We have not one, but two bathrooms that need a remodel. Yikes! So, I thought I’d share a little about our project and how we’re saving money along the way…
Our shower floor cracked. The “all the way across and someone will fall through any day now” kind of cracked. This shower bathroom (master bathroom) has been remodeled twice already in the 8 years that we have lived here, so we know that this particular bathroom is never easy. Nothing will go as planned and it will probably take twice as long to complete. Yeah, it’s one of “those” remodels.
In an effort to simplify our lives, Mike and I decided to add a shower to our other bathroom (the kids’ bathroom), which currently has a tub only and no shower. This bathroom should be pretty cut and dry, so the plan is to get this bathroom remodeled quickly so that we can stop using the broken shower and take our time with that other remodel. We’ll see how that goes!
The kids’ bathroom remodel is a very exciting project for us. We have updated and painted it a couple of times in the past, but nothing major. This house was built in 1888, so it has plaster walls. If you’ve ever had plaster walls, you know what a pain they can be. Some of the plaster is so old that it just crumbles. So, we’ve been slowly making our way around the house, replacing walls with sheet rock every chance we get. This bathroom will have real walls when we’re done. Yay!
We’ve also wanted a second shower for a long time. I’m thankful that we have two bathrooms, but a second shower would be nice. Anything that keeps the kids out of my bathroom is a plus in my book!
So, here’s what we’re starting with…
Obviously, nothing fancy. But, we’re blessed to have an extra bathroom. I usually have a curtain hanging all the way across the wall in front of the tub, which helps hide the clutter.
The tub is an old cast iron tub and is not a standard size – I believe around 54″ – so we will be replacing it with one that’s not only longer, but deeper as well. This should minimize the splashing of water onto the floor, by my children.
I tiled this bathroom myself. You can tell, by the way the tile is separating in a few places. I’m not a professional, in case you were wondering.
You can see where my husband started pulling off the wall trim and I made him stop so I could take photos. Anything I can do to help productivity. 
The progress…
Mike had waaay too much fun with the demo. It’s great stress relief.
Everything gutted, then a wall framed in where the plumbing will be.
We have a tub! And a sexy model to show it off.
And a wall! Woohoo!
We don’t want to sink a ton of money into these remodels, so we’ve been looking for ways to save money every chance we get. Here are a few ways to save money on bathroom remodels (or any remodel, for that matter):
- Do it yourself or find someone that can help you. We have amazing and generous friends and family that have graciously offered to help. This will save us tons of money, not having to pay a contractor. We also did the demo work ourselves, which is a huge money saver, even if you’re not doing the actual remodel yourself.
- Re-use items that you already have. For example, while I would love to have a larger counter/sink area, I will reuse the sink that we have already. We can always upgrade and change things later on down the road, but this will save us quite a bit of cash right now.
- Shop around for supplies. I would not recommend just going out and buying the cheapest of everything, because there are certain items that fall into the “you get what you pay for” category. However, once you research and find what you want, shop around and compare prices. Ask friends and family, that you know have remodeled, what they recommend and how they like the products that they used. Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to get reviews of a product.
- Get creative. I will be utilizing some creative storage ideas that I found on Pinterest and Google, instead of going out and spending a ton of money on pre-built shelves and cabinets. There are so many DIY projects out there, even for us non-crafty people.
- Shop the recycling centers. I have heard great things about Habitat for Humanity ReStores, so we will be checking there for some of the items that we still need. They also accept donations of new and gently-used building materials and household goods. This would be a great way to recycle the items that you will not be re-using, while helping out a great cause.
These are just a few things to consider. I’ll keep you posted with updates. I can’t wait to have a new, more functional bathroom!
I’d love to know how you save money on your home improvement projects!
