12 Money Smart Tips for Bathroom Remodeling
Bathroom remodeling is one of the best ways you can up the ante in terms of home value, but you have to pay the price. Of course, you can always save some money by taking a good, hard look at the following money smart tips.
Keep the status quo
In most cases, the current layout of your bathroom is as good as it is going to get. Unless you can free up some serious space or improve the traffic flow considerably, avoid moving anything to a new location. Everything in the bathroom typically involves water pipes, drains, or electrical wiring, and moving them means having to reroute them at considerable cost. Some experts say moving anything in the bathroom will cost you around $5,000.
Dress up a plain mirror
Fancy mirrors for the bathroom are expensive. Choose a plain mirror instead and put it in a nice frame instead. You can also choose to add LED lights around a plain mirror if you want. The cost will be a fraction of a designer mirror, and it will still look fantastic.
Update the toilet
Toilet seats are standard, so unless yours is cracked or irreversibly damaged in some way, you should keep it and just replace the toilet seat. It will look like new and you can shave a few bucks from your project cost.
Check yard sales
Before you begin your renovation, make a round of the yard and clearance sales in your area. You might find a few pieces you can use, such as a nice mirror or an antique desk you can use as a vanity. These things will probably go for a song, or at least at a big discount from the retail price.
Vanity fair
A great way to change the look of your bathroom is to put in a vanity, or change an existing one that just looks sad. Use an antique dresser you found in the attic or aforementioned yard sale, and convert it to hold the sink.
Stone cold
Alternatively, you can keep the old vanity and refurbish it with a marble or granite countertop. Vanities are usually quite small, so splurging on a stone countertop is not going to cost a lot, and it will instantly elevate your bathroom from fine to fantastic.
Tile in, tile out
While most bathrooms have tiles from floor to ceiling, this is not actually necessary. Certain walls and areas in the bathroom can do with a different treatment, such as reclaimed wood or beadboard, and it can make the bathroom look unique while saving you some cash.
Open sesame
If you have a small bathroom, wall cabinets may not be a great option for you as they tend to make the space look even smaller. You can still put in base cabinets for more storage, but keep the upper spaces open with shelves. This will make the bathroom look bigger, and it is a great way to display your decorative soaps and towels, while keeping cleaning products and rolls of toilet paper out of sight in base cabinets.
Let in the light
Make bright lights an option in your bathroom by installing decorative fixtures you can control with a dimmer switch. By having a dimmer, you can keep your light requirements to just one or two. These are not expensive, especially if you go to a home depot during sale season. You can switch from functional to relaxing as needed, and it will not look like the public bathroom in your office or gym.
Paint it up
A lick of the right color paint can really make your bathroom pop, especially if you have a small space. Choose a bright color that will go well with the tiles, and you will not only make the space look bigger, it will bring in a new element to the room.
Check for overruns
Tiles are expensive, so if you can find a cheaper source for them, you should go for it. Most home depots will sell overstock or clearance items at a huge discount. You might also look online for anyone selling their leftover tiles. Buy all you can get your hands on at discounted prices, then make up the difference by buying retail. You should have saved quite a bit in the process.
Hire a professional contractor
It is very important to your wallet that you hire a professional to design and carry out bathroom remodeling. A bathroom remodel is complicated, and you can make some very expensive mistakes along the way if you don’t have a pro to advise you. A professional designer can help you plan the best way to carry out a remodel based on your requirements and budget.
Fortunately, you will not spend a dime for the design consultation if you go with contractors such as Fairfax Kitchen Bath, because they offer free design consultation and cost estimates for your bathroom remodel.
Fairfax Kitchen Bath services the DC, MD and Northern Virginia metropolitan areas. We are a Class A, licensed and insured contractor, registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We sell only top-quality products for all your bathroom remodeling needs manufactured by leading brands in the industry such as Schrock Cabinetry, Silestone, Blanco, Kohler, and Mosaic Décor.
When you contract with us, you can be sure you will get a quick turnaround on your products, and receive it much faster than ordering what you need from big box stores. We specialize in fabricating bathroom countertops to specifications, and installing them within budget and on time.
You can see the products before you buy so you can decide for yourself if the quality is what you expect. We have a showroom in Fairfax, Virginia, which houses all our products, including actual granite, marble and engineered stone slabs from which you can choose.
Contact us today to get a free quote for a budget-friendly bathroom remodeling project.
