5 Bathroom Upgrades that Will Boost Your Home’s Value

We spend about a year and a half of our lives in the bathroom. While that statistic might seem a bit unsettling, it does provide motivation to spruce up our bathroom. After all, if you knew you were going to live in a certain home for a year and a half, wouldn’t you try to make it as comfortable as possible?

When taking on a home improvement project, the bathroom often seems to be at the bottom of the priority list. However, a report from Remodeling Magazine shows that a mid-range bathroom remodel could result in a 70% return on your investment.

This is often for projects as simple as repainting, replacing some of the plumbing fixtures with newer ones, and re-caulking.  Implementing more modern technological advancements could contribute to an even higher ROI. It doesn’t matter what wallpaper you put in the bathroom if the facilities themselves are not comfortable.

Fortunately, there are five bathroom upgrades that are sure to boost your home’s value and bring your washroom into the 21st century.

1. Tankless Water Heater

This eco-friendly upgrade poses a major selling point if you’re putting your home on the market. Buyers who are looking to save money on their water and gas bills are sure to be impressed by this innovative feature.

Rather than continuously heating the water, tankless water heaters provide hot water on demand. As a result, they consume up to 30% less energy.

Furthermore, tankless water heaters are compact, so they work perfectly for smaller homes. They do cost a little more to install, but the payoff is quick with the savings on your monthly bill. Additionally, they have a longer lifespan than regular water heaters.

Installing a tankless water heater can be a fairly easy DIY project also, which will save you money on the initial costs.

2. Bidet Toilet Seat

While bidets have been a fixture in many European households for decades, they’re just barely making their way into other parts of the world. The benefits of a bidet toilet seat are immense, ranging from improved hygiene to decreased spending for you.

Bidet toilet seats are an easy DIY project, sleek-looking, and eliminate the need for toilet paper – which will save you money. They also typically have self-cleaning abilities – an item of appeal for most homeowners.

Lastly, many bidet toilet seats come with great features to improve your comfort, such as heated seats and a built-in odor eliminating deodorizer.

3. Heated Floors

On average, installing a heated bathroom floor in a 100 square foot bathroom costs about $600. Such a minimal investment connotes luxury, however, making it a worthwhile project. Depending on the climate where you live, home buyers will put a lot of stock into heated bathroom flooring.

It’s a plush and luxurious feature that increases comfort significantly, particularly in the winter time. Note that this is not easy to take on as a DIY project, so working closely with a trusted and experienced contractor is important.

Nonetheless, this improvement will add major value to your home. Heated flooring suggests to potential buyers that your home’s amenities are not only focused around what they will need, but what will improve their overall quality-of-life.

Furthermore, if your home has solar panels, this makes installing radiant floors even more efficient. It will also likely qualify you for state and local energy incentives.

4. Electronic Faucet

It’s best if we don’t think about the amount of germs that can be found on the average bathroom faucet handle. Sometimes, though, we just can’t help it. Touch-free faucets with sensors used to be an amenity found only in shopping mall bathrooms, but they’re becoming more and more prevalent in residences.

These faucets are convenient and much more hygienic than regular faucets. While you will need a professional plumber to install this for you as it can be a complicated process, electronic faucets themselves are fairly inexpensive, ranging between $100-$200.

5. Steam Shower

Don’t underestimate the appeal of luxury. Experts suggest that upgrades boasting a touch of opulence, such as heated floors and steam showers, actually often see the biggest ROI. What’s a steam shower you ask?

Not unlike a sauna, steam showers are large moisture-sealed enclosures that keep the steam in during your showers, emphasizing the relaxing effects of bath time. They have an elegant aesthetic, and usually come with huge perks like built-in speakers, aromatherapy kits, and more.

If you’re thinking “wow”, you’re absolutely right. It’s important to note that this upgrade is on the costlier side, averaging about $2500 to have such a system installed. The good news is that you can turn any shower into a steam shower, but the job needs to be done by a licensed professional. Steam shower kits, consisting of a small generator and digital controls that allow you to adjust your shower settings, are available for purchase.

Many home buyers love this feature for the fact that it acts as a sauna and shower in one. In fact, if you can only afford to make one upgrade to your bathroom, this might be the one we recommend the most. It adds appeal and a modern touch to even the simplest of bathrooms – making it a surefire selling point when you’re ready to put your home on the market.