Bathroom remodels can vary widely in their cost, from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, depending on just how much work you’re doing, the size of your bathroom, the materials you select, and a number of other factors. If you’re remodeling your bathroom, you’re probably wondering just how much of a change you can make on your budget. This article will give you several tips for minimizing the remodeling costs so that you can stretch your budget a little further.
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Refinish the Cabinets
If you’re thinking about replacing the cabinetry in your bathroom, it might be worth re-examining just how much that will cost you. While bathrooms don’t have a ton of cabinets, replacing them can still be relatively pricey. Refinishing them instead can save you quite a bit of money—especially if you do it yourself. You can strip and stain or paint the cabinets and drawers, then apply new knobs and drawer pulls to give them a brand new look. You’ll be amazed at just how much of a difference this DIY project can make!
Of course, if there is something structurally wrong with your cabinets, then replacing them is probably still the better option for your specific circumstances.
Ask for Leftovers
Many contractors hang onto leftover materials from past projects in the hopes of being able to use them in the future. If you know which contractor you’d like to work with, speak to them about what materials they have on hand that you could use for your remodel. They’ll frequently sell you these materials at a much lower cost than normal so that they can avoid having them go to waste.
This is a great way to find quality materials for less money, especially in smaller bathrooms where you don’t need a large amount of each material. Usually, a small stone slab is sufficient for a bathroom counter, and a few dozen tiles can often cover a bathroom. You can even find leftover cabinets that might fit your bathroom’s design, in case you still really want to replace those cabinets instead of refinishing them.
Keep the Layout
By far, the best thing you can do to save money on your bathroom remodel is to keep your major bathroom fixtures right where they are. Even if you’re replacing all those fixtures, installing them in the same location helps you avoid having to repipe the area to match a new layout.
It can be extremely expensive and time-consuming to repipe plumbing in Sacramento, so unless you’re absolutely dying to change up your bathroom’s overall setup, it’s best to just upgrade things and keep the overall blueprint the same. The one exception to this is if your home and its plumbing are quite old; in these cases, it might be a good idea to repipe your home while you’re renovating anyway, so you can redesign that bathroom all you want!