Major Disadvantages Of A Speedy One-Day Bathroom Renovation

When you find yourself scrolling through social media, there's no doubt you'll come across a trend in videos that promise things like, "help me make my dream bathroom in under 24 hours," or "let's redo my bathroom in one day." And many of these no-demo renovation projects do have incredible results and give you ideas and inspiration to renovate your own bathroom — it's amazing what a coat of paint, some new lighting, and a backsplash can do to transform any water closet. As impressive as these bathroom transformations are, there are some major drawbacks to renovating on a time crunch. These include limited options for materials, no ability to make significant changes (and costing yourself more in the long run), and that in your quick makeover, you may find bigger issues that can't be resolved in a single day.

If you decide to undertake this sort of rushed renovation project, just know that when you head to the home improvement store, you are not going to be able to see the store's full range of options. Things like tiles, vanities, and even plumbing fixtures are not always in stock, as many are made to order. If you limit yourself to walking out of the store with everything you need in a single day, you're cutting off the chance to find the best choices for your style and needs, and instead choosing from a pretty limited, generic selection. 

Even though cosmetic changes like painting the cabinets, DIYing marble countertops with a paint kit, and changing the shower head can make a high impact, you won't be able to make significant changes to the bathroom when it comes to the layout. Of course, if you love your bathroom's layout and just want to give it a refresh, a quick renovation may be just the thing. However, if you're planning on a more extensive renovation down the line but want to do a mini-makeover in the meantime, just remember that you'll probably have to tear out a lot of this work during the larger overhaul. Plus, they may not fit your longer term vision, making these changes obsolete.

And finally, while we totally get that these time-crunched turnarounds are appealing because they don't require you to do a lot of difficult tasks, such as hanging drywall like a pro or changing the plumbing, there's still a chance you may come across damage during this project. It's not uncommon to find mold during bathroom renovations, and getting rid of mold for good can be time-consuming. You may also come across corroded pipes and other signs of water damage, even if they're seemingly surface level. If you haven't planned for this kind of unexpected cost in your schedule or budget, things can quickly fall into disarray. Be prepared to have to tack on a few more days to your project at the very least, as well as some room in the budget for unanticipated repair and replacement costs.