If you want a new look for your bathroom, you may consider a fresh coat of paint or a new sink and vanity that will transform the room into something stylish and modern. However, many homeowners are afraid to tackle this project on their own, especially if they have not done it before.

Here are some tips you may want to consider if you are planning to upgrade your bathroom vanity.

Prepare the tools
Some of the tools you will need in your project will include the following:

• Bubble level
• Adjustable wrench
• Bucket and towels
• Utility knife
• Impact driver

Materials required
For the materials, you will need to get the following:

• New faucet
• Clear silicone
• Drain assembly
• New sink
• New vanity
• Supply lines
• Teflon plumber’s tape

Planning Your Project
One of the most important things to do before starting your project is to plan everything first. This will include measuring the room and the plumbing system required in the area. This will give you an idea of what type of fixtures you will need to purchase that will fit in that area.

Also, vanities and sinks are not the same, so it is important to make the proper preparation, or you may have some issues installing your vanity in your bathroom. In fact, some vanity and sinks are preinstalled by the manufacturer, so they will often be connected to the cabinet.

Do not forget to disconnect the plumbing
When disconnecting your plumbing, turn off the water supply at the sink or at the main shutoff valve. In addition, it is essential to remove the cold and hot water supply lines, so have a bucket or container at hand to catch the water and a towel to wipe the mess on the floor.

Remove the sink and vanity
Always check the edge of the sink and cut around it with a utility knife so you do not damage the sheetrock paper or the plaster on the wall. Also, remove the bolts and screws by holding the sink or cabinet on the wall.

In removing the vanity and sink, make sure you have a helper to assist you, especially if you are planning to remove the sink first before the countertop. You will then remove the countertop once you pull the vanity cabinet.

Re-decorate and installing a new faucet and drain
At this point in your project, you can fill the holes and paint the walls and lay new flooring or tiles. You may also want to put a new light fixture that will give a new ambience to your bathroom.
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It is easier to install the new faucet while you are re-decorating and connecting the supply lines to the faucet at this point will save you a ton of time and prevent any mistakes down the road. You may also want to install the new drain kit and apply a thin layer of silicone to the drain because this will help any leaking incidents in the long run.

Installing the sink and vanity
This is one of the most important aspects of your project. You will now install the vanity cabinet first, followed by the sink. Do this carefully to avoid damaging your walls.

Overall, upgrading your bathroom vanity will require a bit of planning and some advice from experienced contractors. We recommend that you get in touch with a bathroom renovation specialist to guide you through the process.

With the advances in green technology, homeowners are now interested in making their homes more energy efficient. In fact, they are looking for a wide variety of methods and products that they can use in their renovation projects. So, if you are remodelling your home, it is wise to incorporate green technology wherever possible.

Before you let your contractor start their work, it is best to plan, and ensure that you are employing a strategic energy-efficient upgrade. You can get in touch with an experienced and qualified home renovation specialist because they can conduct an energy audit and provide you a rating based on your current energy usage. They can also offer practical suggestions for improving efficiency in your home.

Here are some of our recommendations for an energy-efficient home:

• Install solar panels

If you are currently upgrading your roof or re-installing some parts of it, then you may want to incorporate the gold standard for energy efficiency. These will include solar shingles and solar panels, which are the latest entrant to the photovoltaic product industry. However, you may need to re-design your roof to get the perfect orientation for your panels to capture the most sun rays and maximise output.

• Use tankless water heaters

For your plumbing, it is best to use a tankless water heater because it can save water by keeping hot water on standby in the tank. However, the installation of this equipment is quite complex, and may require you to re-route your piping and re-wire electricals.
If you are remodelling your bathroom, it makes perfect sense to switch to a tankless water heater.

• Consider buying newer, more energy-efficient appliances

If you are upgrading your home and you want it to be more power-efficient, then you will need to switch to newer appliances that are Energy Star-certified products. This will save you as much as 50% of the energy of non-certified appliances. When you are buying refrigerators, dryers, washers, and dishwashers, it is wise to look for the Energy Star sticker since this will tell you the operating cost of the appliance. This will also give an idea of how much you could save.

• Air sealing and insulation

 Another thing to consider when creating your renovation plan is air sealing and insulation. Consider focussing on air entering and escaping in your home and encourage your contractor to inspect if there are air leakages in your home. They will then be able to caulk and weather-strip these spots before they insulate the walls, doors, and windows.

Overall, we encourage you to contact a renovation specialist who can help remodel your home into a more energy efficient one. They will also give you some recommendations on how to extend and renovate your bathrooms, kitchen, living spaces and flooring.