A nice bathroom, like a nice kitchen, is not only a selling point for your home and a room visitors use, and often a place for relaxing away from the frenetic days most people have. In the UK, the estimate for a new bathroom is from around £6,500 upwards.
If not included in your bathroom purchase, a bathroom fitter can cost from £250 to £350 a day. So, although on the much-wanted list of home improvements, a bathroom is not a cheap room to upgrade. Although, as with most things, there are ways and means to budget for a new bathroom.
Upgrading Your Old Bathroom – The Biggest Expenses
You can restyle your bathroom on a shoestring with planning and some compromises. But first, you need to establish what will take the biggest bite out of your budget. The top four tend to be,
- Electrics
- Plumbing
- Tiling
- Furniture
Think About The Layout You Want
Consider how much you want to change the layout. If you can live with the structure as it is now, that will save on plumbing and electrics. There might also be things you can do yourself, like moving a sink, bath or shower. You can do this by using the taps as the pivot point and flexible extension pipes for the drainage.
Think About The Tiles
Can you live with the tiles you have? Too ghastly? Think about painting them. They will cover if they are ceramic, stone or unglazed quarry tile. But, this is not a once-over, all-done job. It takes a few coats and patience. You could also paint a tiled floor, but choose a specialist paint that won’t be slippy, and don’t forget to seal it. You could also use tile stickers. There is a whole variety of them for you to use and put your artistic stamp on the bathroom decor.
Maybe you are a potential whizz at tiling. You never know unless you try! Plus, the internet contains helpful videos on ‘how to tile’. So take it slow and steady; your savings will give you that much extra budget for the rest of the bathroom.
You could also regrout your tiles. Doing this can significantly impact their appearance, especially if the grout has been there for years. Even try a contrasting colour to perk up how they look.
Think About The Furniture
Is there anything you can keep from the old bathroom? Maybe the taps or mixers just need polishing, and you can reuse them. Same with cabinets, maybe change the knobs or even give it a new look by taking the doors off and using them as open shelves.
Look for things you could upcycle from family, friends or charity shops. It could work well if you are looking for shabby chic decor.
Look out for sales and for stores selling display stock, an excellent way to get a bargain. But before you start to hand your cash over, remember to find out if the purchase includes delivery or fitting. As extras, these can add quite a bit more to your bill.
Bathroom Needing A Complete Overhaul?
Don’t despair. Using some of the hints above, you can make savings wherever you can to keep your new bathroom within your budget. So shop around, and don’t forget to visit our showrooms or talk to our trained staff.
At Whittlesey Bathrooms and Kitchens, we have been designing bathrooms for every kind of budget, and we include all the work needed from the start – removal of the old bathroom to the finish of your new bathroom.
