According to Trulia, 60% of the residents of East Brunswick, NJ have a college degree, which is 10% more than the state average and 15% more than the national one. This likely means that at least 3 out of every 5 of your neighbors likely thinks they already know everything when it comes to tearing out an old vanity for a bathroom remodel.

You can find entire websites, videos and WikiHow articles on how to patch up drywall once the damage is done, so it’s easy to see how many home renovators will find themselves in a bit of a pickle when it comes to removing the old to make way for the new in your bathroom redesign.

Avoid Ripping a Hole in the Wall

This mostly requires knowing exactly how your old bathroom vanity is attached to the bathroom wall before trying to move it. The two main culprits here are mounting screws and backsplash tiles. You’ll likely have a separate backsplash if you have one at all, so removing that can be an unnecessary step if you use a standard-sized vanity as your shiny new replacement. Don’t forget to look into both the width and the height if you’re trying to match an existing negative space!

The mounting screws will be a little more interesting to deal with and may require you to do some sleuthing to find any and all of them. Other than that, it’s usually just caulk to exacto-knife through.

Don’t Damage the Existing Bathroom Vanity Plumbing

Even the most beautiful new sinks require the same run-of-the-mill plumbing lines, so don’t assume you need to go messing with those. Turn off the water valves below the sink before fully disconnecting all the plumbing.

Of course, if you have any leaks or if the pipes are particularly old, this could be a convenient time to reassess and replace during your renovation. Unless you’re pretty handy here, it may be time to call in one of the many lovely plumbers of East Brunswick.

Getting the Vanity Through the Bathroom Door

Look, we’re not telling you to take a sledgehammer to the thing, that sounds dangerous. And might require excellent eye protection. And maybe jeans and a turtleneck. And sturdy gloves. A spotter to call 911 wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Look, people pay money to get to do this kind of thing in New York, okay?!

But really, you just need to make sure you’re not creating more of a renovation job for yourself by scuffing the floor and denting the door on the way to the dumpster.