Do's and Dont's of Renovating a Master Bathroom

I called an acquaintance of mine this morning and she told me that she was renovating her Master Bathroom and had hired another contractor ( not me) to help her with this project as she thought of me as purely an Interior Designer rather than an InteriorDesigner/ Remodeler who teaches about Universal Design and Green Design nationwide. As I spoke with her, I discovered that neither she nor her contractor had done their homework about this bathroom renovation and were going to make several major Faux - pas that could prove very dangerous later on.
Here are some things to remember to do to insure that your bathroom will not only look pretty - but function for you.
1. Always use a non-slip tile since otherwise, if a few drops of water from the tub or shower get on the tile, you can slip and fall and get badly hurt! And since there is no tile designated "non-slip" for some reason - always either purchase a tile with texture ( with raised sections that you can feel) as the texture causes resistance and reduces slippage, or purchase a small 1" by 1" or 2" by 2" or 1" by 2" tile where you use a lot of grout and the grout will serve to create a less slippery floor surface.
2.Reinforce your walls around the toilet, shower and tub areas with 2" by 12" plywood that should be placed in between the studs prior to re-tiling the walls, so that you can install grab bars wherever you need to later if you should ever need them. If you do not reinforce your walls and ever do need grab bars, you may have to remove your beautiful tilework if your studs are not in the exact location where you want the grab bars to be placed. And if you install grab bars without first reinforcing the walls - and someone actually leans heavily on those grab bars, the grab bar and even possibly the wall will come falling down - and potentially hurt the person who happened to lean on it.
The photo above is of my Master Bathroom - where I used non-slip tiles and reinforced the walls so it is both beautiful and safe! If you have any questions or comments, please phone me at 713 464-0055 or email me at beverlyvosko@gmail.com.