Image above: bathroom design guides by Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Step 1: Decide why you are remodeling

Before anything else, write down what is not working. Is the vanity too small for two people getting ready at once? Is the tub never used? Is there nowhere to put towels? Then write down how you want the room to feel: calm and spa-like, bright and classic, warm with wood. That short list becomes your brief, and every choice after this gets checked against it.

This is also when you decide the scope. A refresh keeps the layout and swaps finishes, which I cover in my cheap bathroom upgrades post. A full remodel moves plumbing, changes the tub to a shower, or opens up the footprint. Knowing which one you are doing sets your budget and your timeline.

Step 2: Measure the bathroom

Measure every wall, the ceiling height, and the window and door openings, including which way the door swings. Then mark where the toilet, the drain and the supply lines sit today. Moving a toilet drain is one of the biggest cost jumps in a bathroom remodel, so I always know where it is before I sketch anything. A laser measure like this Bosch makes it quick and accurate, especially for ceiling height.

Step 3: Plan the bathroom layout

Bathroom layout planning is where clearances matter most. The NKBA Bathroom Planning Guidelines list both what code requires and what they recommend. A few I use on every plan:

• Toilet: code requires at least 15 inches from the center of the toilet to a wall or fixture; NKBA recommends 18 inches.
• Double vanity: code calls for 30 inches between sink centerlines; NKBA recommends 36 inches.
• Shower: the code minimum is 30 by 30 inches inside, but NKBA recommends at least 36 by 36 inches, with a clear opening of at least 22 inches.

I sketch two or three layouts on graph paper, then tape the best one out on the floor with painter's tape. Standing inside the outline tells you more than any drawing: whether the shower feels tight, or whether the door hits the vanity.

Image via Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest (originally from The Interior). View the pin

This walk-in shower is a great example of a layout decision: a low half wall gives privacy and splash protection without closing the room in, and the bench keeps the tub and shower zones apart.

Step 4: Plan the lighting, power and ventilation

This is the step people skip, and it's the hardest one to fix later. Draw where every light, switch and outlet goes. I layer the light: an overhead fixture, light at the mirror for your face, and sometimes a light in the shower. NKBA notes that code requires at least one GFCI-protected outlet within 36 inches of the outside edge of each sink, so plan it where you will actually plug in a hair dryer.

Then ventilation. The Home Ventilating Institute's bathroom exhaust fan guide suggests about one CFM per square foot of bathroom for most baths, so a 7 by 10 foot bathroom needs a 70 CFM fan, and 50 CFM is the minimum for bathrooms 50 square feet and smaller. If you are replacing the fan anyway, ENERGY STAR certified ventilation fans use about 48 percent less energy than standard models, and they are quieter, which means you will actually run them.

Step 5: Make your selections before demolition

Choose everything before the old bathroom comes out: vanity, countertop, sink, faucets, toilet, tub or shower base, glass, tile for floor and walls, grout color, lighting, mirror, hardware and paint. I keep it all on one selections list with sizes and finishes, so the contractor can confirm rough-in dimensions early.

For the toilet, look for the WaterSense label. The EPA's WaterSense page explains that labeled toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush or less, which is 20 percent less water than the federal standard of 1.6 gallons.

Image via Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest (originally from Domino). View the pin

I love how this vanity, tile and mirror were clearly chosen together: one warm wood, one color, and black fixtures that tie in the mirror frame. That only happens when the selections are made as a set.

Plan the storage at the same time. A shower niche needs to be framed in, so its size and height go on the drawings, not on a sticky note on demo day.

Image via Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest (originally from Aguilar Design Studio). View the pin

Step 6: Set your budget and timeline

Put a number next to every line on your selections list, add labor, then hold back a contingency for surprises behind the walls. Old bathrooms often hide water damage or outdated plumbing, and a cushion keeps one surprise from derailing the whole project.

For the bathroom remodel timeline, work backward from the start date. Special-order items like vanities, glass and some tile can take weeks, so I order the long-lead pieces first and confirm they have arrived before demolition starts. Nothing slows a remodel more than a gutted bathroom waiting on a vanity. If you want to avoid the common traps, read the bathroom remodel mistakes I see most often.

Step 7: Hand the contractor a complete plan

When you meet contractors, bring the floor plan, the elevations, the lighting plan and the selections list. Every bid is then based on the same scope, which makes them easy to compare, and there is far less room for "we assumed" later on.

Image via Jill Seidner Interior Design on Pinterest (originally from Studio Catherine Rose on Houzz). View the pin

Details like this steel-framed glass enclosure need exact measurements and a set location for the valve and shower head, which is exactly why the drawings come first.

Your bathroom remodel checklist, in order

Here it is in one place: define the why, measure, plan the layout, plan lighting, power and ventilation, make every selection, set the budget and timeline, then hand over a complete plan. For a small space, my small bathroom ideas help you make every inch count. Done in this order, a bathroom remodel feels calm instead of chaotic, and the finished room looks like it was designed, not assembled.

Bathroom Remodel Planning FAQ

What is the first step in planning a bathroom remodel?

Decide what is not working and how you want the room to feel, then set the scope: a refresh of finishes or a full remodel that changes the layout. Measuring comes right after.

How much space do you need around a toilet?

Code requires at least 15 inches from the toilet's centerline to a wall or fixture, and the NKBA guidelines recommend 18 inches for comfort.

Should I choose finishes before demolition?

Yes. Pick and order everything first, especially long-lead items like the vanity and glass, so the bathroom isn't sitting torn out while you wait.