Budget bathroom reno

[artrato3]

We have no money to spend on this dated bathroom to make it more appealing to buyers as we have to spend it all on the yard and retaining walls as it's on the side of a hill and I think the yard is why it hadn't sold however I am aware that bathrooms and kitchens are very important and want to give it a CHEAP facelift to make it more saleable. The toilet is behind the shower behind that door and there is a pair of louvre doors leading into the kitchen on the right-hand side opposite it. The main entrance to the bathroom where the picture is taken from is the lounge room. The photo makes it look a lot neater than it is. The door trim to the toilet is eaten away by white ants. Will post a couple of close-ups.

Community manager's note: Check out How to plan a bathroom renovation for expert advice.

cracked tilesbad patch on tile wall of showermirror damageddated tapware

[Jason]

Thanks for posting @artrato3.

Can you please give us a rough idea of the budget you would like to spend? I'm sure that would help Workshop members make some suggestions for you. 

You might also be interested to see what Workshop member @Darren did with a very small budget - My tiny bathroom reno on an even smaller budget

Jason

[MartyH]

If you replaced the mirror and door, painted over the tiles, painted that pinkish cupboard, replaced the gold tapware and painted the gold shower frame I think you would have something that looked much more modern and attractive to buyers. Paint is a particularly cheap and effective solution to updating.

Reno experts like @2Belindas know more than me, but it doesn't seem to be a big job from your photos. The big caveat is that there are no plumbing/waterproofing issues....

[2Belindas]

Perfect suggestions @MartyH  Paint is going to be your best friend in this bathroom.

Floor tiles:- Your floor tiles are okay to leave, so thats great!  To clean the grout to bring them up to scratch, mix diswasher powder and water into a paste (to the consistency of runny cake mix) and smear over your tiles.  Scrub the grout a bit, leave for a few hours, then mop off.  They'll look great.

Wall tiles:- Replace any wall tiles that are cracked if possible, otherwise fill the cracks and chips until you cannot see or feel them.  Paint tiles with White Knight tile paint and follow all of the preperation directions.  Use the colour white - it is not as quickly identified as tile paint and is accepted by the wider market at the point of sale.  The same with the bath - paint it white (spray for best result)

Shower frame:- Re. the shower frame.  You can paint shower frames with a Rustoleum product, but the paint always scratches off where the tracks are. So if it were me, I'd leave the shower frame as is. 

Vanity:- If you don't have the funds to replace the vanity, then paint it if it looks old, or touch up any chips (I can't see it very well in the photo).

Mirror:- First choice is to remove the mirror and replace with a new modern one ...you'll get a great one for less than $200.  Place the new mirror higher and add a few rows of spashback tiles above the vanity to draw attention.  Second choice is to frame over the exisiting frame and paint it black or white.....i.e. cover the existing frame with some timber trim, covering where the damage in the mirror is too and paint the new frame.

Replace the taps, vanity door knobs, towel rails with new black taps from Bunnings.

Paint the walls and those pink coloured panels in a white (example Taubmans Crisp White).  So your colour scheme is now white, black, gold.

Add a couple of shelves white and style with accessories (a couple of items in black and/or gold, an item that is the same colour as the floor) and a pot plant.  Done!  All of this should cost less than $700 if you DIY and you'll be amazed at how fantastic it will look

[ProjectPete]

Plenty of potential but hard to give too many ideas without knowing what "CHEAP" actually means. You can get a decent and modern looking vanity for around $450 which includes cupboard, drawers and a ceramic basin. New chrome tapware as cheap as $40. About $60 for shower head and taps. 300x100 white subway tles for $15/sqm. Mirror around $80.

The costs can begin to add up but that can also be key to selling the home and getting more for it.

The paint option is certainly there and can be very cost effective. Even though, like @2Belindas said, the shower frame will scratch from the rollers - just paint it right before home opens and you shouldn't have to worry.

[artrato3]

thanks everyone for your help!

[artrato3]

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[artrato3]

As it turns out the shower doors were not saveable so I have decided to take the framework out completely and have an open shower area. The mirror fell off the wall when I was trying to measure it but it doesn't matter as I was replacing it anyway. The vanity is 1.5mtres long so I have decided to go for double basins depending on the quote from the plumber. My budget is $500 so I am doing what I can myself. I have decided to go with a beige and black colour scheme with a white ceiling.

[Jason]

Many thanks for the update @artrato3. We are looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Please post again if you need anything. 

I have also updated the link to Darren's bathroom renovation in the post above. Apologies for the error.

Jason

[Jason]

Hi @artrato3,

Just checking in to see how your renovation project is going. It would be great to get an update. Please also feel free to post if you need further assistance with anything.

Thanks,

Jason