Bathroom on a Budget

Pound-for-pound and blow-for-blow, a full-on bathroom renovation is easily one of the most challenging home-improvement projects you can tackle. While there is usually no single element that is too complicated, the challenge sometimes comes from having to do everything—organize materials, demolition, framing, plumbing, electrical, flooring, trim, windows, paint—in a small area, on a fast schedule and, considering the current economic conditions, on a budget.  

Can you say train wreck?

By the way, when I say “full-on bathroom renovation” I’m not talking about a remove-and-replace situation where the main scope of work is to replace the existing vanity with a new one, the existing tub with a new one and so on. No, I mean a total gutting and relocation of fixtures—the sink goes across the room, the tub moves from here to there, and so on.  

The sink and toilet are jammed into the same corner truncating egress between the tub and corner of the vanity.

Sometimes “full-on” is the only way to make a bathroom work, which was the case with the bathroom here. The good news is that the payoff is much greater than the headaches if you do it right, and that means there are a few decisions to make before you start. For example, decide whether you’re the contractor orchestrating the symphony, a homeowner acting as your own general contractor, or a DIY’er tackling all or some of the work yourself. If a bathroom overhaul is on your schedule, this article is for you.  

The tub is “tiled” with plastic tile sheets. All materials were low-budget, poorly detailed and (gag) beyond cleaning.

From design to framing and finishes to smart layout tricks, we cover the issues you’ll face that’ll help you get the bathroom you imagine and—get this—do it by maximizing every dollar!  

Design

Like every home improvement or step forward in life, it starts with a need, dream, vision, or some combination of the three, which was the case here. Not only was the existing bathroom a train wreck, but the homeowners had a baby on the way. Also, the space was just 8 feet deep by 6 feet wide. And, if you can imagine it, there was a ton of wasted space here begging to be utilized. We started with a redesign of the layout (see sidebar).  

Get Organized Early

Once your design parameters are in the bag, it’s time to focus your mind like a laser beam on getting organized.  

A full-bore bath remodel can—and probably will—turn to chaos at some point, especially if you’re remodeling the only bath in the home. Success hinges heavily on a well-organized project. The first order of business is to decide on one of three possible options: farm out the whole thing, act as the general contractor, or execute the work myself.  

Whatever your course of action, planning, design and product selection is the next step.