I have a really awesome before and after renovation to share with you today. It’s what I call a successful cosmetic makeover and it’s amazing what a $1000 bathroom renovation can look like. No matter your budget, you can achieve so much by being creative and thrifty. It helps having friends and family who are willing to help out as well.
When my friend, Alana, told me they were doing a budget makeover on their bathroom, I was intrigued to know what their budget was and what their bathroom would look like afterwards. As soon as she showed the results on Instagram I was like WHAT?! That can’t be the same bathroom!! But it is. Alana was gracious enough to share with me what her $1000 bathroom renovation looks like and how she, her hubby and her dad were able to transform this family bathroom on a tight budget.
Before
So before was a simple white, brown and beige bathroom which was popular during the 80’s and possible early 90’s (I’m guessing).
After, is well, pretty freaking awesome.
How to Achieve a $1000 Bathroom Makeover
Here is how the bathroom budget was met:
1. Layout was left the same.
All fixtures were left in the same position which meant there was no need for labour fees to move the services for each fixture and tap.
2. Do as much as you can (legally) yourself.
Since everything was left in the same position, money was saved on trades. Removal of old tiles, painting and new tiling was done by Alana’s husband and dad.
3. Be thrifty with your purchases.
Sometimes it’s what and who you know, which can help you save money on the products needed to complete your renovation. Here are Alana’s thrifty tips.
- Their next door neighbour was a plumber and had spare taps that weren’t used on another job that he wanted to give away. If you have friends that are tradies, sometimes they may offer to offload product so they don’t have to store it. Dad and I have done the same with friends who were getting their kitchen renovated and they weren’t fussed on the type of sink mixer they were after, but don’t expect all tradies to offer this. Often they will use it on another job where they can.
- The tiles were bought off Gumtree. Alana explained, there are a lot of tradies who sell boxes of excess tiles from their jobs at really great prices. Ensure you measure the area that needs tiling twice and buy from a tradie that can supply more than what you need. You need to allow for breaks when cutting the tiles. A tile cutter was hired from Bunnings. They ask that you buy a new blade before hiring it. The old tiles were removed easily and a water proof membrane paint was bought from Crystal Paints.
- The tiled floor was sanded with 240 sandpaper and painted over with good quality tile paint from Crystal Paints. It came up looking spectacular.
- The vanity was also sourced from Gumtree and fit the dimensions needed for the allocated space and services from the wall.
- A new adjustable shower screen was purchased from Bunnings to replace the old one.
- The wall paint was also purchased from Bunnings. The tin of neutral paint was found on the mistint trolley. This saved $50 a can. The paint was then tinted the colour they wanted.
- There are no towel rails in the bathroom as these can be expensive. Instead a hand towel hook was installed and the kids have a hook in their rooms where their towel can be hung.
As you can see the bathroom has been transformed into a fabulous space.
Alana knows it won’t last forever, but the mini renovation has given them an additional couple of years before they fully renovate the bathroom.
This type of cosmetic renovation works well for houses put on the market where the bathroom needs a pick-me up, or for families like Alana’s, where the transformation will buy them time before they have to spend many more thousands of dollars to renovate.
This project shows what a $1000 bathroom makeover looks like, and I think you can agree with me, they’ve updated the space superbly.
Thank you Alana for sharing your renovation with us (and good work to your hubby and dad with the tiling!)
Want more budget bathroom renovating tips?
Check out this post, if you’re looking for more budget bathroom renovating tips.
I also share some ways to add storage to your bathroom without renovating.