When you’re thinking of selling your home, you tend to think about low-cost renovations that can give you a high return. Maybe you’re not thinking of selling your house anytime soon, but you’ll want to make a good investment either way. The last thing you want is to throw money out.
Looking at your bathroom in terms of investment is important for the future, but maybe you don’t have the budget to replace the tub. In this case, you can consider more cost effective alternatives such as replacing the shower curtain. For example there are a number of options when it comes to a shower curtain for a clawfoot bath which can provide that extra level of elegance. Here are a few other ways to bring life to your bathroom at a low price.
Go Green on the Upgrades
Let’s start off with savings in the long run – because wrong upgrades mean more upgrades in the future. Make sure to redesign your bathroom with the environment in mind. If you decided to add more expensive items like low-flow toilets, sinks and shower heads as you’re upgrading you wouldn’t just save water, but you’ll also save a lot of money in water bills.
You might want to buy repurposed materials as well for things like tiles, wood, vintage items, planks or other craft items to DIY a lot of your bathroom. You’d be surprised how much value you can add to your space by creating your own accessories.
Go Easy on the Tile
If you’re thinking of hiring a contractor for any reason during your remodeling, the money will start to pile up. Tiles can get expensive, really fast, so my advice is to focus on high-impact areas like flooring. It’s cheaper to repaint your floor than it is to re-tile or put new linoleum over your old flooring. If you’re insistent on the tile, I would recommend only tiling a small section of your bathroom, like a horizontal strip around the room.
Low-Cost Countertops
Instead of splurging on a granite countertop, there are other awesome alternatives for you to try. First, don’t buy more popular colors like tan, brown and light beige and opt for quirkier colors like black, blue, or red. If you still want to put a popular color in your bathroom, find a countertop slab that has obvious imperfections. The more visible, the cheaper they’ll be. You can then find a slab that has the imperfection exactly where your sink basin will be and that way you won’t even see it!
A huge trend in bathrooms currently is DIY old dresser countertops. If you wanted to do this, you would cut into or remove the interior drawers and cut holes in the back for the plumbing. Don’t look for these in a retail store as you’ll be shelling out thousands of dollars. Make your own with a budget dresser – search antique stores or garage sales for the best deals.
Paint
Repainting is the cheapest and most effective way of giving your bathroom a facelift. Keep in mind that painting your bathroom is going to take a lot of time. Even though it’s the smallest room in your house, you’ll have to carefully paint around the shower, sink, mirror, the toilet, the switch plates, corners, and the floor. Don’t skimp on the quality of the paint as mold and mildew can form on certain paints that aren’t meant for humidity or constant temperature changes.
Update the Fixtures
The main pulls to your bathroom are the light fixtures, towel racks, sinks, and storage. You can really save on all of these features as well. If you know how to wire, you can install your own lights for as little as $100. Towel racks and new storage can be found at low cost at places like home improvement or IKEA. The sink may be your biggest investment, but it’s also going bump up the resale value of your house.
Redo Caulk and Grout
This is often overlooked, but once your grout and caulk get grimy and gross, your bathroom will also feel dirty even when it isn’t. It only takes a few dollars to freshen up your bathroom with way.
Buy Used and Fix the Old
Take a look around your bathroom and think about what could be redone and what needs to be replaced. Depending on what it is, it’s actually cheaper to replace it, for example, a toilet or light fixtures Showers and tubs are less expensive to refinish if you buy a refinish kit. If they’re made of porcelain, cast iron, or fiberglass this can be a low cost method of bringing life back into your bathroom.
With everything else, buy them used. Go to sites like eBay and Craigslist or a used store and search for the best finds. Door, mirrors, and sinks are commonly found at estate sales as well. If you want something more unique or upscale, you could try Etsy. Etsy houses a lot of artists that create attractive accessories perfect for your bathroom.