September 15, 2021 by Dymphna

How to nail a bathroom on a budget

Renovating a bathroom? Here’s a few tips for overdelivering under-budget

You’re about to list your place and you’ve got it looking fab. Freshly painted. Decluttering complete. Good to go, all except for… the ugly bathroom.

You don’t need to spend a fortune renovating a tired bathroom but updating a few key features can create an ‘on trend’ space that really appeals to potential buyers – and gets them to open up their wallets a little further!

Not sure where to start? I’ve put together a few tips on achieving a great cosmetic ‘facelift’ at a fraction of the cost you’d normally expect.

Set your budget and stick to it.

Staying on budget can be a tough task when flicking through the latest bathroom mags but keep your eye on the prize: an inexpensive update that buyers will love.

Visit your local bathroom or tiling supplies shop to see what’s trending and how it might work with what you’ve got.

Remember, the style you project in your bathroom should be in keeping with the rest of your house. Ultra-modern house with polished concrete floors? Don’t go for federation style fittings. That kind of thing…

Stick with the layout.

Moving plumbing around is expensive, so save money by leaving the layout alone. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel, always work with what you’ve got where you can.

Remember: you’re not creating your dream-forever-bathroom here, you’re creating a fresh look that appeals to a wide range of buyers.

Keep? Replace? Refresh? Maybe all the above…

Look for ways you can breathe new life into what you already have, decide which fixtures you will work with and what must go… Look up! Is your extractor fan cover clean? And your lightshade? Clean is beautiful.

Revamp the Vanity

If the vanity is more shabby than chic, a coat of paint can work wonders and is much less expensive than replacing the cabinetry. As any good renovator knows, preparation is the key to a great result when painting anything – and you can apply paint to literally just about anything from tiles to wood panelling, to mirror frames.

Keep the colour palate simple and remember the old real estate adage: any shade of white will do…

Replacing cabinet doors is another easy way to achieve a dramatic transformation that won’t blow your budget out of the water. Simply unclick the hinges and voila!

Think about taps

Another all-important feature that can bring your bathroom up to scratch in flash or drag it back through time is tap wear. It’s one of those features that can really stand out – in a good way or bad. An overall style is exuded through these details and it dates a place.

One hard and fast rule: tap wear must be matching. Pick a range you can afford and replace them all. Make sure the style you pick fits the rest of the picture.

Light switches stand out

Have you notice how grubby light switches stand out? Now there’s another super easy switch (pun intended) that makes the right kind of impression. Use a qualified electrician. DIY’ers and electricity don’t mix.

Something to pull it all together

Most fabulous spaces involve a special something that pulls it all together. Right now, in real estate, it’s all about plants. Beautiful, lush green plants. Some gorgeous foliage literally brings life to any bathroom…

Free help is available

Finally, if your ambition doesn’t quite match your skill set, help is at hand. Bunnings has some great, easy to follow tutorials on how to do just about anything! The trick is to know your limits.

The result should be a sparkling fresh bathroom that buyers will notice for all the right reasons, adding value to your sale.

Best of luck!

DB.