Luxury bathroom on a budget…where to start?

A beautiful bathroom can have a very positive effect on your daily life. It can be that hot soak after a long day or the refreshing shower early in the morning. While most all bathrooms provide these amenities, the positive effects of luxury bathroom on your mood and well being can be an often over looked benefit when considering a bathroom remodel. We all like a little bit of luxury in our lives, that bump into first class, you weren’t expecting, the elegant dinner for your anniversary or the afternoon at the Spa. These are the kinds of things that brighten your day, and make that smile come a little bit quicker or depending on how much you spent…make you feel guilty for splurging on yourself…which defeats the purpose.
Unlike these other luxuries, pampering yourself a little with a luxury bathroom can be investment and done properly an investment that doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Here are some cost saving tips that will help you get the most for your money.

Set a budget …and stick to it.

This can be hard to do as the project goes along it is easy to get wrapped up in marble, granite, tile and so on. You also need to budget for the unexpected, you know the rotten sub-floor or the mold in the insulation behind the shower or the plumbing that must be replaced. These are things you and your contractor won’t know until they get into the job. In, fact the one thing you can count on throughout this process is the unexpected. So, set aside 15-20% of your budget to cover this and with a little luck hopefully this will be savings in the end.

Not Hiring the lowest bidder…

This is the toughest advice to take. There are a lot of ways that you can cut costs on your project, without having the result look…well cheap. Your biggest expense will be your contractor, it is easy to go with the cheapest bid or the guy from work, who does it on the side. The one thing I can tell you from years of experience, is you get what you pay for and trying to save here can cost you twice as much down the road, due to poor craftsmanship. A huge percentage of our work over the years, involves fixing prior mistakes. Find a contractor that is experienced, insured and receives good reviews, like Restore Point.

Be frugal…not cheap…

When picking out materials for your project you must use good judgement. This is where, if done properly you can get that luxury bathroom without breaking the budget and without trying to save so much that the end result looks like it. Things to consider here are items that will have a similar look and feel, for less money. Here are some examples of cost saving things to consider

Tile
If a custom shower with tile surround is in the budget. There are lots of ways to get similar results for less. Number one rule of tile, the smaller the tile the more it will cost to have installed, (more tile more cuts=more time more money) For most shower applications a mid-size tile that covers around 1 to 2 sf will get you the most bang for your buck. When choosing tile make sure the tile you are picking out are available with edge treatments, these would be items like bull nose or quarter round tile for edges etc. Some tiles are designed for flooring or back splash applications where they are to be used without or with different edge treatments. Make sure that they have enough tile on hand for the job, with a little left over for repairs down the road, if necessary. Tile patterns change all the time and you are unlikely to find the same tile in a year or two, if you needed to make a repair.

Flooring

Depending on what you have in your budget, you can save money here with different types of flooring that will provide beautiful results. While we all would love to have marble floors, for most of us that isn’t in the budget. Your other options include tile, linoleum, sheet vinyl and a newer product called vinyl planking. This product is a very cost-effective way to get the look of wood floors without the expense or worry of water. as they are water proof and work great in bathrooms kitchens etc. You can find a great selection of these at Home Depot as well as Lowe’s

Fixtures

Depending on how in depth you are going on your remodel you may be replacing water and light fixtures as well as mirrors. When it comes to mirrors in some cases you can have the mirror trimmed out to give it a picture frame look instead of replacement. You can see some examples here at Mirror Mate.  Another cost saving practice I have seen done is painting light fixtures and bathroom hardware rather than buying new. You can also save by replacing the shower head instead of all of the fixtures as well as replacing the toilet seat instead of the toilet seat.

Some additional items to consider that will make your new bathroom feel like your own personal heaven on earth are installing an electric vent-less fireplace or even an HDTV. Electric fire places are relatively inexpensive and can be found at stores like Lowes and Home Depot, as well as online at Amazon.

When you are ready to transform your bathroom into your personal paradise. Give us a call for a free consultation (866) 247-3786.

Restore Point provides, remodeling, restoration and more to the greater Central Texas area, including Waco, Temple, Gatesville and beyond.