A Man’s Guide to a Bathroom Renovation

Jen and I are planning a bathroom reno. Our ensuite dates back to 1987 and it’s starting to show its age. The toilet is broken, the shower tiles need to be replaced soon…the time has come.

Now, for men, this can be a daunting time (well, for this man anyway). It commits you to going through countless websites, browsing through your better half’s Pinterest collection of bathroom pictures and staring at the seemingly countless varieties of showers heads and vanity faucets. But fear not. I have a plan for you.

Now, to be honest, the reno hasn’t started yet. My plan for you is not yet complete. But rest assured, I’ve already gained some valuable experience that I want to share with men everywhere right now.

Here goes:

1. Decide on doing the reno.
2. Decide on a budget (don’t believe for a second this will actually be the budget).
3. Hire an interior designer. (Gents, I can’t stress this enough. Just sending the designer off to pick tile options and a colour pattern is worth it. This will save you an enormous amount of time and will keep arguments to a minimum. Who wants to spend hours at tile stores? Not me. Worth every penny.)
4. Tell wife and interior designer that as long as the bathroom is not “girly”, has a functional toilet, sink and shower, you’ll be happy.
5. Offer to do the demo yourself to save money.
6. Offer accepted. Nevertheless, increase budget because there was this really nice shower door place.
7. Offer to make vanity yourself.
8. Offer rejected. Increase budget.
9. Plan to hold firm on budget.

This is where I have to stop. I am now at step 9 myself. I do plan on holding firm. But already I can say one thing for certain. The more money you throw at it, the happier your better half will be…

I promise to update this post as we progress further with the reno. Meanwhile, see what Jen has to say on bathroom renos!