For improvements that add value to your home, bathrooms are second only to kitchens as rooms to improve. Bathroom additions or renovations can also add tremendously to your own enjoyment of your home as well - ask any couple who have shared a bathroom with their children, or shared a single bathroom sink with each other! Are You Adding or Improving? If you have a one-bath home on Long Island, adding a second bathroom is a great home improvement project provided you have room for it or can make room for it. Locating the new bath right off the master bedroom is best, if possible. If you aren't adding a bath, but rather upgrading an existing bath, your choices are really limited only by the space available and your budget. Features Make the Bath Here are some interesting features to consider adding, some of which are luxuries and conveniences that we have discovered outside, in spas and hotels, and brought into our homes:

Custom bathtubs, Jacuzzis and soaker tubs - these comes in every imaginable shape, size and depth, with or without jets, molded seats and other options

Multiple or luxury showerheads - double heads, massaging settings, adjustable spray settings

Steam showers - relaxing and soothing after a hard day at work or a tough workout

Heated floors and heated towel racks - keep your feet and bath linens warm in winter

Electronic faucets - great germ-control and water management tools, and not just for public places any more! Even the lowly bathroom sink can be a work of art today. Beautiful models in hand-painted porcelain, glass, metals and virtually every surface imaginable are available to create a focal point in any Long Island bathroom. A Little Can Sometimes Go a Long Way Bathrooms are typically among the smallest rooms in the home - although less so in new Long Island homes - so a little luxury in materials can be quite affordable. Gorgeous tile and stone options can be used generously or sparingly to great effect. And because bathrooms have so many fixed elements, it is possible to achieve a look of complete renovation whether or not you change everything. A Great New Bath Starts with Planning Before contacting Long Island bathroom contractors for bids, consider the following:

Decide what you require: It is a new bathroom, an expansion of an existing bathroom? A rip-out and re-build? Cosmetic improvements only? An additional sink? A window to let in more light? What does your perfect bath have in it?

Get ideas: "Tear sheets" ripped from magazines are a great way to build ideas for your new bath. What does your perfect bath look like? If you are having trouble deciding just what you want, consider using a Long Island bath design and execution company to help you plan using the ideas you love.

Incorporate additional features: Now is the time, during the planning stage, to include or exclude special features and fixtures. Budget and space may limit some of your choices, but if you feel you cannot live without some feature, chances are you can find an affordable version of it in a size that will fit into whatever space you are working with.

Develop your budget: Be realistic. Also, determine how you will finance the renovation. Keep in mind that in addition to materials choices, cost will be impacted by the current structure and water supply and waste removal elements, and how well you can conform to them. Relocating fixtures that require additional plumbing work will almost always increase total cost. General Principles to Keep in Mind There are several general considerations for any bath-remodeling project to keep in mind as you plan.

Add space, if possible

Add light, if needed

Add storage

Use easy to clean and maintain materials

Make it relaxing - even a small bathroom can function as a retreat to enjoy. Find licensed Long Island bath remodeling and design contractors at http://www.lihome411.com ---------- Tom Mirabella and Bob Roddini are homeowners. Like you, at times they needed help with repairs and remodeling, and have had difficulty in the past finding qualified and reliable contractors. Their goal was to connect homeowners who need remodeling and repair work with prescreened professionals ready to work. They created LIHome411.com as a one stop resource for Long Island home improvement projects big or small. You can find a directory of contractors and easy access to useful information about home improvement and repair, to inspire and encourage you to get it done, whether "it" is adding a master suite or fixing a leaky faucet.