Budget Bathroom and Lavatory Ideas
Lavatories, bathrooms, what ever you call them around your home, one thing is for sure – they’re getting bigger. Long gone are the days of small bathrooms…the room of the house no one ever looked at or thought about, is now the luxury room no one could live without. Today bathrooms get more space in the home and builders design them to accommodate a particular lifestyle. Today’s bathroom is a place of relaxation and comfort. In this segment we offer a few cost effective ideas to update an existing bathroom while maintaining style and usefulness.
To start, examine the space around your bathroom that you can use for expansion. Can you steal space from a neighboring room or closet? Moving a wall, even a couple of feet, visually increases the size of a room considerably.
Consider these tips:
Create niches for storage or decorative accents by utilizing the space between wall studs.
Replace opaque shower glass or shower curtains with clear glass walls and doors. Clear glass around a shower opens the space visually, and allows more light to pass thru, brightening the area.
Replace a vanity cabinet with a pedestal sink to give the appearance of a larger room. If storage is a concern, add wall niches or using decorative baskets and floating shelves.
Paint cabinetry. A great option is always to update the look of a vanity with paint.
Replace outdated vanity tops with cultured marble tops. Integrate the sink bowl and vanity top to save on the cost of sink replacement.
Add a frame to the mirror(s) over the vanity. Framing a mirror adds style and personality to any space.
Replace tub/shower units with a soaker tub. This will not only open up the space but add charm as well.
Reglazing a tub is a great cost effective alternative to replacement.
Replace outdated tub surround with marble rather than tile. Marble sheets are not only easier to maintain, but should save you considerably over the cost of tile labor.
Don’t be afraid of color. Painting your bathroom walls is a great way to give it a fresh look without spending a lot of money. Sticking with lighter color pallets will add dimension without weighing down the space. Solid colors on walls will help make the space appear larger. Save the patters for accents like curtains and towels.
As always…shop around for your fixtures. Replacing lighting, plumbing, towel bars and drawer pulls is another great way to update a space. So shop around for the best deals.
Other Remodeling Features:
If you liked these tips, or even if these were not what you were looking for, you’ll find some useful suggestions in our other remodeling features: Kitchen Remodeling Tips, Interior Remodeling Trends, Green Tips, Re-Sale Improvements.
Happy Remodeling!
