How to Remodel a Bathroom Step by Step | Expert Guide

To remodel a bathroom step by step, start with planning and design, then obtain necessary permits. Swanson Construction and Development, Inc. follows a systematic approach: demolition of old fixtures, rough plumbing and electrical updates, installation of new shower or tub, flooring and tile work, vanity and fixture installation, and final paint and finishing touches. Proper sequencing prevents costly mistakes and ensures quality results.

Here's what nobody tells you about bathroom remodels: the difference between a project that makes you love your home and one that makes you want to tear your hair out comes down to what happens before you ever pick up a sledgehammer.

I've spent over two decades managing custom home builds and remodels across North Carolina with Swanson Construction and Development, Inc., and I can tell you this with certainty—the homeowners who treat their bathroom remodel like a well-planned construction project instead of a weekend Pinterest adventure are the ones who actually finish on budget, on time, and with a bathroom they'll love for years.

This isn't going to be one of those fluffy guides that glosses over the hard parts. We're going to walk through exactly how to remodel a bathroom step by step, including the mistakes that cost homeowners thousands of dollars, the North Carolina-specific challenges you need to plan for, and the real-world decisions you'll face when your contractor calls with unexpected news.

Let's get into it. For specialized installation services, we offer professional vanity installation and expert tile installation services.

Chapter 1: Before You Swing the Sledgehammer – Understanding What You're Really Getting Into

Walk into any home improvement store on a Saturday morning and you'll see dozens of eager homeowners loading up carts with new faucets, tile samples, and vanity units. Most of them are about to learn an expensive lesson: buying materials before understanding your project scope is like buying ingredients before deciding what you're cooking.

The Four Levels of Bathroom Remodels

Not all bathroom remodels are created equal, and understanding which category your project falls into will save you from some painful budget conversations later.

A surface-level remodel means you're keeping everything where it is and just updating the look. Fresh paint, new hardware, maybe a different mirror. You're looking at costs between $2,500 and $5,000 and a timeline measured in days, not weeks. This is the path for homeowners who like their bathroom's layout but hate looking at that builder-grade brass from 1987.

A replacement remodel swaps out fixtures but keeps the plumbing and electrical where it is. New toilet, new vanity, new tub or shower—but everything stays in the same spot. Budget $8,000 to $15,000 and plan for two to three weeks. This is where most powder room and guest bathroom projects land.

A layout-change remodel moves things around. Maybe you're converting that tub into a walk-in shower, or you're finally getting that double vanity by stealing space from the adjacent closet. Now we're talking $15,000 to $35,000 and four to six weeks because you're paying for plumbing relocations, potential structural modifications, and the domino effect that happens when you move one thing and discover everything else needs updating too.

A full gut renovation strips everything down to the studs. It's the nuclear option, and it's often necessary in older homes where the "cheap fix" ship sailed about 15 years ago. Budget $25,000 to $50,000 or more, and block out eight to twelve weeks. On a recent project in Wilmington, we opened up the walls in what seemed like a straightforward refresh and found plumbing that hadn't been updated since 1962. That surface-level project became a gut job real fast.

What a Realistic Timeline Actually Looks Like

Here's the timeline math that trips up most DIYers: they count the days it takes to do the work and forget to count the days spent waiting.

Waiting for the tile you ordered that's on backorder. Waiting for the inspector to show up. Waiting for the custom vanity to arrive. Waiting for the plumber who's finishing another job.

A typical full bathroom remodel with professional contractors takes six to eight weeks from demolition to the moment you can actually use your new shower. Add another two to four weeks before that for design and planning if you're doing this right. Rush that planning phase and you'll spend way more time fixing mistakes during construction than you ever saved by starting early.

For DIY projects, double everything. Not because you're slow, but because you're learning as you go, you don't have the crew to knock out multiple tasks simultaneously, and you're probably doing this on nights and weekends around your actual job.

The Real Cost Ranges for North Carolina Bathrooms in 2025

Let's talk money, because this is where the fantasy meets the spreadsheet.

According to current construction data, a mid-range bathroom remodel in North Carolina runs between $12,000 and $28,000. That's for a space around 35 to 50 square feet with good-quality materials, professional installation, and no major surprises hiding in your walls.

A powder room refresh might come in at $8,000 to $12,000. A master bathroom with all the bells and whistles—heated floors, custom tile work, premium fixtures—can easily hit $35,000 to $55,000.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: 73% of bathroom remodels exceed their initial budget. The most common culprit? Hidden damage discovered during demolition. That water stain behind the shower? It's not just a stain. It's rotted framing, moldy insulation, and potentially compromised subfloor. All of which needs fixing before you can install your gorgeous new tile.

On a project in Raleigh last year, we budgeted $22,000 for a master bath remodel. Week one of demo revealed extensive water damage from a slow toilet leak that had been seeping for years. The homeowners had to add $6,500 to address structural issues. They were smart—they'd planned a 20% contingency fund. That contingency turned a disaster into a manageable adjustment.

Why Most Projects Go Over Budget (And How to Be Different)

The homeowners who stay on budget do three things differently.

First, they get a pre-demo inspection. Before you commit to a budget, have someone who knows what to look for stick their head in the ceiling, check behind the access panel, and give you an honest assessment of what's probably lurking in there.

Second, they build in a real contingency—15% to 20% of the total budget, set aside and untouched unless something genuinely unexpected happens. Not "I decided I want different tile" money. "We found mold" money.

Third, they make all their finish selections before demo day. The fastest way to blow your budget and timeline is to stop construction for two weeks while you agonize over tile choices because you didn't realize how many options there were.

Chapter 2: The Pre-Construction Phase That Makes or Breaks Your Project

This is the chapter that saves you more money than anything else you'll read here.

Creating Your Non-Negotiables List vs. Your "Nice to Haves"

Sit down with everyone who uses this bathroom and make two lists. The first list is non-negotiable: the things this bathroom absolutely must have for it to work for your family. Maybe that's a zero-threshold shower for aging-in-place accessibility. Maybe it's a double vanity because mornings are chaos with two people fighting for mirror space.

The second list is "nice to have"—heated floors, rainfall showerhead, that gorgeous hand-glazed tile you saw on Instagram. These are the things you add back in if the budget allows.

I watched a couple in Chapel Hill nearly tank their entire project by treating everything as non-negotiable. When the bids came back $18,000 over budget, they had nowhere to flex. We had to restart the entire design process. The couple who comes in with clear priorities can make quick decisions: "The walk-in shower is non-negotiable, so we'll go with the less expensive vanity to make the numbers work."

Measuring Your Space the Right Way

Most homeowners measure their bathroom once, jot down the dimensions, and move on. Then they buy a vanity that's technically the right width but doesn't account for the door swing, or the drawer clearance, or the fact that the wall isn't actually square.

Measure three times. Length, width, ceiling height. But also measure the door swing radius, the distance from walls to plumbing rough-ins, the location of light switches and outlets, and the width of any doorways you'll need to fit fixtures through. That beautiful soaking tub won't do you much good if it won't make the turn into your bathroom.

Photograph everything. Every angle, every corner, every utility connection. These photos become invaluable when you're at the showroom trying to figure out if that vanity will work with your existing plumbing locations.

When You Need Permits in North Carolina

Here's the permit reality in North Carolina: if you're moving plumbing, if you're doing electrical work, if you're touching structural elements—you need permits. No exceptions, no shortcuts.

Some homeowners try to skip permits to save a few hundred dollars and the hassle of inspections. It's a terrible idea. When you go to sell your home, unpermitted work can derail your closing. Worse, if something goes wrong—a flood, a fire, anything related to that unpermitted work—your insurance company can deny your claim.

Permit costs in North Carolina typically run $150 to $500 depending on your county and project scope. The process takes one to three weeks. Plan for it. Budget for it. Getting a stop-work order because you skipped permits will cost you way more in delays and fines than just doing it right from the start.

The inspections that come with permits aren't obstacles—they're insurance. When the plumbing inspector signs off, you know your drain lines are pitched correctly and your water lines are properly secured. When the electrical inspector approves your work, you know you're not creating a fire hazard behind those walls.

Finding and Vetting Contractors vs. Going DIY: The Honest Truth

Here's my honest take as someone who's been in this industry for decades: there's DIY-friendly work in a bathroom remodel, and there's work that should never be DIYed.

You can handle demolition if you're careful. You can paint. You can install accessories like towel bars and toilet paper holders. Maybe you can handle flooring if you've got some experience and patience.

You should not DIY plumbing unless you're a licensed plumber. You should not DIY electrical unless you're a licensed electrician. You should not DIY tile work unless you've done it successfully before and understand waterproofing membranes, proper substrate prep, and how to detail corners and transitions.

The money you save doing it wrong isn't savings—it's future expenses with interest.

If you're hiring pros, vet them hard. Check their licenses with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Ask for references and actually call them. Look for contractors who carry proper insurance—both liability and workers comp. Get at least three detailed bids that break down labor and materials separately.

Step 1: Design and Planning – Building Your Blueprint for Success

This is where the Pinterest boards meet reality.

Laying Out Your Bathroom for Function First, Beauty Second

I've seen homeowners design beautiful bathrooms that are absolute nightmares to use. The toilet placed where you smack your knees on the vanity. The shower door that can't fully open because it hits the toilet. The single light fixture that casts shadows exactly where you need to see your face in the mirror.

Function drives layout. Beauty fills in the details.

Start with clearances. The building code requires 15 inches from the center of the toilet to any wall or fixture. That's the minimum. Give yourself 18 inches if you can—your knees will thank you. You need 24 inches of clear space in front of the toilet and shower. Again, that's minimum. Comfortable is 30 inches.

Think about the door swing. Does it hit the toilet when it opens? Does it block access to the vanity? Consider a pocket door or an outward-swinging door if space is tight.

Plan your storage early. A beautiful bathroom with nowhere to put your towels and toiletries becomes cluttered chaos within a week. Factor in medicine cabinets, linen closets, vanity drawers, and niches in the shower for shampoo and soap.

The Plumbing Triangle and Why It Controls Your Budget

Here's the thing about plumbing: it wants to go where it wants to go. Drains need gravity. Vent pipes need to go up and out. Water supply lines need direct routes from the main supply.

The plumbing triangle connects your sink, toilet, and shower. The closer together these fixtures are, the less pipe you need, the simpler your venting becomes, and the lower your plumbing bill stays.

Move a toilet six feet across the room and you're looking at $800 to $1,500 in additional plumbing costs. Move it to a different wall and you might be cutting into floor joists, rerouting vent stacks, and adding another $2,000 to $3,000 to the budget.

I'm not saying don't move fixtures if it makes sense for your layout. I'm saying understand the cost before you commit. Sometimes that perfect layout is worth the extra money. Sometimes you can achieve 90% of the same function by tweaking placement by 18 inches and saving $2,000.

Selecting Materials That Survive North Carolina's Humidity

North Carolina bathrooms face specific challenges that our friends in Arizona don't deal with. Humidity. Lots of it. Year-round.

This means mold-resistant drywall isn't optional—it's mandatory in wet zones. It means your grout needs to be sealed and your ventilation needs to actually work, not just exist.

For shower surrounds, porcelain or ceramic tile remains the gold standard. It handles moisture, it's durable, and it won't support mold growth if properly installed and maintained. That acrylic surround might be cheaper and easier to install, but quality tile work will outlast it by decades.

For flooring, skip anything that can't handle water. That means no hardwood, no laminate. Porcelain tile, ceramic tile, or luxury vinyl plank designed for bathrooms. All are waterproof. All handle North Carolina's humidity swings without buckling or warping.

For vanities, look for plywood construction with quality finishes, not particleboard that swells and delaminates the moment it gets damp. Check that drawers have dovetail joints, not stapled corners. Quality construction matters in a high-moisture environment.

Creating a Detailed Scope of Work Document

Before you buy a single item or schedule a single contractor, write down every single thing that needs to happen. Every fixture that needs removing, every material that needs installing, every light switch that needs relocating.

This document becomes your project roadmap. It's what contractors bid against. It's how you track progress. It's how you catch scope creep before it costs you an extra $5,000.

The scope document should specify materials by brand and model number when possible. "White toilet" is vague. "Kohler Cimarron Comfort Height Elongated Toilet, model K-3493" is specific. Specific prevents the "I thought you meant the $200 toilet, not the $600 toilet" conversation three weeks into construction.

Step 2: Demolition Done Right – Protecting What Stays While Removing What Goes

Demo is where amateurs make expensive mistakes.

Shutting Off Water and Electrical Safely

This isn't negotiable. Before anything else happens, before the first tile gets chipped or the first fixture gets removed, shut off the water supply to the bathroom and kill the power at the breaker.

For the water, look for the shutoff valves under the sink and behind the toilet. Turn them clockwise until they stop. Then turn on the faucets to drain the lines. If your fixtures don't have individual shutoffs (common in older homes), you'll need to shut off the main water supply to the house.

For electrical, flip the breaker for the bathroom circuit to OFF. Then test everything—lights, outlets, exhaust fan—to verify the power is actually off. Don't trust the label on your breaker panel. Test it. I've seen panels where half the labels were wrong.

The Surgical Approach to Demo

The sledgehammer approach makes for good social media videos and terrible remodeling reality.

Demo should be methodical. Start with the stuff that's easy to remove and unattached—mirrors, towel bars, toilet paper holders, shower curtains. Then move to the fixtures themselves.

Removing a toilet: Drain it completely, disconnect the water supply line, remove the bolts at the base, and lift straight up. Immediately stuff a rag into the drain opening to block sewer gas and prevent anything from falling down there.

Removing a vanity: Turn off the water, disconnect supply lines and drain trap, remove any screws attaching it to the wall, and carefully work it free. If it's being replaced anyway, you can be a little more aggressive. If you're trying to save it for another use, take your time.

Tile removal is where people get in trouble. If you're demo-ing tile from a wall or floor, assume there's plumbing and electrical behind or below it. Go slow. Use a chisel or oscillating multi-tool to chip away grout first, then work tiles loose individually rather than swinging a hammer and hoping for the best.

What to Do When You Discover Mold, Rot, or Outdated Wiring

When—not if, but when—you discover something nasty behind those walls, stop.

Mold needs professional remediation if it's extensive. Small surface mold you can handle with the right safety gear and cleaning solutions. Black mold spreading across multiple wall cavities? Call the pros. Trying to DIY serious mold removal without proper containment just spreads spores throughout your house.

Rotted framing means you've had a water intrusion issue. Before you replace the damaged wood, find the source of the water. Otherwise you're just creating fresh wood for the water to rot again. Common sources: leaking shower pans, failed grout or caulk joints, toilet wax ring failures, or plumbing leaks.

Old wiring—we're talking cloth-insulated wires, knob-and-tube, or aluminum branch circuits—needs to be replaced, not just patched. This is both a safety issue and an insurance issue. Many insurers won't cover homes with known knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring.

Protecting Your Home From Dust and Debris Migration

Bathroom demo creates an insane amount of dust. It gets everywhere. Through closed doors, through ductwork, into your clothes, your food, your lungs.

Seal the work area. Tape plastic sheeting over doorways, cover air vents, stuff towels under doors. Run air scrubbers if you're doing extensive demo. At minimum, open a window and use a box fan to create negative pressure that pulls dust out instead of letting it drift into the rest of your house.

Set up a debris path. How are you getting broken tile, old drywall, and demolished fixtures from the bathroom to the dumpster without tracking dust and debris through your house? Plastic sheeting walkways help. A dedicated dumpster right outside the house is worth every penny.

Step 3: The Rough-In Phase – Plumbing, Electrical, and Framing

This is the phase where future problems get prevented or created.

Running New Plumbing Lines and Drain Pipes

Plumbing rough-in happens after demo and before you close anything up. This is when you run new supply lines (hot and cold water), install drain lines, and set up proper venting.

Modern supply lines are typically PEX—cross-linked polyethylene—which is flexible, durable, and way easier to work with than the old copper pipe. PEX handles North Carolina's occasional freeze events better than copper, and it won't corrode from acidic water conditions common in some areas.

Drain lines need proper pitch. Every horizontal drain line must slope at least 1/4 inch per foot toward the main drain. Too flat and waste water sits in the pipes. Too steep and water runs ahead of solids, leaving clogs behind.

Venting is where most DIY plumbing jobs fail. Every drain needs proper venting to prevent slow drains and sewer gas entry. If you don't understand the difference between a wet vent and a dry vent, or how to properly tie into existing vent stacks, this isn't the job to learn on. Hire a licensed plumber.

Updating Electrical to Code

Modern bathroom electrical code requires GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) protection on every outlet. GFCIs detect ground faults and cut power in milliseconds, preventing electrocution. If you're remodeling, all bathroom outlets must be GFCI protected—no exceptions.

Bathroom lighting should include general lighting (typically a ceiling fixture), task lighting (lights around the mirror at face height), and potentially accent lighting if you're going for a spa vibe.

Exhaust fans are required by code in bathrooms without windows, and they're a good idea even if you have a window. Size your fan correctly—you want at least 50 CFM (cubic feet per minute) for bathrooms under 100 square feet. Larger bathrooms need more. Undersized fans can't move enough air, and moisture lingers, creating mold conditions.

Adding or Modifying Framing for New Fixtures

Sometimes your new layout requires new framing. Adding a partition wall to separate the toilet area. Reframing a wall to accommodate a larger vanity. Adding blocking between studs to support grab bars or wall-mounted fixtures.

Blocking is critical and often forgotten. You can't just screw a grab bar into drywall and hope for the best. You need solid wood blocking behind that drywall to anchor to. Same for wall-mounted toilets, wall-mounted vanities, and towel bars you actually plan to use (not just look at).

Installing Proper Ventilation That Actually Works

We already talked about sizing the fan correctly. Now let's talk about installing it correctly.

The fan needs to vent to the outside—not into the attic, not into a wall cavity, outside. Use rigid metal duct when possible, not that flex duct that looks like a dryer hose. Flex duct creates resistance, reduces airflow, and collects moisture.

Run the duct the shortest, straightest route possible. Every elbow reduces efficiency. If you must have elbows, use gradual sweeps, not sharp 90-degree turns.

Insulate the duct, especially if it runs through unconditioned space. In North Carolina's hot summers, cold air-conditioned air hitting an uninsulated duct creates condensation that drips back into your bathroom or, worse, into your attic insulation.

Getting Inspections Done Before Closing Walls

This is crucial: rough-in inspection happens before you close up walls and ceilings.

The inspector verifies your plumbing has proper pitch and venting, your electrical is code-compliant and properly protected, your framing is sound and properly secured. Once that inspection passes and you have the signed approval, you can move forward with drywall and finishes.

Try to close up walls before getting inspection approval and you'll be opening them back up to fix whatever the inspector flags. I've seen contractors rip out brand new drywall to expose plumbing that should have been inspected first. Expensive lesson.

Step 4: Closing Up – Drywall, Waterproofing, and Creating the Foundation

Now you're building the foundation your finished bathroom will sit on.

Installing Moisture-Resistant Drywall in Wet Zones

Regular drywall is paper-faced gypsum board. Paper plus water equals mold food. That's why bathrooms get moisture-resistant drywall—often called green board or purple board depending on the brand.

For areas that see direct water exposure—shower surrounds, above tubs—some contractors prefer cement board or fiber-cement backer board. These provide a rock-solid substrate for tile and are completely impervious to water.

Here's a mistake we see constantly: homeowners install moisture-resistant drywall and think they're done waterproofing. The drywall is moisture-resistant, not waterproof. You still need additional waterproofing on top of it before you tile.

Waterproofing Membranes and Why They're Non-Negotiable

Tile is not waterproof. Grout is not waterproof. Water finds ways through even the best tile installations. What keeps that water from reaching your framing and subfloor is the waterproofing membrane.

For shower surrounds, use either a liquid-applied membrane that gets painted on or a sheet membrane system like Schluter Kerdi or RedGard. Apply it to all walls that will see water, extend it at least six inches beyond the shower curb or door, and make absolutely certain you properly detail corners, seams, and penetrations.

On floors, the waterproofing membrane goes under the tile. This prevents water from any source—flooding, slow leaks, overflow—from soaking into your subfloor and creating rot.

Preparing Surfaces for Tile Installation

Tile needs a flat, stable, clean surface. Any deflection or movement in the substrate will crack grout joints and eventually crack tiles.

For floors, you want a solid subfloor—typically 3/4-inch plywood over floor joists spaced no more than 16 inches on center. If your floor feels bouncy when you walk on it, add another layer of plywood or switch to a deflection membrane system before tiling.

For walls, cement board provides the best substrate. Screw it to studs with proper spacing, tape seams with fiberglass mesh tape, and apply thinset over the tape. The result is a solid surface that won't flex or crack under tile.

The Right Way to Slope Your Shower Floor for Drainage

Shower floors must slope toward the drain—code requires minimum 1/4 inch per foot, but 1/2 inch per foot is better.

This slope gets built during the "mud job"—the process of creating a sloped mortar bed that the tile sits on. For a traditional shower pan installation, you're actually building two sloped layers with a waterproof membrane sandwiched between them.

Pre-sloped shower pans and linear drain systems have made this easier for DIYers, but the principle remains: water must flow to the drain, not pool in corners. Standing water equals mildew, mold, and a gross shower floor.

Step 5: Tile Installation and Flooring – Where Design Meets Durability

Tile work separates the amateurs from the pros real fast.

Starting With the Shower Walls and Tub Surround

Tile installation starts at the bottom and works up. For shower walls, start with the back wall (the wall opposite the shower door), then do the side walls, then finish with the wall that has the shower valve and showerhead.

Use spacers to maintain consistent grout lines. Mix your thinset to the right consistency—too wet and it slides, too dry and it doesn't bond properly. Apply thinset with a notched trowel, set the tile, and ensure it's making full contact with the substrate. Hollow spots behind tile lead to cracks.

Pay special attention to corners and transitions. Inside corners should be caulked, not grouted, because they're movement joints. Outside corners need bullnose tile or trim pieces for a finished look.

Floor Tile Installation and Getting Grout Lines Right

Floor tile gets laid after walls are done. Start by finding the center of the room and snapping chalk lines to create layout guides. This ensures your tile layout is balanced and you don't end up with weird slivers of tile along one wall.

Dry-lay your tile before committing to thinset. This lets you adjust the layout to avoid awkward cuts around fixtures or in doorways. Sometimes shifting your starting point six inches solves a tile-cutting nightmare.

Set floor tile with thinset mixed for floor applications—it's formulated to handle foot traffic and weight. Work in small sections, keep tiles level with each other (use a level frequently), and maintain consistent grout joint spacing.

Choosing Grout Colors That Hide (or Show) Everything

Light grout shows every speck of dirt, soap scum, and mildew. Dark grout can make a bathroom feel smaller and shows water spots and mineral deposits.

Mid-tone grays are the goldilocks choice for most bathrooms—they hide normal dirt and aging without making the space feel dark. If you're using white subway tile, a light gray grout looks crisp without the maintenance nightmare of pure white.

Epoxy grout costs more and is harder to work with, but it's stain-proof and doesn't need sealing. For floors and high-use showers, it's worth considering. For walls in a powder room that sees light use, standard cement-based grout is fine.

Sealing Tile to Prevent Water Damage Long-Term

Natural stone tile (marble, granite, travertine) must be sealed before grouting and again after grouting to prevent stains and water absorption. Ceramic and porcelain tile don't need sealing—they're already vitrified and waterproof.

But the grout does need sealing. Wait at least 48 hours after grouting (longer in humid weather) to let the grout cure completely. Then apply a penetrating grout sealer that soaks into the grout rather than sitting on the surface.

Reseal grout annually or whenever water stops beading on the surface. This simple maintenance task prevents water intrusion, staining, and mildew growth.

Step 6: Installing Fixtures and Finishing Carpentry

You're in the home stretch now.

Setting the Toilet, Vanity, and Plumbing Fixtures

The toilet goes in after floor tile is complete. Set a new wax ring (or the newer gasket-style seals) on the toilet flange, position the toilet carefully, compress the seal by sitting your full weight on the toilet, and bolt it down. Don't overtighten the bolts—you'll crack the porcelain. Snug is sufficient.

The vanity comes next. If you're using a freestanding vanity, level it and shim if necessary. Wall-mounted vanities need to hit studs or blocking—drywall alone won't support the weight of the vanity, countertop, sink, and all your stuff.

Install the faucet and drain assembly before you secure the vanity to the wall—it's way easier to access. Then connect supply lines and drain trap once the vanity is in place.

Installing Shower Doors, Mirrors, and Accessories

Frameless glass shower doors look stunning but require precise installation. The walls must be plumb and square, the curb must be level, and the door must be properly sealed to prevent leaks. This isn't a great DIY project unless you've done it before. Professional installation typically runs $300 to $500 and ensures it actually works.

Mirrors over vanities should be sized proportionally—a good rule is the mirror should be at least 70% of the vanity width. Mount it at eye level for the primary users, typically with the center 60 to 65 inches off the floor.

Accessories—towel bars, toilet paper holders, robe hooks—go in last. Remember that blocking we talked about installing earlier? Now you'll appreciate it. Locate studs or blocking and anchor properly. A towel bar that pulls out of the wall when you hang a damp bath towel is a special kind of frustrating.

The Final Paint Job and Trim Work

Paint the ceiling first, then walls. Use bathroom-specific paint with mildew resistance—it contains antimicrobial additives that inhibit mold growth. Semi-gloss or satin finish handles moisture and cleaning better than flat paint.

Trim work—baseboards, crown molding if you're using it, window and door casings—gets installed after paint. Caulk any gaps between trim and walls with paintable caulk, then touch up paint as needed.

Testing Everything Before You Call It Done

Before you declare victory, test everything. Run water at every fixture and check for leaks—at supply connections, at drain connections, around the base of the toilet. Check hot and cold water at every tap. Verify the drain actually drains and doesn't back up.

Test the exhaust fan. It should move air noticeably—you should feel a pull if you hold a tissue near it. Test all electrical outlets with a circuit tester. Verify lights work, switches work, and GFCI outlets trip when you hit the test button.

Check grout and caulk lines for gaps or missed spots. Look for any tile that sounds hollow when you tap it—that indicates voids behind the tile that could lead to cracks.

The Mistakes We See Homeowners Make (And How Swanson Construction Prevents Them)

After two decades of bathroom remodels across North Carolina, we've seen every mistake possible. Here are the big ones.

Planning Mistakes: Skipping the Design Phase or Changing Mid-Project

The homeowners who skip detailed design work and just "figure it out as they go" end up with bathrooms that don't quite work. The mirror that blocks the light switch. The vanity drawers that hit the toilet when opened. The shower that's two inches too narrow to be comfortable.

Every decision you make during construction instead of during planning adds time and money. Contractors stop work while you shop for tile. You discover the vanity you want won't fit and have to redesign the plumbing layout. Change orders add up fast—$500 here, $800 there, suddenly you're $5,000 over budget.

At Swanson Construction, we insist on detailed design approval before demo day. It feels like extra work upfront, but it eliminates the expensive delays and changes that plague projects without proper planning.

Functional Failures: Poor Lighting, Inadequate Storage, Bad Ventilation

A single overhead light might be fine for a closet. It's terrible for a bathroom where you need to see your face clearly for shaving, makeup, or checking if you've got something stuck in your teeth.

Layer your lighting. Overhead ambient lighting for general illumination. Task lighting flanking the mirror at face height—this eliminates the shadows that a single overhead fixture creates. Night lighting for those 3 AM bathroom trips that shouldn't require full brightness.

Storage failures happen when homeowners prioritize aesthetics over function. That gorgeous pedestal sink looks amazing but gives you exactly zero storage. Where do your toiletries go? On the back of the toilet? On open shelving that gets dusty and cluttered?

Think through what actually needs to live in this bathroom and where it's going to go. Towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, hair dryer, medications, makeup, grooming tools—all of it needs a home. Plan storage during design, not after installation when your only option is adding freestanding units that make the space feel cluttered.

Ventilation is the silent killer of bathroom longevity. A bathroom without proper ventilation stays humid, and humidity creates mold. Not just surface mold you can wipe away—deep mold in drywall, in framing, in insulation.

Material Mistakes: Choosing Pretty Over Practical

That trendy matte black hardware looks incredible in photos. After six months of actual use, it shows every water spot, every fingerprint, every bit of soap residue. Maintenance becomes a part-time job.

This doesn't mean you can't have beautiful materials—it means you need to understand the maintenance they require and decide if you're actually willing to do it. Natural marble is stunning. It also etches from acidic substances, stains from oils, and requires regular sealing and careful cleaning. If that sounds like too much work, porcelain tile that looks like marble gives you the aesthetic without the maintenance burden.

Glass shower doors show water spots. Dark grout shows mineral deposits. Vessel sinks splash water everywhere. None of these things are deal-breakers if you go in with eyes open, but they become sources of regret when homeowners didn't consider real-world use.

On a project in Durham, we had clients who insisted on white grout throughout their shower. We explained the maintenance. We showed them photos of what white grout looks like after a year. They wanted white grout. Six months later, they called asking about regrouting options because they couldn't keep it looking clean. Beautiful at installation, frustrating in daily life.

Budget Mistakes: Not Planning for the 15-20% Contingency

This is the mistake that causes the most stress and the most project failures.

You budget $20,000 for your bathroom remodel, spend $20,000 on materials and contractors, then discover $4,000 worth of water damage that must be fixed. Now what? You can't just leave it—that's not an option. So you scramble to find money, put things on credit cards, maybe skip some planned upgrades to cover the unexpected expense.

Every contractor, every experienced homeowner, every construction manager will tell you the same thing: plan for 15% to 20% over your estimated costs. Set that money aside in a separate account and don't touch it unless you actually encounter unexpected issues.

Here's the beautiful thing—if you make it through the project without needing contingency funds, you've got money left over for upgrades, for furniture, or for the next project. But having that buffer means unexpected issues become manageable adjustments instead of project-killing catastrophes.

Your Next Steps: Making This Bathroom Remodel Happen

You've got the roadmap. You understand the process. Now let's talk about actually making this happen.

DIY vs. Professional: Making the Right Choice for Your Situation

Here's how to decide: list every task involved in your bathroom remodel and honestly assess whether you have the skills, tools, and time to do it correctly.

Demo? Most people can handle it with care and proper safety equipment. Painting? Sure, it's time-consuming but not technically difficult. Installing a pre-made vanity? Doable if you're comfortable with basic plumbing connections.

Running new plumbing? Doing electrical work? Installing tile with proper waterproofing? These require specific skills and, in the case of plumbing and electrical, licensing in North Carolina. The money you save doing these tasks wrong doesn't come close to covering the cost of fixing them later—or dealing with water damage, mold, or electrical fires.

The hybrid approach works well for many homeowners. DIY the demo and demolition debris removal. Hire licensed pros for plumbing, electrical, and tile work. Handle painting and finish work yourself. You save money on the labor you can competently do while ensuring critical systems are done right.

The fully DIY bathroom remodel can work if you've got the skills, you're not in a hurry, and this isn't your only bathroom. Expect it to take three to four times longer than professional installation, and be realistic about what you don't know. YouTube tutorials are helpful but they're not substitutes for experience, especially when you're making decisions that affect your home's structure and systems.

What to Expect When Working With Swanson Construction

We've been building and remodeling homes in North Carolina for over 20 years, and we've developed a process that eliminates most of the stress homeowners associate with remodeling.

It starts with a detailed consultation where we walk through your existing bathroom, discuss your goals and priorities, review your budget honestly, and talk about timeline expectations. We're not here to sell you things you don't need—we're here to help you make decisions that work for your family and your budget.

From there, we develop a detailed design and scope of work. You see exactly what you're getting, what it costs, and what the timeline looks like. We handle permit applications, we coordinate inspections, and we manage all the trades. You get regular updates on progress and immediate communication if we encounter any issues that require decisions.

Our crews show up when scheduled. They protect your home from construction dust and debris. They clean up daily. They treat your home like it's their own because they understand this isn't just a job site—it's where you live.

Timeline Expectations and Communication Throughout the Project

A typical bathroom remodel with Swanson Construction takes six to eight weeks from the day we start demo to the day you can use your new bathroom. That timeline assumes normal conditions—no major surprises hiding in the walls, materials arriving on schedule, inspections happening promptly.

We communicate constantly throughout the project. If we discover something during demo that affects cost or timeline, you know about it immediately, along with options for addressing it. If materials are delayed, we adjust the schedule and keep you informed. If an inspector requests changes, we explain what's needed and why.

The homeowners who are happiest with their remodels are the ones who understand that construction isn't always predictable. Materials get backordered. Inspectors sometimes see things differently than contractors expected. Weather can delay work. But with good communication and flexibility on both sides, these bumps become minor adjustments instead of major problems.

Ready to Transform Your Bathroom? Let's Talk

Look, bathroom remodels aren't easy. They're disruptive, they're expensive, and they require countless decisions. But when they're done right—when you've planned properly, hired the right team, and kept realistic expectations—the result is a space that genuinely improves your daily life.

Every morning when you walk into a bathroom that actually works for you, where the lighting is right and the storage makes sense and everything functions the way it should, you'll remember why you went through the hassle.

Swanson Construction and Development, Inc. has spent more than two decades helping homeowners across North Carolina navigate bathroom remodels successfully. We've managed hundreds of projects, learned from every challenge, and developed systems that prevent the common mistakes that derail other projects.

Whether you're planning a simple powder room update or a complete master bathroom transformation, we'd genuinely love to hear about your project. We'll give you straight answers about what's possible within your budget, help you make smart decisions about where to invest and where to save, and create a detailed plan that eliminates surprises.

Call us at 910-443-4113 to schedule your consultation. We'll walk through your existing bathroom, discuss your goals, answer your questions, and provide you with a detailed estimate that breaks down exactly what you're getting and what it costs. No pressure, no sales pitch—just honest guidance from people who've been doing this long enough to know what actually works.

Or visit us online at swansonconstructiondev.com to see examples of bathrooms we've completed, read what other North Carolina homeowners have said about working with us, and learn more about our approach to remodeling.

Your bathroom remodel doesn't have to be the nightmare story everyone warns you about. With proper planning, the right team, and realistic expectations, it can actually be an exciting process watching your vision come to life.

Let's make it happen together.