The Penny Pincher's Essential Guide to a Cheap Bathroom Remodel

You're tired of that old outdated bathroom, aren't you?

Bathrooms are the second most used room in the house. They take a beating and end up waterlogged and tired. But who has the money to do a complete bathroom overhaul?

If the idea of a cheap bathroom remodel appeals to you, we've put together the perfect guide to help you tackle that worn out bathroom without the stress of wondering how you'll ever afford it. 

Keep reading and before you know it, you'll be soaking your cares away.

Plan Your Makeover on Paper

Before you purchase anything, create a bathroom mood board.

A mood board or inspiration board is a tool used in creative marketing to collect images and ideas for pitching projects or products. Homeowners can have a lot of fun using a mood board to come up with a design for their remodelling project. The mood board is a great spot to write down ideas, must-haves, and things you love but don't necessarily need. 

Everything you can dream up with goes into a collage format, which provides inspiration for the end design. If you don't feel confident in your design abilities, working with a mood board can stoke the fire of creativity.

Don't be tempted to skip this step because you need a plan before you can move forward to the next piece of the project, setting a budget.

The Backbone of the Cheap Bathroom Remodel

No one gets away with putting blinders on when it comes to how much money can be spent on a home remodelling project. 

Even though most bathrooms are the smallest room in the home that doesn't mean the costs can't add up quickly when you remodel. The best action you can take is to put together a budget and stick to it as closely as possible. It can be done and you can end up with an amazing new bathroom without breaking the bank.

Tight budgets mean you must be exact about will be replaced and what is in good enough condition to keep.

Save money by preserving the bath and basin. Those are usually the most costly to replace. Now, you have money in the budget to update the shower and toilet. The balance of the budget will go towards flooring, mixers, and accessories.

For every piece of the renovation project, there is a range of prices. Just because you choose to spend at the lower price range doesn't mean you sacrifice quality or beauty.

Let's start small with a few fun accessories and then move on to the big ones like the basin, baths and showers.

Go for the Latest Bathroom Accessories

The most logical place to start a cheap bathroom remodel is with the taps. If the bath and basin are salvable, you can at least spruce things up with new basin, bath, and shower taps. If that's all you can afford the difference just those small changes can make will astound you.

One of the best bathroom wall ideas on a budget is the heated towel rail. If you've never had one, you're missing out on a real treat, especially on chilly mornings when you dread leaving the hot shower and plunging into the cold air. Heated towel rails aren't just practical, they're attractive enough to play the role of upscale wall decor.

Top off the new accessories with a round of bath towels in a thread count that feels luxurious but doesn't ruin your budget.

A Splash of Color

In years past blue and white were the stand-ins for bathroom paint colours. Those days are gone and this year you have permission to use tonal colours in every hue. Gray and beige still work for style but savvy decorators are exercising their freedom to choose by painting walls in deep blues, yellows, greens, and shades of purple.

Wallpaper isn't taboo but hanging it is a chore and when you tire of the pattern, it's even more work to peel it off the walls. Paint, on the other hand, is relatively easy to apply and requires fewer tools. You can get away with a bucket, a brush, and a roller vs. paste, a paste brush or roller, smoothing brush, water tray, straight edge...and the list goes on.

A coat of fresh paint should be at the top of the list of bathroom wall ideas on a budget.

About Those Shower Walls

If you do nothing else at least update the shower walls.

Perhaps you've shied away from thinking too much about what you'll do with the grungy old wallpaper in the bathroom. Or, maybe you have shower tiles now and they're cracked and unattractive. Tile is expensive and wallpaper is totally out of style.

Don't despair! Meet bath and shower wall panels, an alternative to tile and just as pleasing to the eye.

Ceramic tile is beautiful, so no one is knocking it but let's consider a few things about tile you might not realise if you've never done a bathroom remodel.

Installing tile is a challenge for do-it-yourselfers, especially if you need to account for odd angles and corners. You'll need a whole list of hand tools including a tile cutter. The tile needs a surface it can adhere to, so you get to deal with messy mortar or adhesive.

Is it making more sense to choose something a bit more innovative for the shower walls?

Will the Real Shower Wall Please Stand Up?

Who doesn't enjoy the look of natural stone or glistening wall tile that you can see yourself in? 

We get it - the bathroom is the one room where you can wow guests with your creative flair and maybe even let on that you're madly successful. But the mission here is a makeover on the cheap, not to drain your bank account. Shower wall panels come in a range of textures meaning you'll likely find a design to mimic anything you can find in the design magazines. 

From marble to Moroccan, there's a shower wall panel for every taste.

We promise it's worth your time to explore some of the beautiful and inexpensive shower wall options available to home remodelers.

Don't Forget to Wash Your Hands

How can anyone forget clean hands when it's the first question all mothers ask as soon as we come to the dinner table? Now, you can wash your hands in style with a wide range of products available when you choose to update the bathroom vanity.

Beauty doesn't need to suffer because of the budget. There are plenty of options the thrifty remodeller can choose from and no one need know you pinched a few pennies in the process.

If you've determined the basin can stay, why not replace the bathroom worktop? If you currently have an old school model it's likely suffered some water damage and looks like it belongs in another era. Update with a worktop manufactured from 100% waterproof materials and you won't be replacing again for years.

Should You Hire a Plumber?

Being a penny pincher means you do as much of the renovation work as possible but there are some tasks better left to professionals. 

Many DIY projects turn into disasters when pipes aren't installed properly. Imagine looking forward to a soak in your luscious free standing bath only to discover the hot water isn't connected properly.

Plumbers go to school to learn how to install pipes, which saves you from the disaster of a water leak or no hot water for your bath. More homeowners end up calling for the plumber due to innocent mistakes. Remember, the motto for this project: make it beautiful but don't spend your last penny.

Choose the fixtures but let the plumber install them.

I'm Dreaming of a Soak in the Bath

That first deep soak in a new bath is what motivates remodellers to tolerate the mess of renovation. But what style bath works best when you're remodelling on a budget? Baths come in so many shapes and sizes it's difficult to fall in love with just one.

For the penny pincher, a standard bath offers economy but doesn't skimp on strength or appearance. Standard baths work well when you're keen to save money and space. Freestanding tubs are back in style and there are models that fit in a smaller budget.

Dare to dream, even when you don't have a huge amount to spend because you can find a bath that's functional, beautiful, and affordable.

Hot Steamy Showers...Oh là là

If the thought of thousands of hot water droplets falling on your tired head make you say, "Oh là là," then keep reading.

Budget-friendly shower makeovers work best when you think simple but elegant. A standard shower pan combined with a trendy shower enclosure speaks the language of minimalism without looking cheap. There are plenty of inexpensive shower wall options that won't swallow up your entire budget.

Is there anything better after a long workday or a hard run on the football field than a relaxing shower? We think not.

Are You Ready to Renovate?

You've taken a walk on the creative side, put together a budget, and maybe even scheduled a plumber. Now it's time to visit our services page at BBK Direct-UK and let us help you find the perfect pieces for your cheap bathroom remodel.