Simple Bathroom Remodeling Ideas that Are Worth Trying

Improving your bathroom’s visuals is one of the ways to refresh your entire home. Why is this the case? Well, because your bathroom is one of the rooms that receive disproportionately large attention compared to its relative size. It’s probably the first room you visit when you get up in the morning and the last room you visit before going to bed. It’s probably the room you visit before leaving your home and, most likely, the first room you visit upon returning from work. In other words, an upgrade to your bathroom is an upgrade to your overall quality of life.

Moreover, it’s the first place that every buyer will want to see if you ever decide to sell the place. In fact, it’s one of the areas of your home with the largest impact on the home’s resale value. Most people pay more attention to their kitchens, which is understandable - they are still a major part of your property. Still, bathrooms are that underrated gem that needs a bit of polishing to make you and your family happy. All in all, there are a lot of reasons why bathroom remodelling is a worthwhile idea. Here are several tips on how you can make the biggest impact with the smallest possible investment of time, money and effort.

Layout and the basics

The first thing you need to do while remodelling a bathroom is to lay down some basics. First of all, you should avoid changing the layout. Your bathroom already has its plumbing and electrical grid installed and replacing fixtures is a relatively easy task. However, moving your tub, toilet or faucet further away would be a major drag. In order to avoid this, make sure that you stick to the original layout. Keep in mind that, from a functional standpoint, the architect who designed the house usually had functionality in mind. When it comes to visuals, replacing fixtures will introduce all the changes you need.

Also, there are so many things you can do without affecting the layout. Completely changing the colour palette will drastically change the visuals in the place. Replacing tiles or painting the place, fortunately, doesn’t affect the layout. It also doesn’t require any work from an electrician, plumber or another specialist. Keep in mind that this is not necessarily inexpensive but the process really doesn’t take long. Sure, walls and floors are the largest surfaces of the room but a bathroom is the smallest room in your home, to begin with.

Wrap up: Changing the layout of your bedroom is the most complex, most expensive upgrade that you can ever come up with. Research visual upgrades as an alternative.

Lower-cost alternatives

One of the biggest advantages of remodelling a home in the 21st century lies in the fact that there are so many lookalike materials that you always have a choice. For instance, getting a stone, hardwood or marble floor for your bathroom would be, beyond doubt, the most expensive idea. However, you can always go for a lookalike PVC flooring option. Due to various improvements in the field of PVC manufacturing, this material can come in any texture you choose. It can look like stone, marble, tiles, wood or anything else really. The same thing goes for the laminate.

When it comes to countertops, you can go with laminate or quartz in order to make a luxurious-looking, low-cost alternative. Porcelain and ceramics are somewhere in the middle, seeing as how they’re neither expensive nor inexpensive. Still, when compared to marble (which is their natural counterpart), it seems like the most cost-effective solution out there. Overall, you need to understand that there’s a reason why some materials are more expensive than others. Real wood, stone and marble last incredibly long (in the case of the latter two, some would even say forever). Does this justify a much higher cost? It depends on where you’re standing.

Wrap up: Every material that you want to invest in has a low-cost alternative. Explore your options while budgeting and figure out which provides you with the higher cost-effectiveness.

Get a bidet

A bidet can completely change the way you use your bathroom, as well as change the way you approach the concept of personal hygiene, to begin with. A bidet is simpler, cleaner and more eco-friendly than any alternative. Sure, it may not completely replace the use of toilet paper but it will minimize it. This, through direct causality, reduces your reliance on toilet paper, this way, it also reduces the maintenance of the bathroom since toilet clogs become less frequent. A bidet is one of those fixtures that, once used, you won’t be able to imagine your life without them.

The next thing you need to understand is that, in 2021, you don’t actually have to redo your entire bathroom or replace a bidet. Instead, you can invest in smart toilet seats. A smart toilet seat usually includes both the seat and the bidet element and can be programmed for an optimal toilet experience. Provided that you don’t live alone in a household, you can even program it for each individual user. Other than just being a bathroom upgrade, this is also one of the best ways to introduce smart technology into your household.

Wrap up: Installing a bidet is one of the biggest functional upgrades that you can introduce into your bathroom. For those with limited bathroom space and budget, going for a bidet seat is a better idea.

Restore instead of replacing

Another way to give your bathroom update on a budget is to restore things instead of outright replacing them. For instance, if you have a hardwood floor in your bathroom, you can sand and refinish it instead of replacing it. The effect will be just as impressive. Also, you can refinish your tub instead of replacing it. This is one of the projects that will provide you with the biggest difference in value. When it comes to appliances, you should try to make an estimation of when a repair is a better choice than a replacement.

If you’re working with shelves and cabinets, there might also be a way to do something different with your bathroom. Restoring it is a challenge but it’s also a lot of fun. Moreover, it gives you a chance to further alter the colour palette. Remember, you can paint more than just the room. You get to paint the cabinets in whatever colour you like. This is, more or less, the truth with your tub and even some other ceramic elements. Just keep in mind that the results may vary on the quality of your work and the choice of paint.

Wrap up: There’s always a way to change the visuals of your bathroom with some sandpaper, paint and finish. Keep in mind that saving money usually involves an investment of time and effort.

New hardware

You would be surprised at just how much difference can come from installing new hardware. You see, when you compare the cost of buying new cabinet handles (even expensive ones), with the cost of replacing the entire cabinet, the difference is more than clear. One of the best ways to increase the effectiveness of this replacement is to make sure it aligns with the rest of your bathroom. For instance, if you have a metallic/metal frame on your bathroom mirror, you should choose the same colour/texture of metal for the hardware, as well. The same goes for the shower railing.

Another advantage of upgrading your hardware lies in the fact that it’s an effortless project. It will take you about an hour to replace the majority of the hardware in your bathroom. It is also so simple that you won’t have to hire a handyman to do it. Making your own upgrades come to life is one of the best ideas that you could possibly have. They make you self-sufficient and confident about fixing problems that may arise in the future. You don’t have to schedule anything or try to book a visit from a professional. You just get the materials you need, make sure that you have the tools and use the first day off to make this upgrade.

Wrap up: Installing new hardware is something that you can do with a handful of dollars and still make a massive difference to your bathroom’s visuals. Therefore, it’s hard to come up with a reason to avoid this project.

In conclusion

The best thing about the above-listed remodels is that they’re not necessarily a part of a larger remodelling project. It’s more like something you stretch out over the course of months. For instance, you replace hardware today and then refinish your tub in 5-6 weeks. This way, it will still give results without feeling like too much of an effort. It is one of the most DIY-friendly bathroom remodelling plans that you could ever come up with.