When embarking on a home remodeling project of any kind, it’s important to understand your options for making improvements—whether it’s a large-scale project or a small, minor one. In fact, large, complex renovations aren’t always worth the time, money, and hassle that they require—while smaller projects that address only the areas that need it the most can be much more effective.

There’s no better example of this than the bathroom. It’s true that bathroom renovations are one of the best ways to improve your home and to boost its value. Contrary to popular belief, however, the best returns and the highest satisfaction rates are more associated with smaller projects that focus on the wet area than with full-scale bathroom renovations.

Since 1967, our expert contractors at Thiel’s Home Solutions have become the area’s leading experts in home remodeling. After decades of experience in the industry, we’re always ready to share our best tips and tricks for spending less while getting more value out of home remodeling. In this article, our experts at Thiel’s Home Solutions will share some important facts about wet area renovations—and how focusing on this area can be the most cost-effective and value-enhancing way to improve your bathroom.

The Wet Area: The Most Important Part of Your Bathroom Layout

For most homeowners in need of a remodel of their bathrooms, the biggest issues usually have to do with the wet area. The shower, bathtub, walls, and flooring around the wet areas are the first places where water damage shows up—and mold, mildew, and grime get harder and harder to clean with the passing of time. Furthermore, they’re usually the reasons why ugly bathrooms are so unattractive, smelly, and non-functional.

The good news is that wet area products have become more and more advanced in the last decade. High-tech options include Acrylic materials with antimicrobial technology, which repel bacteria and prevent mold and mildew growth from forming. Waterproof materials are easier to clean and will last longer than older bath products, which aren’t ideal for water exposure, humidity, and high traffic areas like the wet area.

Evaluating Your Bathroom’s Wet Area Needs

Take a look at your bathroom and consider the areas that need attention. Ask yourself what you’re unhappy with and what you would want to achieve out of a remodel. If you’re unhappy with the overall design and décor of your bathroom, the size, or an awkward layout, or all of the above, a full bathroom remodeling might be necessary.

However, if your only gripes about your existing bathroom is a bad smell, peeling paint on the ceiling, a stained tub or shower, or water-damaged flooring around them—wet area remodeling might be the easiest and most effective solution. Also look for signs of structural damage around the tub and shower areas. If you’ve noticed rotting walls, floors, ceilings, or window frames around your wet area, this could be a more serious problem that needs to be addressed.

Easy, Affordable Wet Area Remodeling Options

When we refer to a “wet area remodel”, this doesn’t necessarily mean a complete replacement of all of your wet area products, although that can be an option. Most projects we work on replace one or two elements of the wet area at a time, or focus on enhancing the area for improved accessibility or optimized functionality.

Here are some of the most common wet area remodeling options that we work on at Thiel’s Home Solutions:

Shower Replacement: A shower replacement will dramatically improve the look of the whole bathroom. This is an ideal project for ugly, stained, showers with fogged-up glass, dirty tile, scummy floors, and rusted fixtures.
Bathtub Replacement: Like the shower, the bathtub takes up a lot of space in a bathroom. As a major focal point in the room, the bathtub should be sparkling clean and beautiful. If your bathtub is stained, filled with mold and mildew, and hard to clean, bathtub replacement can instantly improve the entire bathroom without the hassle of a full renovation.
Bath Conversion: Sometimes we can improve a bathroom’s functionality and layout issues with a bath conversion. This simple and affordable option converts the tub into a shower, or a shower into a tub. Most homeowners choose tub-to-shower conversion to maximize space and get more use out of their bathroom, but both are popular wet area renovation options.
Walk-In Shower or Tub: An unsafe, slippery bathroom can be hazardous for everyone in your household. But if someone struggles with mobility issues, a walk-in shower conversion or a walk-in tub installation can make life a lot safer, easier, and more enjoyable.

Explore One-Day Bath Remodeling with Thiel’s Home Solutions

At Thiel’s Home Solutions, we understand how stressful and costly a traditional bathroom remodel can be for many homeowners. That’s why we’ve streamlined our process to make bathroom remodeling easier, more affordable, and faster than ever before—with new techniques and advanced products that focus on enhancing the wet area for the greatest impact.

We also understand that getting started can feel intimidating, which is why our team of friendly installers is dedicated to providing our customers with all of the information and guidance they need to make the right decisions. If you’d like to discuss improving your bathroom with us at Thiel’s Home Solutions, we’d love to speak with you. Give our team a call over the phone, or fill out our online form to request a free, in-home pricing estimate and consultation now.