If you’re renovating on a budget and you’ve moved into the bathroom there are so many things that you can do to keep the costs low. We’ll try to keep this list to our top three tips on keeping the expenses to a minimum but keep in mind as long as you tap into your creativity there are so many ways to renovate on a limited budget. Whether you’re planning to sell your home or just need something spruced up here are our top three tips on renovating your bathroom on the cheap.
Materials
Tile – Tile is an expensive material to work with in large quantities. When you factor in the cost of materials, the cost of labor and the cost of having to tile floors and walls and potentially ceilings, it adds up relatively quickly. Instead when you’re choosing a design element for the walls and floor opt for a more budget friendly option like tiling a small section of the walls and painting the rest in a complementary color.
An easy way to knock down a tiling budget is also to nix the walls in a shower stall and instead get a fitted shower or bath unit, and if you absolutely must use tile for the entire project choose a more artistic eye catching tile alongside a cheap complementary one to draw the eye instead of covering your entire bathroom in an expensive pattern!
Counters – When picking out your countertop material there are some quick hacks to stick to that budget. Bathroom counters are usually pretty small in comparison to kitchens but that’s not the only way that costs will differ, granite can come with imperfections which will mark down the price depending on the damage and if it is when you plan to cut a hole for your sink then it’s perfect. Also, avoid choosing popular neutral tones if you are aiming to keep costs down as the less popular the color the cheaper the material tends to be.
If you’re looking for a slab counter and can’t justify spending on granite, there are so many other options for stone counters, and when doing research, you can visit a site like Marble, to see what look you’re going for and how to achieve that could save hundreds, if not thousands from your budget. Also communicating with your local stone supplier to try to get a deal or if they have an overstock on a particular selection could help cut costs as well!
Recycling
Completely replacing anything in a bathroom will cost money. Finding someone to reline a tub or to refurbish old items like a vanity or a toilet will help you save money in the long run and usually helps to retain the original look and feel of the home! Shower fixtures and sinks however usually cost more to fix than to buy new so if the funding is the main issue try to keep that in mind.
A good place to find the replacements is through second hand sites like eBay and Criagslist, there are all kinds of deals and a wide variety of things being listed so take your time and you might stumble upon the perfect showerhead or a vintage mirror!
Paint
Painting is probably the DIY fix that can give you the most bang for your buck. IT can completely transform a room by changing the amount of light being reflected and coordinating everything else in the room first comes from the walls! This goes for the trimming as well, lately some funky trends have been to use darker colors for trim to make a room feel more muted and romantic as opposed to the traditional stark high-gloss white.
The thing about painting a bathroom though is that it takes much more time than one realizes because there is so much to avoid. What we mean is the taping process is much longer because you have mirrors, outlets, a bathtub or shower, a toilet, a counter or vanity, and probably a window to tape off and avoid so the process is much more slow going than a bedroom with flat unobstructed walls. But it’s all about the end result and what great bathroom hasn’t had a bit of extra elbow grease put into it? That’s right, none.
At the end of the day whether you’re remodeling your kitchen, bedroom, garage, or bathroom on a budget it comes down to one thing: savvy. If you get educated on DIYing or even just materials costs before you get started there is seriously so much money to be saved. Investigate how to achieve the look you want by upcycling things or by dedicating time to search for an older vintage piece that you buy second-hand as opposed to purchasing something brand new from Lowe’s or a home improvement store. Not only will these add something unexpected to a room but it also allows a more interesting story and saves money all at once!
