The thought of re-modeling our bathrooms may seem daunting, but sometimes it may be more necessary than we think!  For most of us, the thought of the cost alone makes us brush off the notion immediately, not to mention the time consumption and inconvenience. Yet, while we may figure that our bathrooms look good on the outside, sometimes it is important to consider what is going on underneath all of that pretty tile and paint. If a bathroom has not been changed in many years, there is a good chance that there are a lot of things going on underneath that pose potential problems. Here are some of the biggest issues that we may not have thought about:

• Rotting Baseboards - The baseboard is the primary support for your flooring around the house. Usually, they are made of wood (although they can be plastic as well). However, if they are wooden, they are obviously prone to rotting. They may not rot quickly, but what about how many times your toilet may have overflowed, or your shower curtain didn't keep all the water off the floor? The possibility of some water seeping onto the baseboard is there, particularly if your caulk and grout is old too. These rotted baseboards will make your floors weak and will inevitably need to be replaced.
• Mold - While the baseboards are under the floor, there is wood all around the inside of our walls. Bathrooms give off much condensation and moisture and, as such, they are more susceptible to mold. Mold can also spread around the edges of your shower, tub and sink. If those moldy areas are not taken care of, they will spread and not only cause damage to your home, but they can be hazardous to your family's health as well.
• Rusty/Broken Pipes - Depending on how old your home is, pipes becoming rusted, or even becoming thin and cracking, is a big problem. If you wait too long and one bursts, you will have a big drywall/plumbing project on your hands, especially if when it bursts, the water leaks through the ceiling below!

So, while sometimes it might seem unnecessary to re-model your bathroom, those are some serious things to consider. However, if you don't think a whole re-model is necessary, it is still always good to change out your toilets and other bathroom ammenities occasionally. At the very least, make sure your caulk is holding strong to minimize the probability of any of the aforementioned problems happening to you!

                                                                 ~Jeeves