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Remodeling your house, or just a room in your home can be a costly experience, especially if that room is the bathroom. Not only can your budget take a hard hit, but your household will usually be disrupted by the inconvenience of construction. While the end result can be a beautiful new room that was well worth the trouble, remodeling is not something you want to do on an annual basis. Nowadays, however, there are fun and inexpensive remodeling alternatives, which means, you can get a new look a lot more frequently. Instead of deciding to remodel, why not start planning the perfect bathroom makeover instead.

Everything Must Change

It seems you can’t turn on the television these days without seeing someone or something getting a makeover. From “Pimp My Ride,” to “America’s Biggest Loser,” and of course one of the most popular home makeover shows: "Extreme Makeover". I guess it's safe to say, the buzzword for this era is change. But with everyone and everything being made over, why is one of the most popular rooms in the house the last to get a needed change? If asked about their bathroom, most people would admit they need a bathroom makeover in their home. If it’s been a while, it may very well be time to start planning the perfect bathroom makeover today.

When it comes to remodeling our homes, the bathroom is typically the last room on the priority list. The reason for this is anybody’s guess. You would think we’d pay it a little more respect. After all, the bathroom probably sees more action than any other room in the whole house, including the bedroom! Apart from the usual business that’s conducted there, it can be a great place for a nice retreat. This is especially so when the bathroom's appearance reflects a calm and inviting atmosphere.

The bathroom is always the one place you can count on being alone if you want some privacy (unless you have very small children who usually don’t mind barging in on your solitude). This is the room where the initial preparation for every household member’s most precious event takes place. From shaving for that important job interview, to applying makeup for a first date, it all begins (and usually ends) in the bathroom.

It stands to reason why this should not only be one of the cleansest rooms in the house, but also one of the most comfortable.  Family members often take something in the bathroom to read on their visit.  Children typically spend a lot of time goofing off in the bathroom, when they're supposed to be brushing  their teeth or taking a bath.  And of course, parents, especially moms, use it as a safe haven away from the kids, away from the chores, and sometimes even away from dad.  Your bathroom is the room your family needs the most, but probably appreciates the least!

As you make plans for the perfect bathroom makeover, there are a few things you will definitely want to take under consideration. Since your family will be spending a great deal of time in this room, every bathroom product and accessory you chose is important to the mood you want to set. That means everything from the wallpaper (or paint), to the bathroom lighting or fixtures that you select. You will also want to give attention to the bathroom vanity and/or cabinets and most definitely to the bathroom tile or other type of floor covering.r

If you are fortunate enough to have a household with multiple bathrooms, preferably one for the kids and one for adults, your makeover will be a lot easier. When selecting colors and patterns for bathroom paint or wallpaper, the children are usually fairly easy to choose a theme for (unless of course you have those temper-mental, highly opinionated teenagers).

Likewise when selecting colors, patterns and themes for adults, it’s not all that difficult to narrow down a choice of bathroom accessories. However, having to choose a bathroom theme that fits the whole family can be a challenge, but rest assured, it can be done.

NOTE TO THE LADIES: Since you're in a bathroom makeover frame of mind, you may be thinking about a bathroom you've seen in someone else's home that you would simply kill to have. You know the one. The room had just the right colors with a lovely theme. The cabinets and fixtures were in total sinc (pun intended). The mirrors were perfectly lit, with a nice row of makeup lights, just like the stars use. It had a combination of paint and decorative wall paper trim, which by the way, exactly matched the shower curtain and cute little mini blinds. Then of course there was the beautiful collection of Martha Stewart towels that simply... SNAP OUT OF IT!!!

Unlike yours, what that household probably didn't have is three wonderful but sloppy kids (four if you count your husband), an almost live-in brother, and mother-in-law, one parakeet, six goldfish and two Siameese cats! My point is, the disposition of your household makes a big difference when planning your bathroom make-over.  If you only have one bathroom in the house, you have to be more realistic and practical when it comes to the needs of your family.  If, however, your home has more than one bathroom, and you can afford to do it up in style, I say:  "Go for it!!!"

Advance preparation for every bathroom makeover is a must. That goes for the family’s bathroom, as well as the one with the fancy bathroom vanity and big fluffy towels used only by guests. Rght now, the guest bathroom may be the envy of the house, but with the perfect bathroom makeover plan, your new bathroom will be the envy of all the other bathrooms! To accomplish this feat, your initial plan should take into consideration the following five points:

• What is your makeover budget? Decide the maximum amount you are able to spend, and that includes any preparatory and cleanup expenses (such as priming walls to paint or hauling old fixtures and waste if needed). Be sure to factor in expenses for any paid labor, even if it is just your teenagers or other family members. If you really require their help, they will expect to get compensated!

• Make sure your choice in wall decoration is acceptable if you will be covering over and not replacing what already exists. For example: Covering bathroom wall tile with bathroom wallpaper is not recommended. This is because the surface of the tiles is not flush. Using wallpaper to cover them would create air pockets and the wallpaper would bubble.

• Find out what the return policies are on the items you plan to purchase. It’s imperative that you take correct measurements and determine the amount of bathroom wallpaper, wall and floor tiles, and bathroom paint. These are the items that are typically returned because of purchasing too much. The return, exchange and or refund policies vary from store to store.

• Decide on a theme for your bathroom makeover. Even if you have the task of selecting a décor that appeals to the whole household, it helps to know what kind of tone you want your bathroom to set. Knowing the answer to this will guide you into choosing the proper color schemes and other bathroom accessories.

• Grab a few Good Housekeeping or Ladies Home Journal magazines. These, and similar publications can give you tons of good ideals from the bathroom towel rails, to the bathroom shelves.

You may not need to replace the bathroom vanity unit. If you have shabby bathroom cabinets, why not stain or paint over them instead of ripping them out and replacing them.

1) You will find that a fresh new coat of paint does wonders for the appearance of cabinets and bathroom shelves. If your original paint is white or beige, why not add a splash of color to the new look. Lighter pastel colors will brighten up the room without making it appear smaller like the darker hues will do.

2) Speaking of room size, there’s no need to despair if your bathroom is small. Not when adhesive mirrors are available. Using decorative bathroom mirrors that are simple and easy to apply can really help to make the room appear bigger. On the other hand, if you have a larger bathroom that you want to make feel cozy, you may need to go with darker paint and bathroom décor. Opting to use bathroom lighting that is adjustable works well under these circumstances. Proper bathroom lighting can add just the right touch to your new retreat. The lights can stay at normal when you need a well-lit room and be lowered for the cozier, serene effect.

3) As with your bathroom wallpaper or color of bathroom paint, your wall tile can have a huge affect on the overall mood of the room. If you are replacing bathroom wall tile with more wall tile, you want to be sure you get needed information about the proper preparation of the walls. If not handled properly you may end up applying wall tiles one week, only to have them began to fall off a week later!

4) This is not as big a problem as when covering old bathroom wallpaper or paint with new bathroom wall tiles. You will, however, still need to remove any debris that would prevent the tiles from sticking. When it comes to selecting the perfect wall tiles, some of the more popular choices include: Ceramic, porcelain, glass, marble, slate, granite, basalt, and crystal to name just a few. These materials are found in a variety of colors, patterns and styles. Bathroom wall tiles of this type are typically very decorative and will complement the room, no matter what the theme.

It’s important to keep in mind that your bathroom makeover is not the same as a total remodeling job. That means it is not necessary to spend over your budget. This is especially so, if you are doing a seasonal makeover.

FOR EXAMPLE: Many people like to re-do their bathrooms (and sometimes the whole house) when the holiday season first approaches. They may be expecting guests for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays, and they want the bathroom to look nice and be in tip top shape.

Not only do you want a clean, attractive and functional bathroom, especially for visiting guests, but you want to get in on the holiday spirit. This is is a fun ideal, and not that expensive, but you don't want to take the time to change things with each individual holiday. That means not selecting a green and red color scheme, or being stuck with Christmas trees and old Saint Nick from October to February!

The best way to do your bathroom make-over, so that it reflects all the holidays for this particular season is to use some mutual colors. While the green and red might be perfect for December, what about October and November, not to mention January? October, November and January can all have mutual colors, since they can be associated with the leaves on the trees either falling off (October - December) or beginning to bud again (late January, February). Some great colors to select from, therefore, would be:

orange, yellow, brown, tan, green

You can go with a number of combinations when selecting these colors (a light green with a dark green, a bright orange with a burnt orange, etc.). This will give you a variation of colors to choose from, but that are still in harmony with the seasonal theme. That way, you and your loved ones can enjoy your bathroom makeover muchl longer.