Last updated: 25th Sep 2019
Bathroom renovations on a budget
6 practical steps to renovate your bathroom for $5,000 or less
A typical bathroom renovation, including labour and materials, is likely to cost you upward of $10 000. However, with the right expertise and creative ideas, it’s possible to modernise and freshen up the look of your bathroom on a budget of $5000 or even less. It’s all about thinking outside the square, investing in practical upgrades and having a crack at DIY. You won’t be knocking down walls or installing a brand new shower – but with $5000 you can make a few simple upgrades to give a tired, old bathroom a fresh, new style.
1. Use recycled and reclaimed materials
With a touch of creativity and patience searching around, expensive supplies such as sinks, taps, toilets and cabinets can be found for heavily discounted prices or even for free if you’re happy to pick up items in person and perform some minor restoration work.
Image from potterybarn.com
For another out of the box idea, try DIY-ing an open-storage shelving unit or towel rack using reclaimed wood and old plumbing pipes. The re-used materials will give your bathroom a unique, industrial feel and the open style will force you to be more organised. No more clutter hiding in those dusty bathroom cabinets.
Image from Etsy.com
2. Update tired walls with a statement wallpaper
If the rest of your house follows a fairly neutral colour palette, the bathroom is the perfect room to play around with textures and colours. Whatever ambience you want to create – think resort spa or manhattan apartment – wallpaper is a high-impact design feature that will mask blemished walls.
Image from betterdecoratingbible.com
There’s now a range of new ‘paste the wall application’ products on the market, so you don’t need to hire a specialist to get the job done.
3. Skip the new tiles and re-grout instead
To completely tile an average-sized bathroom, you can expect to pay between $1,500 and $2,500, plus an additional $800-$1000 if you’re planning to change the layout (see our full pricing guide here). However, re-grouting your tiles can bring your bathroom back to life without the hefty price tag.
Image from onekingslane.com
Bunnings Warehouse do a great step by step guide, and provide a list of all the necessary materials & equipment. Alternatively, you can hire a professional tiler to get the job done.
4. Get rid of grime by replacing your shower screen
A bathroom will never look clean (no matter how hard you scrub) if the shower screen is built up with grime and soap scum. A popular and affordable bathroom makeover is to replace your existing, framed shower screen with a more modern design. The semi-frameless and frameless varieties are far less obtrusive, composed of toughened glass panels with only minimal hinges and framing elements.
Particularly if you have a small bathroom, a frameless shower screen will help to open up the space. It can be a full enclosure, or a more modern ‘walk in’ style. When frameless screens were originally introduced, they were quite expensive and only featured in high-end bathrooms, but in recent years prices have become much more competitive. Prices range from $300 for a chrome-framed shower screen and up to $700 if you are looking at the thee panel, frameless variety.
Image from au.tv.yahoo.com
5. Make subtle updates to your fixtures & decor
Then it’s time to replace your old, crusty towels and dusty toothbrush holder with something more stylish. These days, budget chainstores like Kmart and Target offer a surprisingly trendy range of bathroom accessories. Think marble-effect soap dispensers and minimalist-style towels & bathmats.
Image from popsugar.com
- Image from kmart.com.au
- Image from target.com.au
- Image from kmart.com.au
6. See what lies beneath your old tiles or vinyl
If the tile, laminate or vinyl flooring in your bathroom is looking worn and outdated, stripping everything back could be the cheapest solution for new floors. Lying underneath that scuffed laminate could be the original floorboards. While timber isn’t the typical choice of bathroom flooring, it can make for a warm and natural feature to suit any style. DIY or get a professional to sand back the boards and finish by staining with a clear or tinted varnish depending on what shade you prefer.
Image from style-files.com
To read about even more timeless interior design ideas, have a look here.