5 Ways How to Save Money on Bathroom Remodel

Learn 5 different ways how to save money on bathroom remodel without sacrificing style. I promise you’ll be inspired and once you know these ways of saving money you can start your bathroom remodel today!

A renovation can be hard enough but paying for them can always be harder. Follow along for 5 ways how to save money on bathroom remodel.

We are deep into master bathroom renovation planning here.  And by we, I mean me.

I’ve been mildly obsessed with scouring Pinterest and my favorite designers (hello, Studio Mcgee!) projects, trying to come up with the perfect bathroom plan.  

If it sounds like I’m complaining, trust me, I’m not.  I could do this all day every day.  It’s like a dream!  Mixing patterns and texture and tile and color and vintage and modern and *sigh*.  Yes, I do love this part of renovating.

What I don’t love is sticking to a budget.  Yuck.  If we only had {insert crazy amount of money} we could do whatever we wanted.  But, since we aren’t trying to break the bank and are actually hopefully moving in the spring.

I’m not willing to spend more than I absolutely have to.

5 Ways to Save Money on a Bathroom Remodel

So, I figured I could come up with at least 5 budget-friendly ideas for a bathroom renovation.  I’m not saying we are doing all of these in our room but it’s at least a place to start.

1.  Save money on a DIY vanity

Source: Prodigal Pieces

Since you can now buy a vanity at nearly every store except the grocery store, the options can often seem endless.  And honestly, most of the vanities I see look all the same.  

I mean how many white vanities with marble tops can there be?  And, I mean, I guess they do look nice.  Maybe?  But, gosh, it’s just so cookie-cutter and predictable.

Aside from vanities all being the same, they’re all crazy expensive for a sort of okay quality.  You can get REALLY expensive and REALLY nice quality like this one but that’s not in the budget!

My solution?  DIY a vanity!  I’m all about making a vanity from old furniture and I even rounded up a few of my favorites in this post about using dressers as vanities.

Source: Tidbits and Twine

We will definitely be doing this whole dresser as vanity concept in our bathroom!

I actually found probably my new favorite store this past week AND found the most perfect vintage dresser to use as a vanity.  We spent $300 on the dresser which is a steal!  

Obviously, we will still have to buy a sink and faucet and some plumbing parts (real technical term there).  But, I’m hoping to come in around $600 total.  $600 for a unique, fun, and interesting vanity.

Here is my absolute favorite dresser turned vanity:

Source: Country Living

Now, I have NO clue how to actually go about turning a dresser into a vanity.  But, I found this article that seems to go pretty in-depth about the process in case you want to check it out.

2.  Faux cement tile to save money on bathroom remodel

Ohhh cement tile.  So trendy.  So very beautiful.  Extremely expensive.

We used cement tile in our shared boys bedroom makeover for the fireplace surround.  When I have the toys cleaned up enough that I can get a glimpse of the tile, man, it is SO pretty.

I do really love cement tile. The patterns and colors really add to any space.  I even rounded up my favorite cement tile and where you can use it!

But, if you’re looking to stick to a budget, using cement tile is probably not going to work.  However, you can still get the cement tile look for a fraction of the price.

You have two options here:

1. You can find a ceramic or porcelain type of tile that is patterned to LOOK LIKE cement tile.
2. You can actually paint the patterns on tile with a stencil.

I was shocked to find that these tutorials were for STENCILED “cement tile”.  I mean, it looks like the real thing.  I’m totally fooled.  For the cost of a stencil and some paint, you can get the same look for less!

Source: Domestic Blonde

Source: Life on Shady Lane

Source: Classy Clutter

3.  Use patterned tiles in small areas for bathroom remodel

Okay, so you’re not convinced about stenciling your floor.  I get it.  And, you want that cement tile look…

So, how about adding patterned tiles in small areas!?  Think cubby or niche in the shower, shower floor, on a bench in the shower, or a small section behind the vanity?  

Or, use large (plain, inexpensive) tile for most of the floor and use cement tile as a feature in the center of the room!  The possibilities are endless.

Here are a few examples I could find:

Source: Simplicity in the South

Source: Homes Stories A To Z

Source: My Life From Home

The best part about using patterned tile is that it draws attention.  It becomes a feature in the room.

So, if you splurge a bit on a larger feature wall or use more cement tile somewhere else, you can balance that out with lots of plain {inexpensive} tile.  

Plain white subway tile is very cheap and would complement the busy cement tile.

4.  To save money add in DIY shelving in your bathroom

Who doesn’t want some extra shelving in the bathroom!?  Open shelving is so popular these days, especially in bathrooms.  They’re functional AND you can store pretty things on them for all to see.  It’s a win-win scenario.

And, it’s SO easy to DIY your own shelving.  Check out some of my favorite tutorials:

Source: Love Create Celebrate

Source: Shanty2Chic

Source: Brepurposed

5.  Opt to save money on budget-friendly fixtures

Finally, when looking for bathroom fixtures, choose the budget-friendly option.  There are faucets out there for $1000 and ones for $100.  Do your research and read reviews.

You can get a perfectly nice faucet or shower head or any other feature for much less than the ritzy expensive ones you see.

Both of these are available at Home Depot.  The first is $750 and the second is $211.  If I’m being honest and didn’t know the price, I would still choose the second option over the first.  As long as it’s brass, my heart is happy.

I can’t wait to share our bathroom design plan and how I plan on staying on budget for this renovation.  It’s just an exciting project for me.  I love to design (I wish I could do this as my job!!!) so I can’t wait to get started!

Wishing you a joyful day!