Bathrooms have come a long way from being purely functional to gorgeous and luxurious home health spas. Discerning Birmingham homeowners appreciate the value and luxury of a high-end bathroom renovation, but also understand that an above and beyond remodel is complicated, and demands a significant investment. Knowing when it’s the right time, how to budget, and factoring in many other considerations are vital for a successful job.

Q1: How Do I Know When It’s Time to Renovate my Bathroom(s)?

Living spaces have a way of telling their homeowners when the time has finally come for a remodel. And no living space is more loud and clear about that need than your bathroom(s).

As you reach the point of readiness, you’ll observe fixtures and appliances communicating with you—tiles chipping, plumbing becoming cumbersome and developing leaks, and that once-enormous built-in tub cracking and transforming into a practical eyesore. Before you realize it, you won’t be able to tolerate it any longer.

Family and relatives, when candid, will also let you know. Either through a casual comment at the dinner table, or an irate shout out when the hot water faucet is stuck or the shower head falls off, their subtle opinions will eventually become noisy and unanimous. While friends and neighbors may not openly express their grievances, paying attention may reveal subtle comments or seemingly unrelated recommendations for a reputable contractor in town.

An additional source to consider is your local realtor, especially if they recently sold the neighboring house for a price that sparks envy. An above and beyond bathroom renovation will significantly boost your home’s value if you’re looking to sell in the next few years, while also greatly improving your quality of life for as long as you stay. You might not have swapped that Maytag dryer from 1974 yet, and your oldest child is already a senior in college, but now’s certainly the time to remodel.

Q2: Why Get a Designer Involved When I Can Do It Myself?

Smart professionals know that they should never be their own lawyer or doctor, and smart homeowners similarly know that they should never be their own home remodeling designer. That’s especially true when it comes to a bathroom remodel, even more so when you hope to take it above and beyond for an ultimate bathroom experience. A trusted and proven designer not only guides you through the process but also facilitates the journey to where you need to be.

Next to kitchens, bathrooms are the most complicated living spaces in your home, a perfect storm of plumbing and electrical infrastructure that supports a complex array of fixtures, appliances, and accessories. Your requirements could be as intricate as your bathrooms, transforming a basic lavatory into a fully equipped health and wellness spa or adapting it to serve as an age-in-place facility with universally accessible features for older relatives. 

Partnering with a designer early on will help ensure your entire bathroom renovation project will be as satisfying and buttoned-up as possible.

An exceptional designer will inspire your creativity, collaboratively explore possibilities with you, and, even before the construction phase commences, foresee and address issues to prevent them from escalating. Perhaps most crucially, your design partner will exercise restraint to ensure your project is completed on schedule, with minimal inconvenience, and remains within your budget.

Q3: How Do I Create an Affordable Budget?

Good bathrooms are not cheap, and great bathrooms can get pricey. The more expansive your creativity, the grander your dreams, which can be exhilarating for your imagination but less exciting for your checkbook. A good designer will provide you with a much-needed reality check early on, and help identify must-haves within your list of wanna-haves. That’s an essential first step for keeping your project cost down, and ensuring you don’t break the bank on your way to fixing your bathroom. 

Every bathroom renovation budget, large or small, simple or complicated is dependent on numerous factors. These include the size and age of the bathroom, and the types of fixtures and amenities you choose. Sometimes the priciest components of a bathroom budget are the electrical and plumbing work, which can become substantial if walls and flooring need to be opened up, let alone moved or replaced. Thoroughly planning ahead is vital for your wallet.

Bathroom renovations range wildly in cost from several thousand to several hundred thousand dollars. Rising labor and materials costs are now the norm, so taking extra care in choosing the right design with the best materials is more important now than ever. A proven rule of thumb is to set your budgetary maximum, and work your way into it. Your designer can help you swap between extras, hopefully get you that heated floor or sauna you’ve always wanted. Be creative!

Q4: What are the Best Selections for Above & Beyond Bathrooms? 

Choices of layouts, styles, fixtures, appliances, and accessories abound, limited only by your imagination and budget. Collaborating creatively with the general contractor, designers work harmoniously to transform your ultimate dream bathroom into a reality efficiently and economically. Throughout this cohesive process, your existing space will exceed your wildest expectations, thanks to professionals well-versed in the latest trends of 2024 and beyond.

Each approach is as distinctive as the home and its homeowners in Southeast Oakland County, with a few favored descriptors standing out prominently, led by the themes of “beauty” and “luxury.” Clean lines complemented by mahogany and other gorgeous wood surfaces, with bold backsplashes, backlit mirrors, and atmospheric LED fixtures create the ultimate environments for deep relaxation, while heated floors and towel racks, wet rooms and open showers exalt.

Beautiful form meets ideal function with custom couples’ layouts, resplendent with His & Her shaving and makeup areas. Tricked-out showers with steam rooms, benches, intimate niches, and rain heads, alongside a jacuzzi-for-two with high pressure jets and vibrating seats transform your everyday bathroom into a fully equipped health and wellness spa to get lost and refreshed within. Are you done yet? Glass sinks and mosaic tiles are just one of countless classy touches.

Q5: What are Some Next-Level Details for Bathrooms?

Speaking of fancy fixtures and exotic tiles, ultimate bathroom trends for 2024 feature stone and marble, with renewed attention to detail. Especially true for primary bathrooms adjacent to your main bedroom suite, convenience is a big factor, with easy to clean surfaces alongside textured and accented materials for added aesthetic contrast and luxurious sophistication. These tasty choices spill over into guest and powder rooms, highlighted by even more daring design styles.

And let’s not forget extra fancy toilets and bidets, with fearless colors and their own smart tech. Heated seats and backrests, massage functions, and self-cleaning systems come with higher price tags and no shame, as discerning Detroit area homeowners indulge their every fancy not only in the main bathroom, but in the secondary ones throughout their houses. Meanwhile, fancy wallpaper, wet walls, plaster, and floating vanities surge. Encourage your designer to dive in and get creative!

Ultimate bathrooms also increasingly feature universal design elements, perfect for accommodating live-in seniors. Age-in accouterments and helpful smart tech look as cool as they remain functional, everything from mechanical handlebars, footrests, and automatic faucets, sinks, and lighting, to the same personalized shower and tub interfaces amazing the rest of the family. Collectively, you and your family may find it hard to leave your newly transformed bathroom.

Q6: Latest and Greatest in Bathroom Technology 

“Smart” technology is the rage, and you likely already have some smart appliances, maybe smart lighting in your Birmingham home. By definition, these smart devices and fixtures interact with homeowners in ways that heighten convenience and personalization. As such, no ultimate bathroom would be complete without a host of smart technology, everything from smart plumbing and electrical controls, to advanced, super user-friendly gizmos and water works.

Top on the smart bathroom list are smart shower and tub systems, which turn an otherwise mundane bathing session into a transformative health and wellness spa experience. Smart shower and tub systems include motion- and voice-activated controls, built-in bluetooth waterproof speakers and streaming monitors, self-regulating flex thermostats, and ambient lighting panels that together create an immersive, customized journey with every rinse or bath.

Advanced tech also works wonders to conserve water and power. Optimal temperature and water levels are dynamically regulated, while heaters and other devices automatically turn down or completely off when people enter or leave, and without the need for direct commands.

Say farewell to the era of awkward and costly tech gimmicks. We are now entering the next generation of computer-generated, artificially intelligent bathroom experiences encompassing water, air, and lighting.

Q7: What Other Things Should I Consider Before I Start? 

Your above and beyond bathroom is an ideal combination of form and function. Therefore, crucial considerations should revolve around a stunning design that exudes beauty and a construction that meets your family’s requirements and expectations for both luxury and user-friendliness. To expertly bring your dream bathroom to life, defining your needs, choosing a terrific designer, and setting a realistic budget are just the start. Partnering with a design build firm is your next, crucial step.

A proficient contractor possesses both the design and construction expertise essential for a remodeling project, ensuring seamless communication and execution throughout every phase of your renovation. Verify their commitment to quality work through testimonials from satisfied local customers and ascertain their local experience to guarantee compliance with building codes. Take the opportunity to meet and acquaint yourself with their project manager, who will serve as your single most important resource and point of contact.

Upon project commencement, they should formulate a schedule meticulously outlining the project over a three to six-month timeline, depending on its scope. Your dedicated project manager should identify key milestones for material procurement, engaging experts, and ensuring minimal disruption to your family’s routine. With one or several bathrooms under construction, dust and debris is a major challenge, and all of you will need to embrace the chaos. By beginning with the end in mind, you can get the project done on time, on budget, and with the least hassle.

Q8: What Defines Birmingham’s Premier “Above and Beyond” Design-Build Remodeling Firm?

Local homeowners are eager to make their dream bathrooms come true, but know how complex and costly bathroom renovations can be, let alone going above and beyond. Partnering with local, proven, and trusted experts is key, with numerous options throughout Birmingham. That said, MainStreet’s in-house architectural design team is poised to discover your needs and exceed your expectations with ultimate bathroom ideas that their production crew can deliver on time, and on budget.

MainStreet Design Build is a full service, design-build remodeling firm dedicated to creating a luxurious end-to-end experience through personal care, accountability, timeless design, and exacting attention to detail. Voted the #1 remodeler in Detroit and #2 general contractor in all of Michigan, since 1991 their in-house design team, staff of carpenters, and deep bench of skilled tradespeople have made the bathroom renovation process comfortable, enjoyable, and safe.

Having produced elegant results that transform remodeling dreams into stunning and functional living spaces, MainStreet Design Build is favored by discerning homeowners in Southeast Oakland County who value a high level of comfort and trust in knowing that their trending remodeling project will be done RIGHT. Browse our gallery of above and beyond bathroom remodels for 2024, and schedule a virtual design consultation. Let’s partner today!