Updating your bathroom is a great investment when it comes to home renovations. Along with kitchen renovations, Sydney residents renovate bathrooms to update the look of their home, add significant value and create the space they envision.
Bathroom renovations can become expensive for a multitude of reasons, careful planning is essential in any renovation and especially if you have a budget you need to stick to. By thoughtfully planning your bathroom renovation, you will be able to predict with precision, the overall costs that items and their labour cost will have as well as deciding what is worth investing your money into.
The best way to undertake a cheap bathroom renovation is to do a bathroom makeover rather than a renovation. Bathroom renovation companies will not be able to do much with a budget under $15,000 let alone $5,000, but you may benefit from a company that specialises in property makeovers instead.
What is the difference between bathroom renovations and makeovers?
A bathroom renovation involves gutting a bathroom, and replacing fixtures and tiles. a bathroom makeover involves improving and changing the aesthetics of a space and small functional changes that can be done at a much lower cost. Bathroom makeovers will still have a significant impact on the overall feeling of the space, without the price tag of a renovation.
In the end, the extent of your bathroom renovation or makeover is up to your budget and how much of the work you are willing and allowed to do yourself.
There are licensing rules and regulations regarding plumbing and electrical work that must be done by a licensed tradesperson, take this into consideration in the planning stage of your bathroom makeover as this will significantly affect budgeting.
How to stick to your $5,000 bathroom renovation budget
Undertaking a bathroom makeover instead of a renovation is the best and most effective way to stick to a budget when refreshing a space. With a renovation comes with it, structural changes that require tradespeople and time. When you opt for a bathroom makeover, you are bypassing the extensive changes that go into gutting a bathroom and changing fixtures, thereby cutting out the significant cost of labour.
Keep in mind that there are regulations about who can undertake what, for example, a licensed plumber must undertake any plumbing works including but not limited to moving, adding or removing plumbing works therefore the option to DIY is not viable.
Engaging a bathroom makeover company, that specialises in budget-friendly, yet significant improvements to a space will enable your budget to go a lot further than if you engaged a renovation company due to the difference in the scope of works involved.
What can a property makeover company do for $5,000?
A property makeover company can undertake significant aesthetic changes to your bathroom for under $5,000. Consider the biggest aesthetic changes that could improve the space such as painting and flooring, these steps could be done cheaply but add significant value and difference.
Changing the layout of the bathroom is beyond the $5,000 budget, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to change your bathroom layout for less than $20,000. If you are considering moving power points, consider that this will not greatly impact the aesthetics of the bathroom but will add a significant cost due to this task requiring a licensed electrician.
Consider the end goal of your bathroom makeover when considering what changes you make. If your goal is to improve your property going on the market, a makeover with changes such as paint resurfacing on tiling or the bathroom walls is a good idea; however if you make these changes to a property you intend to rent out or live in yourself, be aware that paint resurfacing does not last forever, and will require maintenance at some stage. When you gut a bathroom and do everything from scratch, the outcome may last longer, however it will require significantly more resources.
Cheap bathroom makeover ideas that make a difference
- Resurfacing tiles and bathtubs.
- Paint cabinets
- Change door handles and fixtures
- Change taps, shower heads and update them to a modern feel
- Update lighting – this task can escalate in cost if you are installing downlights, or installing new lights or moving existing lights, consider if simply changing the lighting fixture itself will make the difference you are looking for.
- Update flooring – paint resurfacing of floor tiles for a quick update
- Change the vanity – vanities can be expensive, consider finding a second hand vanity to replace and old one if your budget is tight, this can save significant money with a beautiful outcome.
Extensive bathroom renovation jobs that require a tradesperson will break the budget
When renovating a bathroom on a budget, you need to careful consider what tasks are the best use of your resources; whether your money or your time. Structural changes such as taking a wall down, adding skylight or windows, plumbing or electric work, will require licensed tradespeople, which will result in a significant portion of the budget going to labour, as well as time.
There are aesthetic changes that home owners can undertake themselves, that do not require licensed trades, however they will require a significant time investment as well as investment in tools and materials. If you opt for a makeover of your bathroom rather than a renovation, a budget of $5,000 can go a lot further. Careful planning and researching will be the determining factor of how far your budget takes you.
If time is of the essence with your project, there are companies that coordinate makeovers on your behalf, at a price point lower than bathroom renovation companies due to the scope of work to be done. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you in your budget.
If you end up deciding that your vision for your bathroom involves significantly more than a makeover, we recommend speaking to a bathroom renovation company like DCON Group, who have a reputation for quality and provide great value considering the results they deliver.
