A Low Cost Bathroom Renovation

22/6/2020

A Farmhouse Bathroom Renovation on a Low Budget in Clunes NSW

When it comes to bathroom renovations, everyone has a different budget and different lifestyle needs. Knowing how much you are able to invest in your bathroom renovation, helps you to eliminate falling in love with items that don't fit your budget.

If you need to be careful of your costs and can only afford a low budget renovation, don't worry. While you might not be able to have all the latest bells and whistles of current trends such as LED mirrors, heated towel rails or thermostatic shower mixers, you will still have plenty of great options to choose from when it comes to your fixture and fittings.

In this article we will show you a low cost bathroom renovation that Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations completed in Clunes NSW 2480. We will give you some ideas and tips on how to keep your renovation costs down.

After image of a low cost farmhouse bathroom renovation by Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations in Corndale NSW 2480

After Renovation

Before Renovation

This main bathroom was originally an owner-built project that consisted of just a vanity bench with basin, a corner shower and a toilet. The bathroom area itself was quite generous in size but the area was poorly utilised with no built in storage area to keep toiletries, towels or other bathroom products. Our client not only wanted to update the look of her bathroom but she also wanted to add some storage space and if possible a bath tub, however, it needed to be done within a lower end budget.

Keeping bathroom costs down!

Plumbing

One way to keep bathroom renovation costs down is to keep the plumbing in the same place. In redesigning this bathroom, we kept the vanity and shower in the same place. This helps to keep costs down by using the existing plumbing. However to make the room more appealing and because our client really wanted to include a bathtub, we decided to move the toilet to behind the opening of the bathroom door and installed the freestanding bathtub where the toilet was originally placed. This new floor plan keeps the toilet hidden away and allows the bathtub to be a prominent feature of the bathroom.

Farmhouse bathroom renovation in Corndale NSW 2480 by Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations

Premade factory vanities with ceramic tops are great low budget choices.

Cabinetry & Tapware

When it comes to bathroom cabinetry and tapware, it is really easy to go over budget. Bathroom renovation costs can be kept low by forgoing custom made cabinetry and choosing a premade factory vanity instead. Our client choose the Hampton vanity with a moulded ceramic basin top by Fienza Bathware as well as a premade factory mirror cabinet. It's a win win situation for budget and storage.
The basin mixture is a budget range from Caroma Australia featuring a 5 star WELS rating and ceramic discs. Proving once again that quality can still be bought even with a low budget.

Tiling

White subway tiles laid brick bond in a shower by Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations

Budget ceramic tiles will keep bathroom renovation costs down.

Farmhouse style Bathroom featuring white hampton vanity and freestanding bathtub in Corndale NSW 2480 by Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations

Keeping original wall paneling and only using a skirting tile keeps costs down.

Tiling is one of those trades that is very labour intensive. The more tiles that need to be laid, the more expansive your bathroom will be. The tile type you choose can also wreck havoc on your budget if your not careful.

Our client choose low budget ceramic tiles and also kept the tile heights on the wall minimal. By choosing to keep the original wall paneling and only using a skirting tile, both material and labour costs were kept within budget.

Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations kept bathroom renovation costs down by keeping the original wall/ceiling paneling, light fittings and windows.

Light Fittings and Windows

Our client choose to keep the original light fitting, which meant she saved money by not needing an electrician to rewire new fittings, saving money on both trade labour and material costs.
Another budget saver is to keep the original bathroom window. Some people choose to replace windows due to the window frame colour not matching the new bathroom interior. A handy budget idea is to hang a blind or install shutters over your window. These two option will be much cheaper than having your widow replaced.