Bathrooms seem to fall into disrepair faster than pretty much any other room in the house. Over a short period of time, your bathroom may go from a comfortable and respectable space to an unhygienic, smelly, level-5 biohazard. Cracks form, mildew and grime accumulates (especially in the bathroom shower area), germs make your bathroom their home. Is your bathroom a disaster? It might be time to remodel!

Below are a few helpful tips to get you started:

First, grab a notepad and make an overall assessment of your bathroom. This shouldn’t take very long, a few hours at most, but you should ensure that your inspection and assessment is thorough. Don’t overlook any problem-spots in your bathroom, because they may come back to haunt you later. You can do this assessment on your own, you won’t need to hire a professional. Still, it’s probably a good idea to consult some lifestyle magazines or websites for professional tips. You can even check out existing bathroom designs for inspiration. Does your neighbor have a great bathroom? Ask him if you can look at it for design ideas.

Here are some important issues to keep in mind when making your assessment:

Check any deformities or warps in the bathroom walls. Is there any mildew or humidity damage? Is the paint cracking, flaking, or chipping? Next, look at your floor. Check your tile for fractures. If you have a vinyl floor, check any “lifting” or warped panels. Check your plumbing: do your faucets run like they should? Is your bathroom shower area grimy, rusty, or cracked (especially considering your sealant)?

Also assess space-management: is your bathroom’s layout efficient? Is space used effectively? Is moving about your bathroom easy and convenient? Free up some space in your bathroom with cabinets. Cabinets come in a wide variety of styles, so you can customize your bathroom to your liking. If you need a way to organize your bathroom belongings but aren’t particularly keen on cabinets, consider clear plastic bins. These make it easy to organize your bathroom supplies; many even come in a stackable design to maximize space-efficiency.

When assessing space management, consider bathroom traffic: how many people use the bathroom? If you share the bathroom with a partner, it may be worth your while to have two sinks. This can easily be accomplished with a single bathroom vanity, or you might install a brand new, double-length countertop. The size of your bathroom shower is also determined by how many people might use it.

Why is space management so important? A well-designed bathroom allows you more maneuvering room and less cramped spaces. Cramped spaces allow germs and mildew to accumulate over time, corrupting the integrity of your bathroom. Minimize these tight spots with a space-efficient bathroom vanity or countertop.

The next important facet of the bathroom remodeling process is establishing a budget, and sticking to it.

Make sure you calculate your budget accurately, or you might find you don’t have enough funds to finish your remodeling after you’ve already made significant progress. You don’t want to underestimate your budget either, because that might limit your creativity too much. An established budget will determine your purchases and will give you a good idea of what to expect from your final product. Of course, you might make some pressing changes to your established budget during the remodeling process. Just try not to stray too far from your original design, and avoid burdening yourself with unnecessary grievances. And don’t forget to sell or trade-in your old appliances: this will help you save money!

Don’t be ashamed to ask for help! While you may be able to do much of your remodeling work on your own, it’s smart to enlist some professional help, especially when plumbing and electrical work is involved. Don’t do anything unless you’re totally sure you know what you’re doing! These jobs are potentially dangerous, and if executed poorly they will lead to more problems in the future. Ultimately, a poor remodeling job will only end up costing you more money than if you hired a professional in the first place.

With these tips in mind, you’re well on your way to beginning your own bathroom remodeling project. So get creative, and make your bathroom perfect for you!