Remodel your bathroom on a budget

Remodeling your bathroom sounds terribly expensive, but in actuality you can do something toward it on any budget. You may not be able to have absolutely everything you wanted, but you can have a bathroom that looks much better than the old one. Once you’ve decided what you can afford to spend on it, then you can begin to pick and choose the most important aspects of the remodel you want to do.

Hiring a contractor

Installing a new shower/tub is harder than you think, so unless you know what you’re doing, you may want a contractor. But on the other hand, if you just want to retile the shower walls, this is something you could learn to do yourself. A contractor could be the single biggest expense in the whole venture, so it’s important to determine whether you budget can cover those services plus the hardware and decor you’ll be installing.

If you can’t afford a contractor, you may want to settle for that remodeling which you can do yourself. For example, you might settle for the new look of retiling for now, and worry about replacing your fixtures later. On the other hand, if your toilet’s half-broken and uses gallons of water, you might prefer buying a new one and paying for installation, and put off any other expenses for the time being.

Seconds and second-hand fixtures

If you’re replacing tubs, showers or toilets, consider factory seconds and discarded fixtures from houses that have been remodeled. Due to the recent housing boom that crashed, there are a lot of fixtures available from houses that were never finished. You may find fixtures that have unimportant flaws and save a lot of money compared to buying new.

You should obviously shop around for the best deal. Small local businesses that struggle to compete with big home repair chains may be able to swing you a great discount for the business.

Don’t forget to look online for bargains on hardware and fixtures. You’d think the shipping would be prohibitive, but sometimes they save so much on overhead that it still comes out a bargain.

The Total DIY

I said above that you may want to hire a contractor to install a tub or toilet, but it is possible for you to do that yourself. It’s not easy. You’ll need to take your time on research and planning to avoid screwing something up and having a bigger mess than you started with. But if you’re the type who likes tackling stuff like that and has the confidence to try it, you could remodel your entire bathroom yourself.

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