I have been designing bathrooms for nearly 30 years. Here are my secrets to a great project and how you should look at each part of the project. Hopefully these tips can save you some money and time on your next project. Thanks for listening to Around the house if you want to hear more please subscribe so you get notified of the latest episode as it posts at https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/listen

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[00:00:23] Eric Goranson: So literally you can go hit it once a month, every two months with a toilet brush because the glaze system on there is meant to be. a nonstick surface. So when it comes down to it, you know, if you were to go buy a 100 toilet and you were to go buy a 260 Toto and put them next to each other, that Toto is gonna save you money in the long run.

[00:01:05] Eric Goranson: Thanks for tuning in. Well today I wanted to talk about my bathroom remodeling secrets These are the things that if you're gonna go do your own bathroom remodel, even if you're hiring a contractor These are my tips and tricks for you To plan ahead and make sure that you get this thing done, right? And these are the things that I hope can help save you some money as well Because there's so many different things in a bathroom that if you get things out of order can cost you a ton of money When you're trying to plan this stuff out so something to consider So first guys I wanted to talk about one of the biggest things when you're talking about bathroom modeling and that is like we were talking about planning making sure that you've got that design and really All the rough utilities going in that you need.

[00:02:07] Eric Goranson: So you want to make sure that you've got plenty there to change that drain out to two inch, so you're, you're good there. And I heard something about building code going to be changing for that. Uh, that you can do inch and a half, but, uh, you know, having two is a good way to go. So it's always about doing it right.

[00:02:48] Eric Goranson: So, something to think about. So, here are all the things that you might need additional power for. In that bathroom. It could be that you've got a smart toilet going in there. So you need to have that outlet [00:03:00] with the GFCI. That's down there next to the toilet. Now, if you're going to put in heated floor system, you'll probably need a dedicated 1 10 circuit for that.

[00:03:40] Eric Goranson: So that can be very significant. So something to really pay attention to with that. So make sure you've got that. And, uh, if you're going to do a, um, Like an air modest system, which we'll talk about later, which is one of the drying systems. That's going to need its own as well as if you're thinking about putting in a heated tile rack, [00:04:00] which is important as well.

[00:04:19] Eric Goranson: Give yourself the option. I always say when you're doing that toilet, when you're putting in the, you know, doing the electrical in there, make sure you add that outlet behind the toilet. So down the road, if you ever need it. Uh, or if you ever want to add it, it's very simple, so you can just plug it in and it's just an outlet, so if it's hiding down there next to the toilet, it's not a big deal, but, um, that is some added value while you're doing it, so even if you're not planning on doing it, take a minute, add the, add the outlet over there, it can work really well for you, and then like I said, if you've got two different bathroom vanities, you know, so if you've got a, you know, a master bathroom or a hall bathroom that has two sinks, make sure you've got outlets on either side of that, that way you can add that in there.

[00:05:15] Eric Goranson: So you want to make sure that you've got that dialed in. So that's something to think about. And you know, the heated tile floor is something to plan on. I mean, if you've got a space that's already cold, cause maybe they didn't put an outlet in there for your HVAC system. Having that in there is really handy.

[00:05:50] Eric Goranson: So, uh, it's pretty quick and easy once you're doing it, but. You just need to plan ahead for that power. So make sure you got that dialed in. And then the other thing is here is when you're going [00:06:00] through and designing for this, um, really I want you to, let's talk about ventilation for a minute because this is a big thing.

[00:06:26] Eric Goranson: So if you have 120 CFM fan going and you have just a little tiny half inch gap underneath the bathroom door. You're probably going to want to cut that bathroom door down a little bit to let more air in there. And here's what happens to, and this is something to consider, and this is something I'm going to do in my house.

[00:06:58] Eric Goranson: Because one of the things that I [00:07:00] noticed when I was working on, Uh, the bathroom after I got mine down with my big CFM fan, if I have a heated tile floor tile floor, I get air coming underneath the doorway. And so the first 24 inches by that space gets cool because it's. The air is going over and it's cooling the floor right there.

[00:07:34] Eric Goranson: And of course that vent has to go all the way to the outside of the building. So. Through the attic space out through the roof out through a soffit out through a wall, wherever it's going to go. It just needs to exit all the way out of the building. And in my area, we always insulate those because the last thing I want to do is have hot, moist air collecting in a cold metal duct.

[00:08:10] Eric Goranson: People out in the northern climates, but, you know, something, if you've got a cool attic space and you've got hot moisture, like you were in Florida, that can also create a similar issue, uh, just because it's just like that summertime, uh. You know, glass of lemonade on the table. It's going to, you know, shed water off the outside and grab that out of the relative humidity.

[00:08:46] Eric Goranson: The air modest system is my favorite. And, uh, if you're tired of squeegeeing, this is the time for plan for that because, uh, that way you'd if you want to keep the shower cleaner. That is an easy way to do it. And the nice thing is, is you don't have to [00:09:00] have that squeegee in the shower to, uh, clean off that glass.

[00:09:21] Eric Goranson: And it's going to save the projects you did early on. And I don't want to see you have it get ruined. So when we come back, we're going to talk about that because this is one of those things that can destroy the project afterwards. If you don't do it right first, we'll do that just as soon as around the house.

[00:09:45] Eric Goranson: Welcome

[00:10:11] Eric Goranson: house show. This is where we hope to get the most out of your home through information on education. Thank. Thanks for joining me today. We've been talking around, uh, well, my bathroom remodeling secrets to help save you money. And keep that plan going because, uh, this is one of those things that I want this to be really that quintessential help for you to get this project knocked out, whether you're hiring it or, uh, you know, maybe you're going to tackle it yourself or you've got your favorite contractor coming to do it.

[00:10:56] Eric Goranson: So one of the things if you've got kids that I see is a big [00:11:00] mistake when going through the thought processes. I've had people say, Hey, I'm going to take this, uh, this bathroom and design it for my kids today and you know, they're five and seven and I want lower vanities and all that stuff. And although that is okay, you just need to remember that, um, if you design it for smaller children for a handful of years, they're smaller children and then forever.

[00:11:46] Eric Goranson: So you really want to think about, okay, can I make this last for 20 years? If I think about what the kids are doing in 5. That's just a short term part of that. And the last thing I want you to do is have to go back in five years and go, well, time to do another big remodel. [00:12:00] Cause bathroom remodels are expensive.

[00:12:20] Eric Goranson: Because so many times people get hung up on those little bit of details. So, that's something just to, just to kind of get dialed in. Now, I want to talk materials here for a minute. Because... Before we get into dealing with, um, you know, waterproof systems and things like that, I really want to talk about this for a minute because these are the myths that we see out there in the home improvement world.

[00:13:03] Eric Goranson: And of course, the cheapest price, because so much of this stuff that you see in the stores is value priced based. So that's why they have their knockoff, no brand, you know, no brand toilets through the house brand. That's why you've got many of the big manufacturers putting their lowest price toilets in there.

[00:13:45] Eric Goranson: And a lot of people go, oh, toilets who cares? It's a toilet. It's all comes down to the design of that toilet. You remember back, you know, and I, I remember this because, uh, I was starting design at this point when we went from the 3. 5 gallon flush of the 3 gallon [00:14:00] flush down to the 1. 5, 1. 6 went into the had to be under 1.

[00:14:26] Eric Goranson: We figured out how to do it is is very well down to a gallon flush, which is huge. It's a big savings, especially if you're paying for water, but the really big issue was that we would see people. You know, spending okay, I'm gonna get my 1. 6 gallon toilet, but I'm gonna go spend 99 on the house brand. And the problem with that was that you got a toilet that just wasn't designed.

[00:15:10] Eric Goranson: But if you were to actually cut them open, you'll see that it's raw ceramic down in there. And there's like little nubs and things like that. That's the stuff that grabs toilet paper and other things. It starts the clogging process. So that's another one right there. Then, of course, it's just the whole design.

[00:15:43] Eric Goranson: So literally you can go hit it once a month, every two months with a toilet brush because the glaze system on there is meant to be a nonstick surface. So, when it comes down to it, you know, if you were to go buy a, a 100 toilet and you were to go buy a [00:16:00] 260 Toto and put them next to each other, that Toto is going to save you money in the long run, because 1, it's going to use less water.

[00:16:26] Eric Goranson: So those are important ones. So pay attention to that. Now, the next one here. Is is important as well. And this is looking at tile. You know, tile is not all the same. If you go into the home centers again, you're looking at the lowest grade of tile out there for many people. That is the again. It's their own price.

[00:17:01] Eric Goranson: And the problem is, is when you're looking at tile that is lower end like that. And this is where you got to be a little bit careful. That lower end tile is going to be a little more warped. It's going to be a little more out of square. It's going to be a little bit more, you know, out of shape, and it's not going to have the exact same detail.

[00:17:44] Eric Goranson: You know, you're buying something cheaper that's harder to work with. So maybe if you really want that job to look nice, head over to your local. Flooring retailer, that is a, um, you know, where, where your tile setters go and, uh, you know, your local tile shop or your local flooring [00:18:00] store. You know, I say support local when you can, but if you're getting a better material over there for a similar price, it's something to think about.

[00:18:24] Eric Goranson: It's just something to think. More about, all right, when we come back, we're going to talk about the one thing you should do before you start this process. We'll do that just as soon as around the house.[00:19:00]

[00:19:25] Eric Goranson: And, uh, we've got everything from my about 200 videos over there for around the house, Northwest, my, uh, weekly television show to the podcast and including our premium membership on the podcast where you get to hear exclusive episodes and, uh, stories like the one that's up right now. It's about my history.

[00:20:03] Eric Goranson: And this is probably the most important 1 that I see out there for people that are not paying attention to the water. Before you start that remodeling process, go get a water sample. And send it off and see what's going on in your water. This is a big one guys. So many people I go into their home as a, as a designer and I see hard water stains.

[00:20:59] Eric Goranson: It could be [00:21:00] whatever it is. I want you to get that dialed in before you start the project because those minerals will, will ruin a, a steam generator. You know, they will build up in there. It's going to ruin the water heater, ruins your plumbing. It runs, blows up the tile. It does all these things and stains that brand new tub or shower pan.

[00:21:37] Eric Goranson: I mean, they have coatings for glass now, but if you've got unconditioned water, you're just going to fight it and you're not going to win. So get that, spend the time, get that dialed in. So that way you're good to go. Cause I really want to make sure that you protect your investment. And the best way to do that is to make sure that, you know, if you got to spend 1000 or 2 bucks to get that water dialed in, it's going to be healthier for you.

[00:22:21] Eric Goranson: So there's a key right there. So make sure you get that taken care of now when we're talking about tiling, you know, we're just talking about that. I want you to really do your research on. The system that you're using now, a couple of things, and I'm talking about the tiling system. So if you're doing a tile floor, tile walls, tile shower, whatever you're doing, spend the time to get it dialed in correctly.

[00:22:59] Eric Goranson: [00:23:00] That are all mixed together because it's what somebody had in the back of their truck and it's, well, that's how I do it. The problem is, is you don't end up having a warranty with that because you Frankenstein everything together. So, I want to make sure that if you're going to be doing the water system, waterproofing system in your shower, that you're doing it correctly.

[00:23:33] Eric Goranson: And that's where I think a lot of mistakes get made because they go down to their home center, they get the, the, the low quality stuff off the shelf. And again, nothing against the home centers, but really. Their stuff in there is okay at best. That is kind of the entry level stuff. So if you want stuff, that's going to be easier to work with.

[00:24:18] Eric Goranson: So I'll just say almost have great videos that are made by them. On YouTube, so if you're going to use art X, they've got some great videos over there to see what's going on. So you can see how to make mix it up, how to work with it, how to apply it. Um, I tell you what, the last place I go see is some of the, the influencer.

[00:25:07] Eric Goranson: Or somebody that is a tile expert in the field. So that is the place to go find it. You'll be better off. You'll be a lot happier and it's going to be a much better system. So make sure you take your time and it's going to work out for you, but just slow down, study this because there are so many times, I mean, we had mistakes in my shower here.

[00:25:57] Eric Goranson: Oh my gosh. Happy. We caught that. Cause we could have had a [00:26:00] failure and I was following the direction. So even at that, when I had a room full of, of experts, mistakes happen. So you want to be able to get, you know, the best information you can. And, uh, don't fall victim to, um, some of the influencers out there.

[00:26:31] Eric Goranson: When in doubt, get ahold of the rep in your area and they will help you. You'd be shocked at how much these people, um, want to help to make sure that everyone has a good experience. So spend the time, plan it out, and you're going to have a better project when it's all said and done. And then the other thing is make sure that you're using the right material compatibility wise.

[00:27:12] Eric Goranson: It actually, um, you know, 7 to 10 years later, we would see where the shower was hitting the wall because that's where they had their shower arm hitting all the time. And the smaller showers, it was removing the material off of that. So it was literally washing away the tile. And it was Credit card thickness when they had to be pulled out seven to 10 years later.

[00:27:58] Eric Goranson: And so I just have caulking [00:28:00] seams in the corner and that just means that I have a very nice waterproof system there and a little bit more money, but not having grout on the shower walls is sure. Nice. And having that pattern with the marble look to it really made a difference in that bathroom to really give it an elevated look.

[00:29:07] Eric Goranson: Welcome to the round the house show. This is where we help you get the most out of your home through information and education. Thanks for joining us today. If you wanna find out more about the show, head over to around the house online.com and then you can find our video series as well over there for the Around the House Northwest Television Show, which you can stream anywhere in North America.

[00:29:46] Eric Goranson: And then this last segment I wanted to get into detail. On waterproofing and making sure that you've got that dialed in because if you're doing tile for a shower or a tub shower or even a steam shower or a [00:30:00] heated tile floor, these are things that you should be paying attention to and doing this right, it's going to save you a ton of money because if it's wrong, you got to start over and throw it all away, which never is good.

[00:30:34] Eric Goranson: And so the problem is though, and this is where you have to be really careful is that the 1 nice thing with steam showers is that you have steam, but many times the waterproofing methods you see out there. waterproof, but not vapor proof. And so really the only system out there that I know that is, um, certified for vapor is the, um, [00:31:00] weedy vapor 85 system.

[00:31:20] Eric Goranson: You can get steam going through that or you can get condensation on the back of the wall because of the temperature difference between there. So you have a lot of different things that can go on. So what I did for mine is that I did 2 things. 1. I put in the air modest drying system for the shower, but I insulated my walls with rock wool for sound and for heat.

[00:32:01] Eric Goranson: Um, if you're just doing red guard and a shower system, I don't recommend that because again, we're running into those kinds of problems where you want it to be a hundred percent or as close as you can to, to. Being steam proof or vapor proof. You don't want it where vapors can go through there because vapor will go through stuff that's waterproof pretty easily if you're not careful.

[00:32:45] Eric Goranson: So it makes sense. And then 2nd of all, I'm really concerned about what we're going to be using. You know, in the shower or tub shower system, because. You want to put in something really nice. This is not where you want to buy the online valving, [00:33:00] because if you have to go in and replumb that in three or four years, cause you've got a cheap system, I would stay way away from that.

[00:33:25] Eric Goranson: So make sure one, you're buying from your local retailer that is your local plumbing wholesaler. That's the best place to get these things. And traditionally, they're a little higher quality than what you see in the home centers. So take the time on that. And then while you're at it in that wall, make sure you spend some time getting it dialed in and making sure that if you've got rotten pipes or you've got bad electrical.

[00:34:16] Eric Goranson: There's a stub out You've got some metal in there locked in. So, you know, you've got that good because last thing to do is have that moving around. So anytime that I come through a wall for a valve, I like to go to. To copper if I can. So I've got something there to do that. So that can be a mix of sweat and copper to, um, to using PEX expansion fittings.

[00:34:57] Eric Goranson: Down the road. So just, you know, use the [00:35:00] right connectors. And when in doubt, if you've got a system on that shower wall, where you're putting it in there, if you need access, sometimes if it's in the back of a closet or something like that, it's great, put a big access panel in behind it so you can work on it.

[00:35:31] Eric Goranson: That's a great day. So, uh, using access panels wherever you can that are hidden in other rooms or even underneath that could be stuff that's just brilliant. So, uh, think about accessing it when you're getting in there. If you're putting in a jetted tub, make sure that you've got an access panel. That if that motor quits or the pump quits that you can get in there and change it out and the more you can do to be innovative by coming through the room next door or something like that, the better off you are.

[00:36:12] Eric Goranson: So that's a great snap closed system. Hmm. And, uh, if you need access into it, it's a good way to do it without having to cover it up and hope to get back into it one day. Now, guys, one of the last tips I've got for you on this subject of bathrooms is considering the design of the shower. And this is a big one, and this is something that I've noticed over the years has been a big issue.

[00:36:57] Eric Goranson: More comfortable and as well as that [00:37:00] room gets really cold, especially if you have a high ceiling in there. So Many times I'll have somebody do like a five foot by four foot shower. That's a big master bath shower there I don't want a door on it or it's open to the air up above because it's a vault or something like that Be very careful that because now you're stuck having to stand under the water at all times And you stand away from the water real quick to grab some soap or something And you're instantly cold.

[00:37:45] Eric Goranson: That's cold. And then what happens is, is that space gets a lot. Um, you know, it just gets cold in there and it's not comfortable. So think about that. As well as just kind of the overall design of how this is going to work. Do you want [00:38:00] to have to clean around the base of the tub and get the mold and mildew around there because you've got it in the shower or vice versa with the toilet?

[00:38:32] Eric Goranson: So you don't want that. So many times I'll have clients bring in that Pinterest. You know, picture and go now can't do it many times. People have added that light fixture after the fact, after the final inspection, because most home inspectors won't allow you to do it and in states where you actually allow your home insurance person to go walking through.

[00:39:11] Eric Goranson: You might have to close that up. So think about all these different things and how they're going to fit into the plan. And no matter what, if you're going to hire somebody, have a good contract that shows exactly what's going to happen and make sure that you check to make sure they're licensed, sponsored, insured and their tile setters know what they're doing.