C10 - Wednesday, October 12, 1983 - North Shore News Home Improvement ’83 Bathrooms can be beautiful, too Start with a scrapbook photo submitted LEARN HOW (o improve your home’s appearance during daily presentations at the Seminar Theatre, a special feature of the 1983 Vancouver Home Improvement and Do It Yourself Show, October 12 to 16, at the Food and North Forum Buildings of the Pacific National Exhibition. ERCY SAVIN “SPECIALS. ENERGY-SAVING PRODUCTS Helo stop uncomfortable cold dratts around windows & doors plus Save on energy bills Easy installation with step by step instruchons No special tools Sar rT aNNciinn as Ochre Window tnsutator Kit Trousse pour isolation de fenétres V-Seal Weather Strip Coupe frotd en Vv Cet B18 a) V-Seal Weather Strip. “yhoote, Window Insulator Kits Al yin trererdd Pare dryer ’ ) . . hea, eet AXgapely Tay wth per bete Cc Graber hargoe: Tete bo cab flexible Polypropylene bre Mette haw tee tec tigt lor cat A tue ey 46 Ored to fold tata Vv Compresses to fill an qape, Small Window , \ 42"°x62”’ Only need scissors 1 tee Large Window 69 67 62°°x210" hit 1 1 .87 Brown Patio Door 7 96 kit or White kit 87°°x110" kit: e -_ Prices Effective (While Quantities Last) Till October 15, 1983. —_ O26 tamrine Ore MOTH venue 6884): OUING Mon tue Wee OM em Gor Trarecey ore fram 820 am opm Center Fam aor HOME tan Wan Bom ae Wort Tren 2 Pn BR Om OI em Senay © am 490 oom How do you remodel a bathroom? Basically, you proceed in the same way as you would witha kitchen project. Here’s a suggested proced- ure: 1. Start a bathroom scrap- book. In it put notes of all deficiencies of your present bathroom. Note if lighting ts inadequate, or in the wrong places. Note if you tend to bump knees or elbows and where. Note if you would like some plants for decoration, or a magazine rack for reading. Note if the tub is too slip- pery, and if it needs a shower or space for soaps, lotions, etc. 2. Make a list of what each family member wants in the bathroom. Write everything down. Don’t worry if there isn’t enough space in the bathroom. Put it in writing. 3.Visit bathroom showrooms. This does not mean boutiques where they specialize in towels and other soft goods. These showrooms usually will be those of the kitchen and bath professional remodelers who show several kitchen and bathroom displays. They are the only ones who really know the products available. 4.1n your showroom visits, be sure you see the l-piece, 2-piece and 3-piece plastic tub and showers with surrounds. Be sure you see cultured marble vanity tops with bowls, and plastic laminate tube and shower surrounds. 5. Look for the space that isn’t there. If there is a closet adjacent to the bathroom, on any wall, is it available for conversion to bathroom space? Closets often are unused, or can be replaced = with cabinetry elsewhere in the other room. Or, if it is a bedroom adjacent, can you borrow space from it? Even onc or two feet or space can make a world of difference. 6. Now draw a picture of your present bathroom, to scale, wuh ‘4°’ on your paper representing one foot of ac tual floor space. Include the doors, win- dows and radiators, if any. Mark light locations, and mark the location of the toilet drain. Other plumbing can be moved without big ex- pense, but the toilet always will be expensive to move. 7. Draw a picture of your **expanded’’ bathroom, in- cluding any space you can borrow. 8. Now, call a= family meeting and go through the scrapbook. What does everyone really want? Talk it over and keep an open mind. Be mindful of the costs. In your showroom visits you found out what many of these things cost to buy, and you know installation will double any price if you have it done by a contractor. 9. What can you do yourself? A basic bathroom remodeling job with new fix- tures will cost $6,000 to buy and install, on the average, but many run from $8,000 to $10,000. Among the things you can do possibly will be tear-out of the old tile work, floor and walls, light plumbing, perhaps light electrical. All of this can cut your costs by up to 60 percent. 10. Go visit a kitchen/bath professional in your area, one with a showroom displaying complete kitchens and baths, and discuss your plans. You may or may not want his or her services, but you may want at least to hire the pro to go over your plan to be sure it will work. You may need the pro’s help for pro- fessional drawings for the plumber and electrician. 11. Try to raise the money without financing. The widely-used second mortgage on your equity in your home is very expensive, and should be avoided if possible. 12. In view of the cost of money, if you can’t raise the cash, try to make a Jonger term plan to do the remodel. ing in stages, as you can af ford it. This means scheduling the work, in proper sequence, to get i) accomplished over a period of two or three yeras, ot even more if necessary Tips on wallpaper Commercial builders have long known that painted walls can't compete with the tough vinyl wallcoverings when to comes to durability However, even the lighter weight paper backed wallocovernges can look fresh and new for many years with tar less maintenance than painted walls would require This holds truc in bitchens, bathrooms and children’s rooms, as well as ino high traffic areas such as halls and family rooms An important thon on considera selecting a wall evering which wall require lit the maintenance ts to choose one with an overall pattern o1 texture Obviously. a paticnn with large white show more sothing Tips on selecting walicoverings @ You'll probably be hap priest hving with the colors you hke to wear, so choosc the decorating ares” will for scheme make you look great @ Tcl) the retailer what style you are looking for what your price range ts. and if you are going to hang yourself, so you can be guid ed accordingly @ Don’t be fussy an making your preliminary sclecttons After you have o half dozen of so, go over them again to narrow them down colors your which 1oOo