To Correct Darkness or Reduce Mold Growth

• Your bathroom's makeover should add light and fresh color to the space. If the bathroom has dark blue tile or dark green painted walls, these dark colors can be conducive to mold growth, which is a known health hazard. Adding pale yellow walls and a skylight can help. Another way to add light is to install a large window, hang up lighter curtains or a brighter light fixture. Light neutral walls in white or beige make the room seem spacious but add touches of bold accent colors, such as red or gold, to avoid a boring remodel.
  
  

To Make Crucial Repairs

• Broken fixtures or poor plumbing can cause water damage. You need to inspect the bath space carefully every three months. Look under the sink cabinet and inside a closet located next to a bathtub, for example. Use a flashlight to inspect for drips, stains or long-term leaks. If water damage is present, remove old subflooring and moisture-laden wall framing. Upgrade the water lines, drain lines and support material before installing a new sink cabinet or bathtub. Use the opportunity to improve main fixtures while you're upgrading the bath's infrastructure.
  
  

To Expand Limited Square Footage

• Increase bath floor space if needed. If you redo a nearby bedroom or create a master bedroom, you will want the bath to fit the new makeover; a tiny bathroom with a large bedroom will detract from the value of the house. If possible, enlarge a cramped bathroom by borrowing space from a nearby closet or hallway. Invest in expanding bathroom walls even if you have to bump out the home's exterior walls and floor joists to the edge of the home's overhang to gain room.
  
  

To Upgrade

• Maintain contemporary fixtures to support the market value of your house. Over time, a sink vanity or old shower can look greatly out of date, giving the impression that the room has been neglected and leading potential buyers to wonder what else has been neglected. Fresh paint, new flooring and a couple of new fixtures can make a bathroom look totally made over. New towels set on glass shelving and colorful artwork hung on the walls can help too.
  
  

To Correct a Poor Layout

• Sometimes, a bathroom's design doesn't work well. For example, a poor layout can cause a door to open against a vanity cabinet. The vanity wall should be the focus wall that instantly gains attention. By moving either the main bathroom door or the vanity cabinet, you can create a better balanced floor plan. Sketch your bathroom's design onto graph paper to determine the layout that will work best. In this instance, you might refit the bathroom door to open outward into a hall, depending on the home's traffic flow and how the hallway fits with other areas of the house.