7 Tips To Reduce Your Bathroom Renovation Costs

Bathroom renovations can be very expensive as many of the bathroom fixtures cost a fortune. However, once you purchase these expensive fixtures, they can last for up to a decade with regular maintenance. The overall cost of your renovation project will be based on whether you’re completely remodelling your bathroom or making only a few changes like replacing the sink, faucets and flooring. In any case, a bathroom renovation can cost you anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000. Here are a few tips on how to reduce the cost of your expensive bathroom renovation project…

1. Repurpose Old Stuff

Repurposing old furniture, tiles and paint from any of your previous renovation projects can be very useful and environmentally friendly. You can also move some furniture and small plants from different rooms and repurpose them to enhance your new bathroom.

2. Don’t Change or Reroute Plumbing

One of the most expensive tasks in any bathroom renovation project is rerouting the plumbing. In order to change your current plumbing setup, you will have to remove the drywall and floorboards, remove the old pipeline, design the new plumbing and install it along with new drywall and flooring. The procedure of uprooting and reinstalling the foundation of your new bathroom will require an expert craftsman. You may also have to apply for a building permit. So if you can plan your bathroom renovation without changing the current plumbing structure, it can definitely be cost-effective.

3. Add Mirrors

Mirrors have the quality of creating an illusion of a bigger space. If you have a small bathroom, you can create a mirror wall or install a big mirror over your sink or create a design from multiple small mirrors. However, make sure you get the fog-free mirror to make the most of it.

4. Second-Hand/Vintage Furniture for Vanity

Whether you’re building a modern bathroom or a victorian theme, a good quality vanity is essential to store your numerous beauty, cleaning and hygiene products. Instead of purchasing an expensive brand new vanity and then styling it as per your design, you can buy a second-hand vanity from a local vintage market or an online marketplace. You can repaint this vanity and add new hardware (drawer knobs or pulls) to suit the overall style of your new bathroom.

5. Look For Good Quality Affordable Alternative Materials

If you’re on a small budget but still want to make sure that your bathroom is sustainable and environmentally friendly, then we recommend you look for alternative materials for your project. For example, instead of tiles, you can use acrylic panels, instead of paint you can use beautiful wallpapers and of course, you can opt for water-saving plumbing fixtures with the help of your plumber.

6. Scout Through Garage Sales, Online Marketplaces for Leftover Materials From Other People’s Renovation Projects 

Many Canadian homeowners sell the leftover material from their renovation projects at online marketplaces (Facebook or Kijiji) or by organizing a small garage sale. You can scout through these places and look for the right material for your project. Keep your list handy and make sure you don’t purchase something that you may never use! This way you can get good quality paint, tiles, and some used tools at a much cheaper price.

7. Take Accurate Measurements

Whether you are making just small changes with vanity, sink and upgrading some fixtures or completely changing the look of your bathroom, taking accurate measurements is very important. Based on these measurements, you will have to get the material required and that can highly affect your budget. If you’re not sure then let your contractor take accurate measurements for you to save you from the trouble!

By following these steps, you may save a lot of money on your bathroom renovation project. But we recommend that you always give priority to the quality of material, tools and labour over the cost. Your contractor will help you plan your dream bathroom without going overboard on your budget.