Our new partners at Houzz recently had their Master Bathroom survey of more than 1,200 U.S. homeowners published by Forbes just weeks ago.  The article, titled "New Houzz Study Shows What's Trending In Master Bathroom Remodels" is currently available here. As with most studies, there's no lack of figures or statistics to be surprised by, but we found the following items likely to be the most relevant to the Illinois homeowners we work with every single day:

Faucets: 91% of homeowners change their faucets during renovations - the most popular feature change for a master bathroom remodel, followed by Wall Finish (85%) and Countertops (83%).

Showers: The least popular bathroom upgrade were Tub/Shower Combination units (8%). As we've detailed here on the Diamond Bath blog many times, replacing tub/shower units with a larger, custom tiled shower is one of the strongest local remodeling trends we've witnessed in years.  

Boomers vs. Millennials: Homeowners who are 55 years old, or older, spent nearly twice as much on a large master bathroom remodel ($22,800) versus homeowners in the 25-34 age range with a large bathroom remodel  ($12,500). 

Save That: While new faucets and new showers are where homeowners seemed likely to splurge, when it comes to reducing renovation budgets, surveyed homeowners were likely to keep their existing toilets (15%) and lighting fixtures (11%) during a major bathroom renovation. 

As we covered with last week's blog post, we have found that updating your lighting fixtures is one of the most positive (and affordable) ways to improve the look and feel of your master bathroom - especially for those who might be putting their home into the Illinois real estate market at some point soon. When the time comes for your master bathroom remodel, do not forget to contact Diamond Bath for your free project proposal!
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When our Diamond Bath team works with local homeowners, we spend a lot of timing talking about the functionality of their space and making sure we deliver a bathroom they will love for many years to come. But on occasion, we hear from people anxious to sell their house, and they understand that bathrooms and kitchens are just as important to selling your home as curb appeal, when it comes to a competitive Illinois real estate market.  For homeowners looking for that quick sale, we have three suggested updates, borrowed from this BankRate article, that are affordable and will help improve the the value of your home in the eyes of today's home buyers: 

1. Lighting: If you bathroom still features the contract-grade lights from when your home was built back in 1998, we encourage you to browse our Gallery and take a look at new fixtures during your next visit to a home improvement store.  Fresh new lighting fixtures, and lights, should WOW when that switch is flipped by potential buyers! And lights are now more energy efficient that models that are 20+ years old now for monthly energy savings. 

2. Shower Functionality: While we do spend a lot of our time replacing three piece tub & shower units with custom tiled showers that are a dramatic improvement to the overall look and feel of a bathroom, we also add special touches to make every new shower more functional.  We've already commented frequently on the now "necessary" tiled shower niche, but built-in shower benches are also becoming more common - especially for those who shave their legs frequently!  Shower lighting should also be considered PRIOR to your renovation, not as an afterthought. 

3. Dual Sinks: We've sparked the Dual Sink Debate previously, but in Northern Illinois, the jury seems  conclusive that new home buyers truly want dual sinks in their master bathrooms. Our Diamond Bath team can help you plan for this fairly easy update that will automatically make your home feel more contemporary and more valuable.  And while we are focused on those new sinks, don't forget about updating the countertops (Which Countertop Material is Best?)  and faucetry as well!

Whether you're focused on updating your "forever" home or preparing your home for the marketplace, contact Diamond Bath today if you live in McHenry or Lake County, Illinois!  

Just two weeks ago we sparked some online discussions with our blog post, The Double Sink Debate, but that seemed to open up more questions about the best materials to use for the vanity countertop within the bathroom. While it seems that we can't watch home renovation shows for more than an hour or two without seeing a kitchen countertop that matches the bathroom countertop, do all materials perform well in a frequently warm and humid room (your bathroom) as they would within a properly ventilated and air conditioned kitchen?  The short answer is no, but we found this recent article from HGTV, Choosing Bathroom Countertops, and thought others considering a bathroom update would find beneficial. 

​The bottom line? Avoid wood, laminate and tile countertops if your budget allows for solid surfaces like sealed granite, marble and quartzite. And contact Diamond Bath when you're ready for a professional bathroom remodeling experience! 

As we've covered on this blog for YEARS, the current trend for bathroom design is clearly established as "Spa-Like".  While everyone has their own ideas about what that term means, day after day of talking with home owners we hear the requests for larger tiled showers, dual sinks, heated floors, shower niches, waterfall shower heads,  towel warmers and built-in shower benches and seats, to name just a few! Looking for even more ideas to turn your bathroom into the spa-like bathroom of your dreams? Earlier this week House Beautiful put out an article called - 140 Ideas to Make Any Bathroom Feel Like an At-Home Spa. Click here to flip through their gallery of 140 photos, make your wish list, check it twice, and then contact Diamond Bath to schedule your remodeling project before the holidays!