Remodeling Our Bathroom for $3,000
When we moved into our current home, the home of which I grew up in, the bathroom was old, dated and smelled bad. I had lived in the house until I was 18 with my grandparents who built the house in 1965. We bought the house in 2010 after my grandma passed away. We thought it would be an easy remodel, just a tub, toilet and sink. Other than the dated look we had no idea the bathroom was in such bad shape.
Since we were unable to renovate before we moved in we lived with it for almost a year. The only thing I did do was pull up the nasty carpet. Living with three males, my husband and two sons, the carpet absolutely had to go. About 2 weeks before the renovation started I put some markers in the bathroom and we had fun writing messages and drawing pictures on the wall.
When the renovation actually began we gutted the entire room. The old blue bathtub, toilet, and sinks were among the first to go along with the wall that separated the shower from the toilet. The more we dismantled, the more we discovered. Mold behind the shower walls and a rotten floor around the toilet. When the demolition was finally done the only thing that was left were the wall studs and floor joists.
We decided to move the bathroom around which required us to also move the plumbing and some electrical. This was mapped out before the new subfloor was put in. After the flooring the rough plumbing and electrical were completed. Next was the drywall. The drywall was tricky since we were working with full sized pieces in an 8×8 room. The cost of the drywall and subfloor was $150. Luckily new plumbing and electrical was only about $50 since we didn’t have to do much and was able to reuse a lot.
Once that was done the rest fell together piece by piece. The flooring is a pattern done with 12×12 and 6×6 ceramic tile. A bargain at $325 for the tile, thin set and grout. Our vanity is a beautiful rich color with a black granite top and under mount sink. Not too expensive at $700 but definitely a splurge since we were working within a budget. The faucets we chose were Moen in a brushed nickel finish $300 for both the tub and sink. We were lucky and found the tub and surround on clearance for $500. Lighting was $250 for a vanity light and a fan/ceiling light combo.
The one thing we should have done but did not was a heated floor. It never crossed our minds since the room is small. However, now we wish we would have done it. Our entire project was do-it-yourself. From the beginning to end we worked as a team and were able to save thousands of dollars doing it ourselves.
BATHROOMS – Bathroom surfaces typically don’t face the same abuse as those in the kitchen (think hot frying pans, sharp carving knives and spilled Bordeaux), the decisions most buyers wrestle with are usually more about style and cost than Herculean strength. Check out RG Stone Countertops for the best marble and countertops in Chicago Land Area.