Bathroom Design & Remodelling Ideas on a Budget

Despite what many homeowners may think, an inexpensive bathroom remodel is more than feasible. House & garden TV programs often showcase five-figure bathroom remodels that begin by literally stripping everything to the bearing walls and beams, only to be dumped and replaced by premium materials. That’s not the sort of remodelling we’re talking about here.

Since a bathroom remodel is second only to kitchen remodelling when it comes to dust, dirt, stress, and impossible timetables, the typically high cost of elements and labour often prompts homeowners to think outside the box.

The guiding principle of this money-saving tip works well in every room, including your old bathroom. Instead of replacing the wall finish in the lower portion, you can resort to easy-to-install wainscot. It consist of prefabricated boards that extend as high as 48” and eliminate the need to address any wall dings and minor holes that might have developed over time.

However, if the wallboard is infested with mould and mildew, the last thing you need is to cover it up. In this case, you need to track down the source, nip it in the bud and then replace the cured portions of wallboard.

Tile can be expensive, especially if you hire a layer to lay it all out for you. You can save money by limiting the amount of tile, keeping it primarily for high-impact areas such as the floor. You don’t need them both on the floor and the walls of the shower stand.

In another scenario, you can tile one horizontal strip and paint the remaining surfaces. If you have fallen in love with tile that’s artistic and expensive, you can use it for accents alongside a cheaper variety. Their unique design will gain more prominence this way, and you’ll be saving tons of money.

In many cases, even cheap alternatives can look as awesome as the real thing. New technologies and materials allow for substitute materials that are often hard to tell from the originals. For example, luxury vinyl flooring can substitute hardwood plank flooring.

You may think you want that amazing granite floor, but what you really want is innovative luxury vinyl made to look just like natural stone, minus the demanding maintenance, sealing, and care.

The total replacement of your bathtub can be expensive, especially if you consider the wide range of interesting shapes, materials and ways of installation available today. Instead, consider relining or refinishing the existing one. Especially if the problem is mainly cosmetic, a few cracks and nicks and a yellowed surface.

Similarly to what you can do with the walls, relining the tub is a great example of ‘cover, not replace’ tactics. Keep in mind, though, that bathtub liners aren’t as cheap as advertised.

Aside of being a semi-permanent fix, solving the problem for a few years, liners require professional installation, while finishing is cheaper and looks better over the years.

A popular trend among renovators is to use granite for countertops, following the logic that bathroom counters are typically small, so the price of natural stone won’t break the bank. But you can even make savings here.

First of all, consider the colour. Neutral colours like tan, brown and beige are the most popular, which makes them more expensive. Instead, consider pieces in a wider strip of colours that are priced accordingly.

Another way to save money on granite is to find a slab with imperfections. Considering that your sink basin will take up a lot of surface area, chances are that you won’t see it at all.

If you can’t fit the services of a plumber in your remodelling schedule, or you simply don’t want another tradesman on your payroll, you can as well do some of the plumbing yourself. While relocating the sewer line might be out of your expertise, simpler tasks like moving the sink supply and drain lines a few feet here or there are easy enough to do.

Luckily, the time of soldering copper pipes with an open flame is gone for some time now. By using PEX plumbing pipes and push-in Sharkbite fittings, even the least qualified DIY plumber can do light plumbing tasks as easy as building a Tinkertoy house.

The cheap and easy remodelling tips won’t put you in position to brag about taking out a second mortgage just to pay for it. Instead, you’ll end up with more cash in your pockets to spend on improving other parts of your house, and more importantly, you’ll end up with a clean, bright and functional bathroom.