Real estate and remodeling industry professionals cite a bathroom remodel as one of the top five improvement projects that offers the best return on investment.

As licensed remodeling contractors for more than two decades, we offer you our six steps of bathroom remodeling.

First is planning. The single most important step is the planning process.

Begin by making a list of all of the things you would like to change about your bathroom.

A fundamental and necessary part of the planning process is to establish an approximate budget.

A scale plan should be created that reflects the bathroom as is. You can do this yourself with a pencil and graph paper, use computerized design software or hire a designer or design-build contractor to create the design for you. The pros will usually create the existing floor plan and then create a remodel plan based on your wish list and budget. Often more than one plan or design solution is created as a means of offering choices and exploring costs.

The second step is for product selection. One of the most exciting yet time-consuming aspects of the planning process is shopping for materials and finishes. Tubs, faucets, lavatories, mirrors, medicine cabinets, vanities, countertops, flooring, tub or shower wall finish, paint color and toilets are a sampling of the finishes that must be selected for most bathroom remodeling projects.

We suggest that you make all of your finish selections before beginning your project. Anything less could derail your project with delays and cost overruns. Product selection can be quite complex at times. Be sure to note the brand, model, color or finish along with any accessories needed for installation.

One potential pitfall that should be noted is product availability. Nothing can be more frustrating than making all of your selections only to find out that the imported Italian tile that you chose for your shower walls is 12 weeks on back order. Make certain that all of the products that you have selected are in stock and readily available or be prepared to postpone your project.

The third step is for price. If you are working with a design professional, your favorite design solution and finishes can now be used to create a preliminary plan along with a finish schedule and scope of work that can, in turn, be used to generate cost estimates. One of the biggest mistakes that many consumers make is not using one uniform set of plans and finishes that can be used to obtain apples- for-apples estimates. This can make the job of comparing bids confusing and virtually impossible.

Step No. 4 is for permits. If you will be doing the work yourself, take your plan to the local building department to make sure that all local codes have been adhered to — electrical, plumbing, ventilation, etc. And don’t forget the building permit. Contrary to popular belief, a building permit is not like sending an engraved invitation to the tax collector. On the contrary, it ensures that the work conforms to health and safety codes. That’s good for you, your family, your neighborhood and your community.

Moreover, works of improvement done without a permit must often be torn out when it comes time to sell. That can be an especially big pill to swallow.

The fifth step is for protection. Be sure to protect the trail from the bathroom to the exterior door that will be used for egress. Plastic tarps on finished flooring, drop cloths on furniture and other finishes throughout the home and cardboard panels taped down low on hallway walls can prevent lots of damage and cost overruns. Take great care in protecting existing finishes in the bathroom that will remain or be reused, such as a tub or vanity.

And the final step is for production. Now you can grab your goggles and sledge hammer.

If you’ll be hiring a pro, be sure to have everything in writing, using a bilateral contract that includes the total sum, a payment schedule, start and finish dates, insurance information and how changes are to be handled.

Planning, products, price, permits, protection and production. They’re the ABCs of bathroom remodeling and when followed to the letter they spell success.

Remodeling a bathroom is an excellent place to invest money because returns on the investment can be as high as 90 percent, reports the National Association of Home Builders Remodelors Council.

After a long, hard day, homeowners are seeking a luxurious space in which to relax, unwind and escape in their own homes, said Remodelors Council Chairman Douglas Sutton Sr., a remodeler from downstate Springfield.

“We are seeing consumers spend more money to produce the ultimate spa experience right in their own bathrooms,” Sutton said.

To help consumers make the most of their bathroom remodeling experience, the Remodelors Council created a list of the hottest bathroom trends:

*The standard bath tub-shower combination is out. Today’s popular master bath showers incorporate cascading rainfall shower heads and massaging streams. Other trends include showers and tubs with frameless edges that produce a “clean” bathroom look. Gone are the typical oversize soaking tubs, now swapped out for tubs featuring whirlpool jets and waterfall faucets.

*Furnishings for reading and relaxing, such as chaise lounges, chairs and even recliners, are making their way into the bathroom.

*His and her spaces are becoming essential. More ho

You have the year ahead of you. You like the house you live in and the neighborhood.

But your family is growing — or shrinking, perhaps — and you would like to do something to enhance the livability and the value of your home.

Both goals are attainable if you think long and hard about what you want to do.

If you want to remodel just to increase your profit when you sell your house, stop reading. This is not about quick turnovers and making a killing in real estate.

This is about improving your home, and choosing projects that will improve the quality of your life and that of your family. If, at some place down the road, it means that you will sell your house for more than you paid for it, so much the better.

You can’t go wrong with a deck, siding, windows or updating a bathroom or kitchen.
In metro Milwaukee, kitchen and bathroom improvements continue to dominate the remodeling business, but basement conversions to family rooms and additions to homes less than 10 years old are popular too, according to the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Council Inc. in Wauwatosa. It surveys members quarterly, with the latest report covering January through March.

“People are doing larger projects, due to the accessibility of cheaper money and the fact that the economy is picking up,” said Dean Herriges, president of Milwaukee/NARI and owner of Urban Herriges & Sons Inc. in Mukwonago. “When it comes to kitchens and baths, people splurge.”

Homeowners are choosing ornate cabinetry, gas-electric hybrid stoves and solid surface counter tops, particularly stone or stone- acrylic polymer mix in the kitchens, Herriges said.

Universal design touches such as wider doorways and easy-access fixtures aimed at accommodating all ages and abilities are also popular.

The immediate payback is enjoyment. The long-term gain comes from reselling to buyers who prefer older homes updated to provide some new construction-style amenities, he said.

If you want to know what’s hot and what’s not in your neighborhood, ask a real estate agent. It’s an agent’s job to know what people are looking for when they buy and when a remodeling project might be out of place in scope and price.

“Whether you are ready to sell or not, an agent should have the experience to tell you what not to do wrong,” said Joanne Davidow, manager of Prudential Fox & Roach in Philadelphia.

If you live in a house where the windows rattle in a slight breeze and sitting with your back to one in the winter will give you a stiff neck, consider replacing them.

Energy-efficient windows (wood or vinyl-clad) have another benefit: They can save the homeowner between 27% and 33% on the annual heating bill, according to the Efficient Windows Collaborative at the University of Minnesota.

Rudy DeFinis, owner of DeFinis & Sons, a northeast Philadelphia window company, said that when the annual savings on heating bills are considered, the return on installing energy-efficient replacement windows is higher than just resale value.

“Sixty percent of the heat loss from a house can be blamed on poor- quality windows,” he said.

Look at it this way: Your annual heating bill is now $1,200. You spend $10,243 on 10 double-clear, wood or vinyl-clad windows.

You save 27%, or $324 a year, for 10 years. You sell the house, recoup $7,500 on the windows and add that to the $3,240 you saved on heating costs (not to mention cooling costs) for 10 years. So you pocket a few hundred dollars after having lived in a much more comfortable house for a decade.

Siding replacement is considered a remodeling project. The use of vinyl siding is becoming very popular as the baby-boom generation ages and grows increasingly unwilling to stand on 40-foot ladders for several weekends.

Before the siding goes up, make sure the contractor covers the exterior walls with some sort of “house wrap,” a membrane that prevents air penetration and makes a house more energy-efficient.

“Installing a house wrap such as DuPont’s Tyvec before installing the siding is standard with us,” said Kirk Davis of A.H. Davis & Son in West Chester, Pa.

But not all the siding Davis installs is vinyl.

He is doing a lot of fiber-cement composite siding, “which has the look of wood and comes primed from the factory,” Davis said.

“For some buyers, vinyl siding detracts from the value of real estate rather than adds to it,” he said.

He added that vinyl manufacturers were introducing products that look more like wood.

If you are looking for the greatest financial return and immediate gratification, why not build a deck or add to an existing one? About once a decade, a homeowner upgrades, expands or replaces a deck.

Many builders and real estate agents suggest that the deck be designed as an extension of the living space, not an appendage to the house.

Doug Walter, a Denver architect, said most people tend to build their decks too small for furniture and function.

“Add a couple more feet than you think you’ll need,” Walter said. “Every inch will be used.”

There are about 30 million residential decks. More than 6.5 million decks are built in the United States annually, at a total cost of $1.9 billion to $3 billion.

The return on investment in a deck has increased over the last eight years, while the cost of building one has remained about the same.

If there’s a rule of thumb for remodeling projects, it is: Don’t overdo it — or at least don’t over-remodel for your neighborhood.

A corollary to that is: Don’t undertake a huge remodeling project in hopes of making a killing when you sell.

“People will spend $60,000 on a kitchen, and then the next owner will come in and tear it out,” Davidow said. “It happens all the time.”

Michele Derus of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

meowners want separate sinks, showers and storage space.

For help in designing the ultimate bathroom, visit the Web site www.nahb.org/remodel and download a free brochure, “How to Find a Professional Remodeler” from the council.