Let’s Save Money on Your Bathroom Renovation
Things are expensive these days! Especially when it comes to building materials and labor costs. Today I’m sharing some EASY WAYS to SAVE MONEY in your bathroom renovation.
CABINETS
I love custom cabinets and for something you are going to be using everyday, you shouldn’t skimp. But they can be a budget buster and if you are looking to for a place to save some money, then consider a ready-made option. When I remodeled my guest bath, I saved a few thousand dollars by purchasing my cabinet from Home Depot. Many times, they will include a countertop and a sink - which saves you even more!
If you don’t follow me on Pinterest, I encourage you to check out my board where I shared a bunch of vanities I found from online sources.
LABOR
Consider doing some of the work yourself. I’m definitely not handy, but I did all the painting in my most recent renovation. Even though I used wallpaper, I still had to paint all the trim and the ceiling. I learned how a good caulk gun can hide a multitude of sins! Another way you can save money is doing the demolition. Tearing stuff out isn’t as hard as putting it back. Just remember to get a dumpster.
GET MULTIPLE ESTIMATES
This should go without saying, but there are a lot of people who just get one quote when it comes to remodeling. I recommend you always get two, especially for labor. I saved $5,000 by getting two plumbing estimates. I first got a quote from a local plumbing company I had used for two other projects and it was $9,000. That seemed really high to me, so I got a second quote (for the exact same scope of work) and it was $4,150. I was super pleased with the second company and will definitely use them again.
TILE
Most bathrooms need a lot of tile, so this is another place you can keep costs down. One trick I like to use for my clients is keeping the tile selection budget friendly and just install it in an interesting way. In this bathroom, the penny round tile was the most expensive. So, we only used it as an accent on the shower walls. Everywhere else we used the same simple tile but in different shapes - elongated subway on the walls, square mosaic on the shower floors and large rectangle tile on the main floor.
PLAN AHEAD
This tip isn’t the most exciting, but I promise you can save money by planning ahead. When you feel rushed to make a decision you tend to spend more than you had budgeted. By making all of your selections ahead of time gives you the flexibility to find the best deal.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
If you are doing a simple renovation, you can manage the project from start to finish and my course How to Renovate Your Bathroom Like a Pro will teach you how. By not hiring a general contractor, you can save thousands of dollars in fees. I walk you through all the steps and give you a workbook filled with useful forms to help keep you on track.
If you have a cost savings tip to share, please post in the comments below. I’m sure everyone would love to hear it!
Thanks for Reading!
Jennifer