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Whether you’re planning to renovate or completely rebuild a bathroom, it’s easy for building costs to quickly spiral beyond your expectations.
To make the most of your renovation budget and ensure your bathroom style has longevity, we reveal our top advice on how to stretch your renovation budget a little further, what to splurge on and where you can find savings to make the most of your budget.
SPEND
Waterproofing
Whether you do it yourself, or hire a professional, invest in quality waterproofing materials and you will be sure to save in the long run. This thin membrane layer applied to surfaces before tiles are installed, is one of the most important components of your bathroom construction. Any cracks or breaks in its surface can cause huge financial headache later.
Reinforcing Towel Rails
If you have little people in your home, you will understand this spend completely. Towel rails (also known as pseudo monkey bars to kids) can be ripped out of the walls in a matter of seconds taking plasterboard with them!
Lighting and Ventilation
There’s no other room in the house you get as up close and personal with your reflection than the bathroom, so great lighting is a must. Try to make the most of natural light sources through high windows, skylights and splurge on some flattering vanity lighting. Install a powerful exhaust fan and make sure your windows can be opened if someone has a particularly sauna-esque shower. Remember, a poorly ventilated bathroom leads to one thing… Mould!
Tiles
Tiles are without a doubt the most practical surface for wet areas making them essential in any bathroom. When installed correctly tiles will last you 10 – 15 years, so it’s worth investing in beautiful tiles on the floor and walls of your new bathroom. We suggest going with a tile design that will stand the test of time, but this doesn’t mean boring! Choose tiles that appeal to you personally and your bathroom will stay beautiful.
If you’re going to splurge on some beautiful tiles for your new bathroom (and let’s face it, we all want that!), wall tiles are a great option because being eye level, these will be the tiles people remember. If you’re looking to save a little extra money, consider using a classic white tile on the wall, and splurge on a feature wall instead.
Tapware
Again, it comes down to quality over quantity with fixtures and in a wet environment, wear and tear show up a lot quicker on lower quality tapware. You don’t have to spend a fortune on these, but ensure you buy quality materials from reputable brands.
Storage
Adequate bathroom storage is worth its weight in gold. Nothing will make a bathroom look untidy more than a vanity cluttered with toothbrushes, hairbrushes, lotions and potions. Ensure your vanity has draws or cupboards to hide your mess organise your bathroom effectively.
SAVE
Layout changes
If you’re rearranging the layout of your bathroom, beware that this is where costs can quickly increase. Most likely you will need a professional to move any pipes and add any additional foundation support for a new bath. Try to use the existing layout where possible and focus more on updating your accessories rather than rearranging your entire space.
Hidden cisterns
Sure they give a clean, minimal look to a bathroom, but the costs can be expensive to not only set up, but also maintain if any problems do occur. Opt for a minimal designed toilet to give similar designer feel, without the price tag.
Feature tiles
If you’re not looking to have a bathroom renovation every 5 years, stick to tiles that are less likely to date. Choose colours that compliment different towels and accessories – these are much cheaper to replace with seasonal trends! Bringing the same tile design from the floor to the walls is a great way to make your bathroom stand out, but if you love the mosaic look we stock feature tiles that have a similar effect that are faster and easier to install and only a fraction of the cost of a traditional mosaic tile.
