Almost every homeowner would like to remodel their bathroom to suit their taste, but unless you prepare for it correctly and have sufficient funds to do the job with, you will end up with something less than what you wanted.
Plan to spend several thousand dollars, especially if you want to rearrange the layout of the room and install high grade materials. No matter what feel you are looking to get in your new bathroom, the last thing you want to do is use substandard materials or craftsmanship.
The demolition of the old bathroom to make way for the new one can be done by you if you have the strength and common sense to do it. For example, you wouldn't use a sledge hammer to bust up an old tile floor due to the danger of going straight through the floor and having to replace it. Be gentle with the floor and walls when removing these items and try not to do any structural damage.
You will want to consider whether you are a shower or a bath person, since this will greatly affect the level of satisfaction that you get out of the room. If you and your spouse enjoy more showers than baths, then you might want to focus more on a shower area in the master bathroom than a fancy tub.
If you decide to have a tub in the bathroom as well as a shower area, then you will want to make sure that it is large enough to accommodate the biggest person in the relationship.
You should also consider installing a new dual flush toilet. These are standard in many other countries and mandatory in others, but are recently starting to catch on in the United States.
These use a very efficient amount of water and depending on where you live, you can sometimes get a credit from the city when you install energy efficient appliances like this.
The flooring of the bathroom is also important. You need a hard surface in this room, such as tile, travertine, granite, or even marble, but a hardwood floor is not a very efficient choice.
Water will be spilled on this on a regular basis and it will buckle over time due to absorbing so much water. Carpet is also not a good idea, since it will become molded over time