3 Tips to Help Renovate Your Bathroom on a Budget

The bathroom is one key renovation that all homeowners will eventually navigate. When the paint begins to flake, and the grout is getting grimy, it means it is time for a fresh approach in the bathroom. This is a renovation that we know adds proven value to your home – and, of course, can drastically improve your quality of life.

However, bathroom renos can get expensive, quickly. With full high-end bathroom renovations often exceeding $30,000, and more restrained renovations coming in around $15,000, is there anything you can do to keep the costs down?

Read our guide below to find out three ways you can keep the cost of your bathroom renovation down, and avoid busting your budget (even as you bust up old tiles for replacement!). Budget renovations may mean taking the renovation slowly and doing more of it yourself, but you can transform the room all the same. Additionally, there are always things we think are worth having done by a professional – get it right once. That includes spending on things like bathroom design – it pays to have peace of mind when it comes to the layout and function of your space.

Paint

If there is one thing you can do to drastically alter the look and feel of your bathroom, it is a fresh coat of paint.

A fresh lick of paint is a classic part of the renovation – but is one thing that is totally doable by yourself. When you take it slowly, prepare your walls correctly (The better your prep the better the your finished paint job will look) and use high-quality, moisture-resistant paint (and painter’s tape, to mask off areas like the windows and mirrors), the result is transformative.

Consider this: paint acts as the background to a room, providing a canvas for every other element – the sink, mirror, bath, and so on – to stand out. Repainting, and doing a good, careful job, will breathe new life into every other area of the room.

Tile (selectively!)

Tiling is expensive – there is no way around that fact. However, by changing your approach to tiles (instead of tiling the wall and floor, for example), you can have more success within your budget. We recommend focusing your tiling on specific areas – for example, tiling just the floor, or as a feature splashback behind your bath or sink, as this will help to keep your costs down.

Things to consider when deciding where to place your tiles. 1. Is the wall straight? If not straighten it. (Tiles can exagerate a twisted wall) 2. Should you waterproof behind the tiles? If it is a wet area definatly. 3. We recommend Epoxy Grout as it will look better for longer and is more waterproof. 4. When tiling a wall where your vanlty will go fully tile the wall and floor before you install the vanity, This will make replacing the vanity very easy if you decide to change the vanity for whatever reason, be it fashion, or damage.

If you are looking at expensive, artistic tiles, bear in mind that not only are they more expensive, they’ll also need breathing space to truly look stunning.

However, we recommend tiling be done by a professional, to ensure they are properly installed and grouted. You’ll avoid costly repairs down the road if you get your tiling done right the first time.

Fixtures

Consider the fixtures of your room – your taps and handles may look outdated, or be chipped and worn. If you are looking to refresh the room cheaply, changing your fixtures goes a long way.

Fixtures are expensive when new, but with a little creativity, can be a great place to save money while making a bathroom uniquely yours. You are best to install a cheaper vanity tap or shower slide initially as they are parts that can be easily replaced as time and your budget allows.
We do suggest you avoid second-hand shops and flea markets, you may find bargans by scouring TradeMe, you’ll find all manner of quality brass and stainless-steel fixtures. We do appreciate that this can save you some dollars but make sure you replace the seals and before you give them a good clean and polish, and you’ll have fixtures that are uniquely yours.

Consider your budget deeply

Where can you save, and where can you splurge? Some objects in the bathroom are nice to have – a bath or bidet for example – while others are a necessity, like the shower and toilet.

So, is that free-standing bath a necessity in your renovation plan? Or will you be well-served with just a shower? Often the best way to save money is to plan it out properly from the start, and figure out what is crucial, and what you can compromise on. Quality workmanship getting straight walls and a good finish are more important that buying ‘flash’ fittings.

If you are thinking about bathroom renovations, talk to Bathroom Direct. We can assist with everything bathroom related, from helping you buy the perfect bathroom accessories for your new bathroom, to installing and managing full-scale renovations.

Contact Bathroom Direct today to talk about how you can transform your bathroom.

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