A Bathroom Reno for Less Than $1000?
by Suzanne M. Harvey
Bathrooms are a highly used space and one that can drive you crazy if it is outdated. But a bathroom reno can get very expensive. This bathroom definitely needed an update! It stuck in the 80’s. The budget was small but with some simple & not so expensive changes it can look like a brand new space. You can make these same changes in your bath to create high impact on a low budget. So what do you think?? A bathroom reno for less than $1000? It is possible!!
With it’s striped wall paper and brass fixtures everywhere this space was in desperate need of an update. By the way…the toilet was yellow too!!! It seems like a daunting task (and an expensive one) to update a bathroom but with these suggestions you can do it on a budget. Let’s start with the demo. I did all the demo myself (this saves tons of $$$$). Since I wasn’t taking out walls, electrical or plumbing this was a job I could handle. I was keeping the shower, tub and vanity as is since they were in good shape and in neutral tones.
As you can see every fixture was brass – even the shower door had brass trim. They were high quality but outdated. Here is a huge tip on saving money…use trim kits to update plumbing fixtures. This just updates the finishes and keeps the plumbing parts from the existing fixtures for a fraction of the cost of updating with a completely new fixture. For the towel bars and toilet paper holder they got a quick coat of spray paint for a brand new look. The shower door & toilet were replaced as well as new lighting. And after that awful wall paper came down, the whole space got a fresh coat of paint.
The final step was to add some new accessories. This is where you can make the biggest impact with the least amount of money. Check out your discount store for art, towels, soap dispensers, etc. These items make the room come to life & give it that designer look. I love to check out clearance racks for these items. So be on the look out and you can score some great deals on some key pieces.
Here is where my budget was spent:
$300 – New Shower Door
$100 – New Toilet
$200 – New Lighting
$200 – Trim Kits for Faucets & Fixtures
$100 – Accessories (i.e. flowers, baskets, towels, wall decor)
$75 – Paint & Supplies
Grand Total $975
Do you want to see the finished product?? Here it is…
*Photo Credit: After Photos taken by Rebekah Pizor Photography.
It is possible to have an updated bath on a small budget. With a little elbow grease & some smart shopping you can do it too.
Have you tackled a bath & want to show it off? Share your stories and photos!
We gutted and completely overhauled our downstairs bathroom about 5 years ago – I am SO MAD I didn’t take before photos… that was pre-blogging of course so haha what did I know about taking photos of every. waking. moment! 🙂
We spent, I am sad to say, probably 13K on the remodel. Of course, we did have to replace some rotted flooring under the old tub, and we did the glassed in shower with TILE which was the main expense but… still, wow. I am SO impressed with what you did here!
A bath remodel can get very expensive especially when you pull out walls and floors. There is often other issues behind the ‘covers’. I had great bones to work with in this space which made a big difference in the budget.