A few months ago after moving into a fixer-upper beach house, I updated the bath. No before pix it was white box with the cheapest fiberboard vanity, cultured surface, peeling mirrored cabinet and exposed bulb fixture, all stained, deteriorated or rusting. Appropriate to the beach, the main living spaces are sand-color tongue and groove walls with white trim. My intent was to make the bath both bright but classic coastal.

The main fixtures were in good condition. The white porcelain shower/tub with sliding glass door and porcelain slate tile flooring had had been changed out a dozen years earlier but were still in good condition. A water saving toilet was recent. A good scrub and some caulk and they would be fine. The concentration was adding interest to the walls and replacing the entire vanity area.

Pale green paint, the color of the tropical foliage outside the window, contrasts with traditional white beadboard on the lower wall. A new larger chest-style vanity provided ample storage eliminating the need for a wall cabinet. The round "antique silver-gilt" wall mirror breaks up the rectangular lines of the boxy bathroom. The integrated sink surface is porcelain, stainproof and easy to clean. A nickel apothecary style wall fixture straggles the modern/trad line, while a fish shaped faucet adds a touch of whimsy.

Since neither electrical nor plumbing lines had to be relocated I could do the work myself with total cost under $500. After much comparative shopping the vanity and sink counter came from Ikea. There was no similar large capacity solid wood, not particle or press board, base on the market at twice their price. The traditional Scandinavian sinktop with integrated backsplash was perfect in both form and function. Finding a large silver trad round mirror at Ikea for $50 was a bonus. [After renovating two bathrooms in a mountain cabin using the same Ikea base but in a dark stain, I can report the style is very durable. They are still in excellent condition after five years. In that case I used a natural stone surfaces with vessel sinks for the modern rustic touch.]

The biggest problem was matching the porcelain slate tiles. The legs of the chest vanity exposed more floor than the old cabinet. Matching porcelain tiles were not to be found. The solution using actual slate tiles under the sink instead of faux slate.

I renovated our bathroom and walk-in cupboard - turning two rooms into one by knocking an opening between them and adding a small window into the cupboard to allow for better air circulation. I did all of the work myself (except for a small electrical job) and it took me nearly twelve months to complete. Costing under $2000 I used good quality fittings I simply purchased them on sale. The $1000 toilet suite cost $250, the $1100 taps cost $150 and four large cupboard doors cost $40 reduced from $600. It is very possible to save a lot of money on renovation you just have to be flexible in your ideas and be very imaginative. DIY allows you to think about your project as you go along and you can adjust and improve on your original ideas. You have the advantage of working at your own pace without the pressure of having to make decisions at a set time. I started learning to do projects myself because of bad experiences with so-called tradesmen. They were always rushing work to get to the next job, never turning up or refusing to even give quotes. The opening for the window in our walk-in cupboard was made by myself through a block wall with a hammer and chisel as no tradesman would give a quote because 'the job was too small and not worth the time'. Good luck to anyone who undertakes their own projects - my advice is to be brave but know your limitations, 'google' is a good teacher, follow manufacturer's instructions and don't worry what others say, it is your project if you're happy that is all that matters. Finally, a message to detractors - if you can't say something nice, it is probably better not to say anything at all.

maranoj "...you just have to be flexible in your ideas and be very imaginative."

Absolutely!

I'd love to see photos!

I would love to hear from those who have done a remodel of a four or five piece bath that converted a small tile shower to a stackable laundry pair, or converted an oversized tub to a wet room with a smaller soaking tub and separate tile shower. All advice welcome. The plan we have is to refinish existing vanities, removing one small bank of drawers but needing to move sinks closer together to make eaxtra room for the shower. Have to convert shower plumbing to washer dryer hook ups, venting dryer through the attic above. We will leave the toilet enclosure alone, but will have to replace the old tile floor throughout. I am considering using cork flooring outside the wet room.

Can anyone share a similar remodeling experience? Thanks!

though the plumbing looks untouched but it's a visible transformation from the old.

This looks more like a 1/2 bath powder room. That makes the $1100 price tag not so impressively frugal.

I like it and funny I am doing the same to my half bath.If I am correct I should under the 1000 mark.I will be posting pics as soon as it is done of the before and after hoping for it to be done today.

If you have the older plumbing in your bathroom and you want to use a wall hung vanity the best thing to do is put the plumbing into the wall and make a access panel so that way if you need to get at it at anytime you can, plus it hides it but makes it easy to get at and you can use the great vanity that you like, this is what I am having done today as I have older plumbing and too big for the vanity.I was not willing to compromise my vanity..

This is our powder room. I did it for about $350, (still need to smooth the walls behind the lights). The job involved removing all trim (base and door) making the base moulding, the door moulding, adding the tongue and groove beadboard and trim and adding the crown - I made it very similar to the base. It took a lot of paint and caulk but it looks very fresh and clean. We have added some decorations and accessories not in the pictures.

that is nice my powder room is a spin around I had to replace floors on mine it was 60's abstract hideous browns.

airstreamingypsy.... love your monogram shower curtain and have been looking for one like that. Can you share where you got it.

To the original story DIY'er and to all those who posted photos -- thank you! You are all very creative and talented.

TooTimes, Yes, happy to share..... I got it from Lime Rickee Designs. https://www.limerikeedesigns.com/

Congrats on having the vision and courage to take on this project! Few are willing to tackle anything today in spite of Utube videos showing how to accomplish the job. Bravo!

Updating a powder room on $1000 is impressive, and I like the style choices made. I have been eyeing that backsplash for my kitchen and fireplace, but question how practical it is.

We moved in our house 18 months ago. The family was expecting to buy a bigger, better house, but I liked this builder basic ranch that fit our needs in a great location. One concession was to update the main bath for middle son (it did not need updating, as it was only four years old.) I have no before pictures....imagine builder basic laminate counters and sheet vinyl floors. We sold the old sink on Craigslist and the faucet went to the Mr's brother, who was also updating.

The quartz counter alone cost $500. The floor was probably another $500-$800, then the sink, the faucet, the plumbing...much more than $1000 total, but the result is lovely. Kids love it. It is easy to clean, and people always comment on how "fun" it is to wash their hands in that bathroom!

Last few years we have done quite a bit of remodeling but this past year I redid my kitchen cabinets from golden oak to white. We used a process that is fantastic it is called NHance. I found them through my local Home Depot. But can also just Google the name. Our cabinets were in perfect shape and I was happy with the layout. So could not justify tearing them all out for new. This proprietary process is done in stages, it has no smell and there is no sanding. Choices are wide open whether you choose a stain or paint finish. My project involved an additional step as I wanted to also remove the grain that is inherent in oak wood. So there was some sanding needed. This process uses a light source after the top coat finish is applied, so it dries fast and hard. Ladies it is like the getting gel nail polish. The minute they are done everything is dry and ready to go. It is about 1/3 the price of new cabinets. I put on new handles and knobs in brushed nickel and resprayed an over table fixture and four recessed can light decorative trims also to brushed nickel. My high walls are a medium true gray and I decorated with several photos (from the old town in Dubrovnik and from the town in Mont-Saint-Michel) which I myself took. I had them blown up 36 X48 in black/white mounted/laminated on poster board and they are above my high ceiling upper cabinets which have uplighting and LED spots directed on them. The whole kitchen has taken on a new and very different look quite edgy and upscale and

I could not be more pleased.

I love an all white kitchen. Mine is also white cabinets and counters and white appliances....... brilliant to get rid of the oak grain, it's just ugly.... your kitchen is fabulous.

What's ugly about beautiful, grained wood?? Everyone uses it on the floors, yet somehow that's ok, it's just ugly on cabinets??? Some of us love wood with grain in it.

If you're asking me, I don't care for oak, I think its ugly. I have pine on my floors, not oak because I think its ugly..... No reason to be offended.

I used to like wood all different types of colors and grains in fact I spent a lot of time doing wood refinishing in another custom built home in which we lived in. At that time and that home, I could not imagine why anyone would paint over wood, ARGH!!! However, people's tastes change and this home's architecture does not lend itself to wood tones but more to the upscale painted finishes. In addition to doing my kitchen white, I also replaced plain 2 1/2 " trim with 5"trim finishes i

n

white and painted my doors black, something I learned from HGTV, HOUZZ or DYI Network. They really look super great and super upscale!! I also had my wet bar in great room done by the NHance process to black, and a large built in bookshelf and cabinets done in black, they all look incredible, so happy with how it all looks. I think the best is to keep an open mind what works well in one location may not be right in another. And as my painter always tells me -- It's just paint if you don't like the color we can change it!! I do also know it's not quite that simple when you are talking about wood.

The bathroom looks gorgeous & especially for the price. I know a builder who renovated his entire house using off-cuts & left-over pieces from his clients homes (usually through purposely over-ordering) & of course he did everything himself.

I just looked at the before picture & it isn't really that bad. The before picture could easily pass as an after picture as the paint looks fresh. I personally love the tiles but i know some people who would prefer the moody but tasteful look of the saturated paint.

We're currently doing our ensuite over on a budget (under $5k AUD, which is about 3.5k US). It was the original 80s suite, and although I originally intended just to touch it up, once we moved in we found a sufficient build-up of future maintenance issues (cracking tiles, degrading grout, cracked toilet pan), and inconvenience (unuseably small and shallow bath taking up a lot of space) that we decided to gut it and start again. Part of my ethos for the house is that where possible we use recycled or remaindered / leftover fittings to save waste, which is where the major cost-savings are coming in. We're currently halfway through (gutted, behind the scenes plumbing done, exciting issues like a concealed hole in the slab fixed), and so far we've spent (all numbers AUD):

Labour - strip out:
$255 (this astounded my plumber as the local bathroom reno companies charge a couple of grand for this alone - I used a local handyman)

Plumbing (phase 1):
$880 (legal requirement to use a professional and nationally certified fittings. This included capping / removing the unwanted old plumbing, installing a new shower bridge and moving the head position, and moving the previous vanity sited plumbing into the wall with new bridge etc.)

Vessel sink:
$60 (never used, but secondhand from a guy who changed his mind on a reno. Same model costs about $300 in the local hardware store)

Ceasarstone vanity
benchtop: $150 (Unused secondhand offcut from someone else's kitchen reno which happens to fit our space perfectly)

Caroma vintage
toilet suite: $125 (Secondhand, removed from a property where the new owners decided to gut the existing good quality bathroom for style reasons. The range looks to have been discontinued now, but they were about $800 new last year)

Floor tiles: $50
(for approx 7 sqm) (Unused leftovers from someone elses reno)

Cement for filling hidden hole in floor:
$20 (New from the hardware store)

So the total to date is $1540 AUD or about $1k USD. There is still quite a bit to go obviously, but based on the outstanding quotes we should be comfortably under budget.

I have remodeled two full bathrooms and a powder room in the past few years. The full bathrooms included a complete gut. The one down to studs needed drywall, cement board, tub, tile surround, tile floor, vanity, toilet and a new window. The only thing we kept was the shower head and faucet. The room was small, only 8x5 but we also had to take out a jack and Jill door and replace the existing slab door. We did all except the plumbing install and electrical ourselves and we were at about $2500 all in. And yes everyone was certified. You just have to make smart choices to keep costs down. Bathroom fixtures can be purchased by your plumber at half the cost you will pay at a big box store. Ditto the electrical boxes and switches etc. If we didn't have the tub to do which took the lion's share of the budget as the window is in the shower area, we would have been easily under $1000. I did our small powder room at home for under $450 in tiles, paint, light fixture and MDF trim wainscoting and crown. Didn't need to replace vanity but my point is that it is doable for under $1000. Beautiful tiles can be had at Habitat for Humanity Restore as people donate what they have leftover so you can buy enough to do a small room at well below cost. I got glass mosaic wall tiles used for part of my wainscoting for about $4 a sheet from a big box store who had special ordered for someone who changed her mind so they were clearing them out. So for all the haters, keeping costs down is doable, you just need to be creative and resourceful and put in some hard work yourself.

Kudos to the home owner for her thriftiness and I mean that sincerely. That said; I feel that the country you may reside in to accomplish such a feat has a bearing on your expenses as in all honesty I spent close to that just to equip my new bathroom with accessories (all may I add that I got on sale). FTR, I live in Canada where pretty well everything is at least double in price if not more (than if you live in the United States) and reason why I also purchased much of the bathroom fixtures online (vanities/faucets/sinks/shower components) and had them sent to an USA address which I picked up and processed through Customs myself saving a bundle of $$$. ( i.e.: $600.00 on two vanities alone.) In summary, my intent is only to point out the reality for some and not to criticize.

Remodeled my bathroom for about $850-new tub, shower doors, toilet, window, tile, faucet, plumbing, electrical outlets and lights, fan, lumber, drywall, tongue & groove laminated wall finish. Took my time and shopped around. Grew up doing this kind of work-so labor was $0.

before

during

after

TOILET

TOILET

TOILET?

The vanity is actually an old oak desk that someone was throwing away, and the sink is an old 60y/o "doughbowl"

I love the fact that the faucet is on the wall. Cleaning stains around the spout and the handles after every use drives me crazy.

There is some great work reflected above... WOW.... love the colors, vanities, walls, just wow on so many...

I also have to agree.. We had a contractor redo our house... they did good, however there are areas that I think they lost inspirational steam or professionalism (not sure which, I'd like to think it was the inspiration, ahem) but when 2 other contractors come for a visit - for other items & say 'nice house' , well we want to give a tour and during that time, they share "oh oh here and oh oh there"... I'm left feeling insecure about my house...and can't afford to redo, and redo... So, I found a contractor site, where I stated my woes, and to help me regain faith in hiring contractors, I found one who is not only discounting the job due to us helping... - this way we better understand the quirks of our house and in doing so we learnt some maintenance - and... regained some faith in contractors, too... a happy balance.

I've used shark bites on several projects...including heating systems and have yet to have a single failure. I have nothing but praise for the product.

As for access doors for plumbing, I have one for my tub in my 1903 house; it's in the walk-in closet. Walk in closet in such an old house? How did that happen?

mwj- my husband and I are dedicated DIYers. After years of finding some contractors' work less than perfect and especially after going from 2 incomes to 1 (therefore, having less cash flow to get things we wanted done), we learned to do some things ourselves. My thinking- usually the work wasn't perfect when performed by the pros and I can certainly live with imperfections better if they are my own. Besides, no one is going to pay more attention to the details in my house than I am! My husband is a bit more reluctant. He is more likely to say "we may need to pay for this part." But I remind him constantly that people who are well- less smart than he is (he is a bright guy with a lot of letters behind his name who is fairly detail oriented) learn this stuff for the first time too. I am now trying to convince him to DIY a basement bath install. My budget is $1500. Total. I've done lots of research and YOUtube is invaluable. I have found videos for every single aspect of the job! Last week, I was in a box store and found a vanity I like on closeout cheap, so I've started buying the fixtures. (I brought the floor tile over the holiday because it just too good a deal to pass up at our local Home Emporium store- which is amazing and the cheapest way possible to buy flooring!) So as my teenage daughter says- I am feeling you!

I wouldn't worry about what they did here. stop trying to bash a project when most of you remodelers here that I'm seeing, probably know nothing about that particular stone. that stone requires no grout. the faucet pipes are probably mounted thru the wall, making them leak proof(Teflon tape - mounted like a shower head pipe). and to the homeowners commenting: you may or may not know much about this. stop letting these DIY shows trick you into thinking you know anything about bathroom remodels. the owner of this bathroom is probably well aware that they'll have some water behind the sink, and they'll clean it up. also, that whole faucet situation appears to be going into the sink itself. it's possible to do a bathroom remod for $1,000. I've done it, personally. there are just precautionary measures you should take, ensuring its done right.

Wow looks amazing!

Everyone has an opinion,some positive,some negative and then others that are in the middle.After scrolling down and seeing the before photo,I must say the homeowner did a great job.I also read a lot of negativity about this project which wasn't the topic of this conversation.With that being said,It's not up to everybody else to judge your work.The homeowner remodeled this bathroom the way she wanted it,not how other people wanted it be.As for some the"pros"who posted negative comments,your job is to make money,the same way I do when I clock in as a nurse.The difference is I don't skip a patient who can pay verses another who might not look as if they have a penny to their name.My point is more and more homeowners are remodeling and designing their homes for themselves.Now for the professional designer's,not ever state,city,etc.is as expensive to buy beautiful products that doesn't break the bank,verses bigger cities where the cost of living is much higher.Also not everyone wants a $5,000 room,state of the art or the very best,and most expensive products on the market.Homeowners such as myself love the look of luxury,however if I can find the same product or a knock-off that is a quarter of the price,that's what you will find in my home.Then after my project is complete I have money left to take a trip with my husband and children plus a beautiful space.So I commend this homeowner for sharing her project.It turned out beautiful and if you and your family love it,what else matters? I'd like to see Houzz members pay attention to the topic of the conversation and not change it to satisfy what they
want to comment about.Thank you.

I think some of the comments from the"pros" are inappropriate. I believe Christy was looking for positive feedback on her awesome project, not criticism. If she asked a specific question, then hey, go for it, answering in any way you'd like. But personally, I was a bit discouraged by lots of the pros comments. Nice job Christy! I'm glad you are so happy with the outcome. It looks awesome!

I fully agree I have great tiles, flooring, lighting going in both my bathrooms.All of which i got on clearance at a local store.It will look very expensive when it is done but not with the price tag.

I agree and I know it can be done for the 1100.00...if you think about she probably installed it herself which took away the labor...shop thrifty and when things are on sale...I know I just did my condo for less....dont listen to negative comments...its gorgeous

To all you naysayers who have been so negative, didn't
your parents teach you that if you don't have anything positive to say, don't say it! The bathroom is beautiful! Job well done!

Done it myself for about that, using Craigslist and my own labour. I'd send you a photo but I haven't finished the baseboards yet. ;)

Sorry about all the haters, Looks great!

As soon as my bathrooms are done i will post pictures, you can get some really good stuff on classifieds and super cheap.

Can we please dispense with the "all the haters" comments? It's really unnecessary. Much of the discussion has been lively. And helpful. And informative. A half-bath renovation for $1100 is doable. One can spend less or a lot more too. Someone (in a post above) brought up a cautionary note about Signature brand sink hardware. I checked into it and it was helpful. It appears that their faucets (of late) may be substandard quality...something that would never be sold in a home improvement store. And these stores sell a variety of fixtures of varying qualities and costs.

After reading about this on-line style, I would not buy it for my own bath even if it looks great because it looks to be an inferior product. When buying on-line buyer beware! Do your homework and read about the warnings from some who've been there and got burned or have done the due diligence. Snake oil was sold by traveling peddlers in the olden days, now it's done on the internet!

Remember quality first - looks second; a close second perhaps, but who wants a beautiful piece if it's a PITA to maintain or doesn't last long?

The bathroom reno looks great. Hopefully it will provide years of trouble free service.

Shark bites are relatively new to the plumbing scene. They are clamps generally used by the unskilled/weekend warrior-type that replace the need to solder copper fittings (a much higher level skill). I've seen a licensed plumber use them in emergency. I've used them to help a family member tap into the main hot water line for an on-demand hot water heater. My husband has used them in several shower remodels. All the "bites" worked beautifully (crossing my fins).

We did both our bathrooms for less. Our master bathroom still needs some tile work and plumbing moved so no final photos of it but here’s our son. Everything except the tub was pulled out floor to ceiling because of mold

Another shot

Last one. Also please ignore all the crap on the sink before. We had all 3 of us and extended family using 1 bathroom for about a month. I knew it was getting ripped out so didn’t clean it for the last week

Just noticed this is an old post :(. Sorry it was bumped by someone else above me so didn’t look at the original date