A remodeling project, no matter what home type you may have, will require some preliminary planning to ensure everything goes smoothly. There are spatial considerations you need to think over, complex plumbing systems, and the concern of ensuring the bathroom remains structurally sound after completion.
When you decide to make some changes to your mobile home’s bathroom, it’s essential to understand what you want to accomplish and how you intend to go about renovations. You need a plan for what you must do and how you intend to do it before any work starts.
Playing renovations by ear will only lead to complications down the line, potentially extending remodeling time and increasing costs. Be aware of some tips for remodeling your mobile home bathroom to make sure everything goes according to plan and limit any unexpected slowdowns or mistakes.
Outline a Budget
Before committing to any type of construction work, you need to establish a solid budget for your project. You don’t want to spend more than you can afford or risk not fully understanding the scope of your project, so you must outline everything you intend to accomplish.
Any type of home construction will require a financial investment, but homeowners renovating a bathroom need an especially clear idea of how much money they want to pump into the project.
Don’t risk hurting yourself financially because you didn’t plot out the costs of materials, time, and labor. Know how much money you need to spend and where that money needs to go to accomplish your project goals.
Consider Contractors for Extensive Work
Some people are fully confident in their ability to remodel their own homes; they have the skills and experience to accomplish their construction goals successfully. However, many others may not have the necessary expertise to pull off the remodeling themselves.
It’s important to know your own limitations when it comes to handiwork, and now is not the time to get some practice in. If you plan on having extensive work done, seek the help of professionals to do a quality job.
If you want to do the work yourself despite limited experience with remodeling, the risk of poor-quality construction is significantly higher. Acknowledge what you can and can’t do on your own and consider utilizing the skills of professional plumbers and other contractors for your remodeling needs.
Start by Locating the Studs
When dealing with manufactured homes, locating the studs can prove challenging to the inexperienced. In traditional homes, contractors typically place the studs every 16 inches, but this is not necessarily the case with mobile homes.
Because builders need to deal with smaller spaces, the studs may appear closer together, so it’s important to note each stud’s placement. Mark the walls whenever you locate a stud to easily keep track of where they all are; you don’t want to lose any during the process of finding them.
Install Fixtures to Your Studs
When installing bathroom fixtures, whether they be toilet paper roll holders or towel racks, you need to make sure you install them on the studs. Mobile home walls are thinner than standard drywall, making them unsuitable for anchoring heavier objects to the walls.
Fixing heavier objects to the wall itself will most likely result in sections of the wall breaking off, so make sure to always anchor your items to the structural studs. You also want to ensure you have the right mobile home bathroom parts on hand to facilitate easy installation. Have everything you need prepared and set out beforehand to streamline your processes.
Think of Ways To Implement More Storage Space
With mobile home bathrooms, homeowners work with very limited space. Due to this lack of room, it’s essential to make the most out of what you have, and bathroom storage is often necessary.
Consider having a shallow medicine cabinet to store small bathroom-related items such as nail clippers, medicine, toothpaste, etc. A little goes a long way and having that little extra storage for items is a convenience that you should investigate as you renovate.
Consider Whether You Need a New Sink
On the subject of adding extra space, look into your current sink’s bowl depth. If it is excessively deep, it may be taking up unnecessary space underneath your sink area. Installing a shallow sink will still allow the sink to serve its function while freeing up the space below.
Every little inch adds up and freeing up that space to put a small trash can or a weight scale will benefit your overall bathroom design.
Be Aware of the Lighting Situation
Bathroom lighting is important. After all, you need to see where you’re walking so you don’t accidentally slip. The issue of space comes up again when you need to install new lighting methods, but there are solutions.
Consider scones and built-in lighting; recessed light fixtures and freestanding lights typically won’t work due to the spatial limitations. Lighting installation is also a situation when you may want to contact a professional, as you need to deal with plumbing and electrical in close proximity to one another.
Know What You Need for a Bathroom or Shower
One of the most important renovations mobile homeowners often deal with is replacing showers or bathtubs. This process requires you to find the exact dimensions of your current shower or tub; getting something a few inches too long or wide won’t work for your limited space.
Finding the dimensions also allows you to know whether your current tub or shower fits within standard specifications or if you need to account for special sizing.
Follow the Proper Steps for Painting Bathroom Walls
It’s common for homeowners to want to paint their bathroom walls, but there is an important first step when dealing with mobile home walls to consider. Since manufactured homes typically don’t use drywall, you will need to prime the walls to allow for proper painting.
Mobile home walls usually have glossier finishes due to the material, which can make it challenging to apply paint the first time around. Make sure to prime before you paint, or else you may have less-than-ideal results.
Make Sure Your Bathroom Renovations Are Complete
Keeping these tips for remodeling your mobile home bathroom in mind is necessary to ensure a job well done. Go into your project knowing what to expect, whether it’s the scope of work or the cost of renovations; don’t let anything catch you by surprise. Have realistic expectations and go to professionals whenever you need complex work completed.
