Cutting Real Costs on Your Bathroom Renovation

From Margaret on January 24th, 2011 in Bathroom Remodel

If you want to redo your bathroom while saving money, you might need to prepare to get your hands dirty. Yet this doesn’t mean taking on a bathroom renovation as a DIY project. In fact, you can strike a happy balance between saving a few bucks and still getting a professional-quality job. Here’s how:

Break out the sledgehammer.

While you certainly want to rip out the right stuff, knocking out items like sinks and cabinetry takes very little skill. Plus, let’s face it: working out your stress (and resentment toward that old bathroom) with a sledgehammer and crowbar does sound fun.

Paint the walls yourself.

You may have no idea how to install the shower tile or bamboo flooring, but you can do a great paint job yourself. Remember two very important key points: get a gloss finish that will work well with humidity, and spend more time on the prep work than the painting itself. The edging and details is what will make the room look professionally finished.

Clean up the mess.

Although it’s fantastic to think of walking into a completely finished and meticulous bathroom, you can clean up the aftermath yourself, cutting down on time and costs. You can even rent a truck and haul out debris yourself. Remember that intact items like sinks, toilets, mirrors and medicine cabinets can be reused at places like Habitat For Humanity, keeping the landfill less full.

Install the hardware.

While the more intricate stuff should be left to the professionals, you can install things like mirrors and knobs yourself. You’ll save on overall costs and walk away knowing you contributed, if even in a small way, to your new bathroom’s construction.

Photo Credit: Choice Bathrooms, Valspar, & Home Design Directory