your faucets, your lighting, your paint colors.
7:38 Absolutely everything down to the grout and the trim around your shower.
7:43 You need to know absolutely everything before you even think about calling one person because that’s the first thing they’re going to ask you.
7:49 So after you’ve done that, you have your floor plan, you have it drawn out, you have your design.
7:55 Now, what you’re going to do is you’re going to type up a scope of work and what that is going to be entailed is scope of work per trade or scope of work per division of construction.
8:08 And so you’re going to take a word document or your pen and paper and you’re going to type out for, let’s just say you have somebody coming in for a demo and you’re going to write demo at the top of that sheet and you’re going to go through everything that you want, demoed and what you want to keep.
8:26 So I want to keep the tub, you know, demo the shower walls, demo this wall that you know is dividing the toilet area.
8:34 I want it removed, demo the cabinet, the counter, anything that’s in there, the floor tiles, stain or the floor tiles is not.
8:42 So go through everything that’s going to be demoed and write that on one piece of paper.
8:47 And then once that’s done, put that aside and then the next phase is going to be framing.
8:51 So in framing is anything going to be reframed in your bathroom, in your new floor plan in the way that you’re laying it out and on that one sheet of paper, you’re going to put the framing details of the scope of work.
9:04 I want this wall framed in, I want this soffit gone.
9:08 So please remove the soffit anything that has to do with framing that you can see, write it down.
9:13 And then after that, it’s going to be generally, I like to do H VAC next.
9:17 So if any vents or heating and air vents are in the way in the bathroom that need to be moved, if the ceiling vent is going to be in the way of the light or if the floor vent is now going to be in the way of the new floor plan, write down anything that has to do with H VAC and ducting.
9:33 And then after that, you’re going to go into your plumbing.
9:37 So make a whole new sheet with your plumbing scope of work.
9:41 And this goes from, I want you to think about it from rough, which means behind the walls to finish.
9:47 Are you moving the toilet?
9:49 Are you raising the shower head?
9:51 Is the tub being removed and it’s becoming just a regular shower?
9:56 Are you adding a sink?
9:57 So that’s everything behind the walls?
10:00 So put a little subtitle of rough plumbing and do everything about where the behind the walls, movement of plumbing could possibly be.
10:08 And then you’re going to go into finish.
10:10 And so in finish, it’s what are you going to install in terms of the finish plumbing fixtures?
10:15 Obviously, you’re going to install the toilet, the sink, the faucet on the vanity, the shower head, anything within the shower, the drain, all of that.
10:24 So that’s your finish stuff and then because you have the details of what is going to be in there, you’re going to write it in, install this chrome faucet on the showerhead and then you’re going to write out exactly what is going there so that there’s no question as to.
10:42 And even if you’re super handy with the computer, take a little picture, you know, a screenshot, a snip on the computer and put it in there that this is the faucet going on this vanity.
10:53 Just the better and more clear.
10:56 You can be the better your subs are going to be able to execute it for you without any question.
11:02 And then you’re going to go into electrical.
11:03 So rough, same thing rough is behind the walls, finish is outside.
11:09 So the first thing you’re going to do is where do you want your light switches?
11:13 Where do you want your can lights?
11:15 Where do you want your pendant lights?
11:16 Where do you want plugs?
11:18 If anything’s moving behind the walls, then put it in the rough section.
11:23 And then basically, you’re going to go into the finish after that and you’re going to see we want three can lights.
11:29 So put the finish can lights in, we want two pendants and then put your pictures of those two pendants and where they’re hanging or the light fixture that’s hanging on the wall.
11:38 And those are the things that need to be installed.
11:40 You’re going to need to install all of your switches, all of your cover plates on all of your electrical.
11:45 So that’s everything behind the walls and then your electrical on top of it.
11:50 So we always go through order of construction.
11:53 So demo framing, electrical plumbing, HVAC, all of those are considered your behind the wall sub traits.
12:01 And then after that, with breaking that down, you’re going to go into dry wall.
12:05 So dry wall obviously is just dry wall, but it gets tricky with the finish of the drywall.
12:10 Do you want to match your existing drywall in your house?
12:13 Do you want it to be imperfect, smooth and update the dry wall finish in there?
12:18 So the texture is what needs to be pointed out in the scope of work of the dry wall and then after that, it’s going to be paint.
12:25 So paint, what color do you want on the walls?
12:29 And this is the tricky one.
12:30 What sheen, I usually recommend a semi-gloss in a bathroom because it’s shiny and it’s wipeable.
12:39 And so it’s going to bead water on the walls.
12:42 If the kids do something to it, you can wipe it down.
12:45 If you do a flat paint, you’re just going to be fighting it and constantly touching it up.
12:49 So I would definitely do.
12:50 I recommend a semi-gloss in the bathroom.
12:53 And so you want to point out the ceiling color the wall colors, you want an accent color.
12:57 What color is your trim going to be?
12:59 Same thing with your baseboards and trim around the windows.
13:03 What colors are those going to be?
13:04 And again, I always suggest a semi-gloss on a baseboard or a trim just again.
13:09 So you can wipe it down easily if it gets scuffed and it’s just going to be a whole lot easier to clean semi glasses more expensive, but it’s going to really help with the upkeep.
13:18 And then after paint it’s going to be cabinets are going to get installed, so then write out your scope of work for the cabinets.
13:25 How do you want your cabinets to look?
13:27 What color do you want?
13:28 What type of wood, what do you want on the inside?
13:31 Do you want a cool plug inside of a drawer to be able to plug your hair dryer in?
13:35 Do you want pullouts, you know, underneath the sink?
13:39 So you can easily get to all of your things.
13:41 Do you want storage inside one of the cabinets for your hair dryer and your straightener?
13:47 Just think about the cabinetry and start to look at like the insides of cabinets is what gets expensive in any sort of cabinet situation, but it makes life a lot more functional.
13:57 So you want the color of the cabinets, the interior functions of the cabinets, the type of wood and the type of finish.
14:04 So do you want it paint grade or stain grade?
14:07 Do you want the cabinets to be able to be painted?
14:09 So then if you do, you would go back to the paint scope of work and add the paint sheen in and the color in for the cabinets because you can either get paint grade or stain grade.
14:17 So you can either stain cabinets or paint them.
14:19 And so you need to decide then after cabinets is going to be the type up the scope of work for your tile and for tile, you’re going to want these questions answered.
14:29 What direction do you want your tile to go?
14:32 Do you want it stacked like soldiers?
14:34 Do you want a brick pattern?
14:35 Do you want a hearing bone pattern?
14:37 What pattern do you want inside the niche inside your shower?
14:41 The patterns are important.
14:42 So in a shower, you’re going to have wall shower, niche tile, you’re going to have floor tile inside the shower.
14:51 If you don’t have a tub and just remember, you can’t generally put whatever wall tile on the floor because one, we need to be able to slope the drain.
15:00 So it has to be like no bigger than a two by two.
15:02 Anything bigger than that is going to be really hard for the tile guy.
15:05 So a penny tile, a rock, anything like that can have a movement and flow towards the drain so that water goes down correctly.
15:14 So you’re going to have wall tile, niche tile, shower, floor tile, and then you’re going to have bathroom floor tiles.
15:20 So that’s four tiles you could possibly be picking out.
15:23 So make sure you know the pattern of each of those and make sure you write down the grout of each of those and the trim.
15:31 So when those shower tiles come out of the shower or it ends on the edge, we have to be able to trim it in something.
15:38 You can’t just leave it with grout.
15:40 It looks awful and it doesn’t look finished.
15:42 So you need to pick out a trim that matches that and they have all kinds of Schluter colors.
15:47 They’ve got all kinds of bullnose and Jolly.
15:49 I hate bullnose, but you know, do your thing.
15:52 And then after the tile, you’re going to do your paint touch ups and your finishes.
15:57 So you’re going to want, you know, and these are usually things you could probably do, but you’re going to want to basically have all of your hardware purchased picked out and there for whoever to install, you’re going to want your mirrors there and tell them where you want them hung and your toilet paper holder and your to bars and where you want those hung.
16:19 So you’re going to type up a scope of work for all of those people.
16:22 Demo framing H VAC plumbing, electrical, drywall paint cabinets and tile and then your accessories if you can’t do that yourself.
16:31 So this is part one of how to manage your own bathroom room model.
16:36 And then we’ll go into part two on what to do with those typed up scope of work, your floor plan and your design and what the next step is.
16:45 See you in the next one.
16:47 Thanks for joining me today on the She Builds Show.
16:50 My name is Stefanie Olson.
16:52 My hope is that this episode leaves you feeling empowered and ready to boldly take that step into building the life that you envision one 2×4 at a time.
17:01 And if you can do me a quick favor, please leave me a five-star review on iTunes.
17:05 Get you over reading the reviews each week and I will choose one special person to win some she builds swag.
17:12 Make sure you add your name to the review and I’ll reach out if you’re the winner.
17:15 Thanks again for hanging out.
17:17 Be sure to visit me at theSheBuildsShow.com where you can ask me questions and share with me what you’re building.