Chapter 7
The Indispensable Bathroom
I always say you can never lose by spending money on bathrooms because you can never have too many! Like most home buyers, after the kitchen, I believe that bathrooms are the next most important features of a house. I always add more bathrooms if there aren’t enough (one for every bedroom) when I buy a new home. If there are enough but they aren’t up to the standard, I am quick to start calculating a renovation budget! From limestone to glass, from wall borders to lighting, from windows to great glass doors for the shower, there is no end to what you can use to create your perfect bathroom.

So much time is spent in bathrooms, why not make them perfect for your home and your lifestyle? For example, my master bath has marble countertops and a marble tub surround, limestone walls and floors, a luxurious shower, ample robe hooks, heated towel bars, and a big picture window, all of which lend it the air of a four-star spa at an ocean retreat (and that’s exactly how I think of my house at the beach). Yet the finishes and materials I used also make it very functional for days when I have to get out the door for work or when I’m rushing to get ready for a date. Even the more modestly sized and simply styled bathrooms in my house have beautiful finishes and features. That makes them comfortable and relaxing for my family and guests.

You can add on or renovate a bathroom (or two) with relative ease and less inconvenience than a kitchen redo. Even a smallish bathroom in a condo can be expanded if there’s a closet nearby. At the very least, it can be updated to include the latest cabinetry and fixtures. Don’t underestimate the power of the powder room: A good bathroom renovation offers a 70 percent return on your investment; if it’s a top-to-bottom redo of an out-of-date bath, you could realize a 100 percent or more return, because a new bathroom gives the impression the whole house has been renovated.

The bathroom, like the kitchen, is a room in which form follows function, so pay close attention to the details. That’s as true for homes with a small bathroom with a shower/tub combination as it is for homes with a large, luxurious spalike bathroom with a separate shower and tub, a double sink, a marble floor, and a dressing area. A bathroom should work for you, not against you.

On the other hand, a bathroom designed solely around function ignores two very important elements: comfort and relaxation. In the morning, when I am getting ready for work or my son, Zachary, is rushing to get ready for school, expediency is paramount. But after work or on the weekend, I want to luxuriate in the tub or take a very long, very hot shower. My bathroom has to offer both convenience and atmosphere. Doesn’t everyone want that? A bathroom redo must take into account who will be using the bathroom, when, and for what purpose.