Bath renovations that wow

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who have hunkered down over the past few years, saving instead of spending, making do with what you have rather than going after what you really want, now may be the time to rethink that position – especially if you’re tired of living with an old bathroom.

“After the economic catastrophe,” says Stephen Melman, the director of economic services for the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C., “a lot of remodeling was focused on repairs – if there’s a leak, fix it. That psychology has softened now, and people are starting to see what they actually need and going back to larger projects.” Mortgage rates are staying low, Melman points out, and many people are refinancing not to get cash out of their homes but to lower their monthly payments. and with the extra money, some of them are sprucing up the place.

“Bathrooms are a more manageable job than kitchens,” says Sal Alfano, editorial director of Remodeling, a Washington, D.C.-based trade magazine for building professionals. “but they have a big impact.”

According to Remodeling’s Cost vs. Value Report for 2009-2010, a “midrange” bathroom renovation done in new England and priced at $17,018 can net you $11,677, or 69 percent of its cost, in added value to your home. An “upscale” project of $54,454 can give you a return of 62 percent of its cost.

So don’t feel bad if you can’t put up with cracked ceramic tiles or a rusty medicine cabinet for another minute. “It’s partly a rational decision to remodel and partly emotional,” says Alfano. “You can hold off on the rational stuff for awhile, but eventually the emotion takes over and you want to get it done.”

So what will give you the best bang for your bathroom-reno buck? The experts to whom we spoke made two points again and again.

First, before remodeling an existing bath, consider adding a new one instead. in a 2006 analysis of HUD/Census Bureau American Housing Survey data, researcher Paul Emrath of the National Association of Home Builders figured that an extra half bath adds up to 12.5 percent to a home’s value, and a second full bath as much as 20 percent. “The greater the disparity between beds and baths,” he says, “the more there is to gain by adding another bath.”

Though carving out another bathroom may seem impossible in an older home where space is at a premium, realtors agree that in a two-story house or condo it’s important to have, at minimum, one full bath on the bedroom floor and one half bath on the main living level. “otherwise it’s a huge negative,” says Frank Celeste of Gibson Sotheby’s in Charlestown. “I would suggest taking a closet for a half bath and throwing an armoire in the hallway. People use the lack of a half bath to negotiate the price down.”

Second, if you do decide to remodel your existing bath, keep in mind that the room is increasingly being seen as an in-home spa, and luxury is the watchword. “The bathroom is much more tied to ritual these days,” says Robin Brenner, owner of Billie Brenner ltd., which sells bathroom fixtures and fittings at the Boston Design Center. “It’s a place where you can relax for 10 minutes before running out to work, or unwind when you come home.”

Replicating the spa experience at home takes space, of course, but if you have it – or can steal some from a nearby closet or other spot – there are several features that are increasingly seen as must-haves:

Separate Tub and Shower Among the top 10 features that builders most likely would include in new houses in 2010, according to a National Association of Home Builders report released in January, were a separate tub and shower in the master – but if there’s not space for both, the bathtub gets left out. “I have a client who just bought a place that was renovated in 2008,” says Ryan Persac, a realtor with Prudential Unlimited in Brookline, “and he’s gutting the bathroom and putting in a huge shower with multiple heads. How many grown men take baths?”

Unlike in the master, realtors and builders usually recommend keeping the tub in a shared bathroom. “most of the time our advice is there should be at least one bathtub in the house, both for resale and if you have little kids and want to give them a bath,” says Paul Sullivan, president of The Sullivan co., a builder and remodeler in Newton.

Deluxe Shower “one of the things that people are looking at with their showers,” says Brenner, “is lots of functionality – water coming at them in multiple directions.” Steam showers and multiple shower heads complicate the plumbing and cost more, she admits, but are worth it if you have the space and money to install them. she recommends using a thermostatic shower valve, which allows you to program the temperature for all heads.

Curbless, roll-in showers are becoming more popular, too, partly because, as Persac points out, “people want to emulate the higher-end bathrooms they see in boutique hotels, which are often more open.” but they’re also more popular, Melman notes, because the population is aging and more people are thinking about growing older in their houses. “Not having to step over the tub can help you avoid injury,” he says, calling a curbless shower “probably one of the best investments you can make.”

Most of the experts we consulted also mentioned putting a seat in the shower. “Nobody ever sits there,” says Jeff Swanson, president of Renovation planning in the South end, “but women need it to shave their legs.” In-wall niches for holding soaps and shampoos are also popular.

Bath renovations that wow