Before you begin looking for a bathroom designer, look at displays and magazine articles that feature new or redecorated bathrooms. It's okay to have a rough idea of what you like and don't like.

You can get potential bathroom designers from the yellow pages, from trade unions or from the Chamber of Commerce. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (www.nkba.org) offers a list of designers in your area that are certified by this association on their web site.

Have potential designers look at the bathroom they will be designing or redesigning. You will need to give them a firm idea of how much you wish to spend and any time constraints you have.

Ask for and contact all references.

Designers usually have pictures of bathrooms they have designed or redesigned. Ask to see those pictures. If this is done after they have seen the space involved, they can edit the selection to just show you some designs that will fit in your plan.

After estimates are given and a designer is chosen, a contract is a very good choice. This should specify total costs, description of the project and start-end dates.