Leave the cost-benefit analysis to the number crunchers and consider this: Even a minor bathroom remodel can boost your personal satisfaction index a gazillion percent. What are you waiting for?

Cynthia Shull has seen it happen way too many times. Shull, a bathroom designer for Kitchen Mart in Sacramento, Calif., has watched clients spend tens of thousands of dollars renovating their bathrooms only to have the entire effect ruined by one small detail.

"You can spend as much as you want, but the first things anyone will notice when he or she walks in are the towels," she says. Mismatched, raggedy towels may be hung on a new state-of-the-art warmer, for example, but no one will notice the fancy appliance, or the new fixtures, or the pretty new wallpaper.

That’s why Shull and other designers remind their clients that when it comes to bathroom renovations, even the smallest change can make a big difference both for the homeowner and guests. They also are quick to point out that a bathroom makeover is not only satisfying, it’s also a wise investment.

Researchers at Remodeling magazine, for example, have long found that remodeling a bathroom gives homeowners one of the highest value-vs.-cost ratios of all home-improvement projects.

Before they get too carried away with plans for a new bathroom, designers are quick to warn their clients that the cost of redoing this small space can quickly spiral upward. The market is deluged these days with a host of spa-like amenities and luxury fixtures that were once the exclusive province of the rich but are now available to the average homeowner. Dazzled by these amenities, it’s easy to over-reach a home improvement budget. To combat that, here are some bright ideas from designers about how to make smart additions or replacements in order to keep the cost of bathroom makeovers affordable.

Less than $1,000

Toronto-based interior design expert Debra Gould, who also is known as The Staging Diva, boasts that she can give a bathroom a complete makeover for $500.

In fact, by just changing towels (color-coordinated, of course), a new shower curtain, adding flowers and a fresh coat of paint, she says she can even create a new bathroom in a single day.

"Many bathrooms look ugly or tired, but the expensive items are basically there," she says. "You just need to add the details."

Experts agree that one of the easiest ways to create a stylish bathroom is with coordinated metal finishes. Faucets vary widely in price, but many attractive ones fall below $200 at any nearby hardware store. Once you select a style, look for matching accessories with the same finish: towel bars, soap dishes, knobs, faucets and even decorative pieces.

Other simple solutions that complete the picture include changing outdated light fixtures. For some reason, new lighting isn’t one of the top jobs on most consumers’ remodeling To-Do lists. Gould reports that many homeowners she’s worked with have stuck with the same Hollywood-style rack lighting that once was the pinnacle of style and a staple in countless suburban cookie-cutter homes. She suggests swapping them for halogen lights, which more closely resemble natural sunlight.

$2,500 to $5,000

Shull says that if they are going to spend more than $500, homeowners can add several amenities to make taking a shower or a bath a more pleasurable experience.

For example, the American Institute of Architects found in survey results released in 2006 that sales of multi-hued showers increased by 63 percent over the previous year, followed by steam showers, with a 35-percent increase. Luxury items like those can completely alter one’s experience in a bathroom.

If you’re willing to spend the money, you can enjoy a Wasauna luxury steam shower room featuring ceiling rain, 14 shower jets and a hand-held showerhead for about $3,700, plus the cost of installation. The Wasauna shower system also comes with speakers, two "acupuncture jets" that shoot out a narrow spray of water and a foot massager. Some models feature FM radios, hands-free telephone and mood lighting.

For those who prefer baths, Kohl offers the Revival BubbleMassage in a 1920s Art Deco design for about the same price. A variable-speed motor with an integral heater delivers a range of water treatments, from light bubbling to revitalizing massage, while 122 air jets are precisely positioned to completely embrace the bather with bubbling water.

Of course, at this price range, a remodeler also could be much more practical. An upgrade of the sink, toilet and tub in a full bath with mid-grade products can run between $3,000 and $5,000.

$10,000+

According to Remodeling magazine’s research, in 2006 the cost of a bathroom-remodeling project that involved updating an existing 5-by-7-foot bathroom was almost $13,000.

That sounds like a lot, but the new bathroom featured a roomy porcelain-on-steel tub surrounded by ceramic tile, new single-lever temperature- and pressure-balanced shower controls, a solid-surface vanity counter with integral double sink, a recessed medicine cabinet with light, a ceramic tile floor and vinyl wallpaper.

According to the magazine, the resale value of the home would be increased enough that about 85 percent of that cost would be recouped when the residence is sold.

Shull says for smart sellers, wide-scale renovations are crucial when you are putting an aging home on the market. It’s also a good idea to make these renovations if you are selling a house that features generic, low-cost elements that were selected by builders anxious to increase their own bottom lines.

How Much is Too Much?

Well, consider that if you are among those who plan to expand your bathroom - a popular trend in recent years - you’re probably going to have to tear down a wall; that easily can drive the cost of a bathroom remodel up to $20,000.

You may want to think twice before spending that much, just as you also may want to stop and think if you want to equip a bathroom with the latest bells and whistles - a plasma television made especially for bathrooms, say, or a fireplace.

No matter what spending level they choose, most people who do invest in upgrading their bathrooms agree on one thing, designers say. "They inevitably say," Shull notes, "I wish I would have done this earlier."

By Patricia Rivera,
CTW Features