We are all looking to save money it’s in our nature well for some of us (my wife would say I don’t know the meaning of the word.) With that said you have come here looking for advice on how to save on your bathroom renovation, whether you are looking for a cheap or cheaper bathroom renovation or a budget bathroom renovation we will do our best to give you a few handy tips on where you can save money.

The costs for average bathroom renovations in Australia can vary from $10,000 to $50,000 so it really comes down to your budget and what you are after to archive.

I will give you a few tips for saving money that won’t affect the quality of the bathroom itself but can save you money when looking for your next bathroom renovation.

Below we will give you a free big tips on how you can save during the process of bathroom renovation and get that cheaper bathroom renovation.

• Bathroom Tiling Heights Will Save You
• Pre Made Vanities
• Shower Screen Finishes That Effect The Budget
• DIY Parts Yourself (What You Can Do But won’t Effect The Renovation) 
• THE BIGGEST WAY TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR BATHROOM RENOVATION

1. Tiling Heights For Cheaper Bathrooms

Depending on the finish you are looking for in your bathroom remember tiling is the hardest and often the most costly part of a bathroom renovation.

The three levels of tiling we do in our bathroom renovations is Basic which depending on your tile will be around 300mm high around the room and 2.1m in the shower area. 1200mm around the room which usually works out to be one tile above the vanity around the room (Halfway) and 2.1m in the shower and finally full height.

Besides the effect of providing more light to a room (depending on the tile finish) tiling to the ceiling can cost thousands more.

So you can save around $2000 to $4000 by keeping it basic without the extra cornice work or 1.2m high.

One of the key benefits of not tiling full height is you can change the walls to a feature color when you paint if you like opposed to tiling being done once and that is it. 

Even if you only tile to a lower height on walls you do not see will save you money on your bathroom renovation.

Below are three examples of the most common tiling heights. 

Below is half the height of 1200mm tiling which is the one up level from the basic. The benefit of this height tiling is you can cover the toilet and vanity for a cleaner finish.

This below bathroom uses VJ Panels for the rest of the walls which can save you money on your bathroom renovation.

Lastly, the most expensive tiling you can do in your bathroom is full-height or ceiling-height tiling. This is a lot of work to keep flat and often requires cornice work to make your tiles finish nicely.

2. Pre-Made Vanity

Widths are usually set at 750mm, 900mm, 1200mm, 1500mm, or 1800mm. In this day and age, you have a massive range of vanities with laminates, nice finishes, and designs all in abundance which can be put together to get really any size you are after.

By getting something custom made you will be adding around $1500 -$4000  to your vanity price depending on size.

One of the few times a client will request a custom-made vanity is when the vanity is located between walls with the sizing being nonstandard.

Two options are available if we go down the Pre-Made Vanity route one is you make the vanity smaller with a space for a bin or a hand towel like this renovation below.

The key to this is the mirror makes the new space feel finished as it’s all in line and directs your eyes.

The second option if the spacing between walls is an issue you can do what we call the side panels to finish which you can see in the bathroom renovation we have completed below.

You get a larger top and use a kicker as the finish on the side to create your own custom vanity. The top is the only real thing you see so it really feels custom-made without the cost.

Below are a few Pre Made vanities straight off the shelf we have installed that I love just give you some examples of what you can get within a tight bathroom budget.

3. Pick The Right Shower Screen

There are two parts to this. For family bathroom renovations such as these two examples below, you will often need to have a custom-made shower screen.

There are many reasons for this but effectively it’s for a much more practical and durable finish.

In these types of bathroom renovations, you will be asked whether you want to be framed. semi-frameless or frameless showers for the pros and cons of each CLICK HERE or the image below.

Cost wise you should always go for the semi-frameless shower screen if you are on a budget bathroom renovation or even if you are just not looking to not overspend.

The main reason is Semi Frameless shower screens are really practical as they retain water better, you can change the frame to match modern Matte Black Tapware and lastly, it is often HALF the price of a frameless shower screen.

The most affordable shower screen when you are looking at doing a more affordable bathroom renovation is the fixed pre-made Panel frameless shower screen.

This type of shower screen is the one I recommend where possible to save on space and your wallet.

Fixed panel screens can only be used in certain configurations but can save you hundreds if not thousands that can go towards the holiday fund.

Below are some examples of the beautiful frame-less fixed panels​

 

A final alternative to glass shower screens is the no glass shower tiled wall shower screen which is awesome for people avoiding grout and cleaning but might be a little pricey depending on your tiler. CLICK HERE for more info.

4.Doing It Yourself Will Save You Reno Money

There are only really two ways to save yourself money on a bathroom renovation that won’t be damaging to your bathroom finish. 

Stripping out your bathroom which is the removal of all the tiles and objects in the room will save you money. The real money saver though is the skip bin. If you can dispose of your own rubbish and strip out what you are looking at saving I would save around $1000. 

Additionally, after years of doing strip-outs, I will tell you that it could be super easy or insanely hard its really hard to tell what the tiler did on the day to how easy stripping your own bathroom will so be careful. 

5.The Biggest Way To Realistically Save On Your Bathroom Renovation 

So here we are, I am a person who has completed thousands of renovations and organized, even more, the best way for you to save money on your renovation is to buy your own products.

If you are on a budget then please purchase your own items, do your research don’t go $20 bunnings mixer cheap but you do not have to spend $1000 on a mixer, most often the only product that goes faulty on a wall mixer is the cartridge and they are universal. 

Purchasing your own tiles can be a scary practice, but just speak to the tile shop person they are really helpful with it and as long as they have plenty of stock you will be fine. If you buy something on special buy 20% or even 30% more to make sure you do not run short.

Finally, purchasing your own items you are looking at saving I would save anywhere between $2000 to $5000 on an average renovation and if your goal is to have the cheapest renovation or the budget renovation then this is where you will save with little effort.

It is the only real control you have over the entire experience of renovating. You see a price and buy it that is control other aspects of renovating are really see how you go trust me. 

When I quote I am always very cost conscience even to my own detriment.

I think it’s important to first try and save the customer money and then if they are still wanting what they want you guide them in the best direction.

Always be smart when renovating your bathroom even cheaper bathroom renovation or budget bathroom renovations can be done beautifully as long as you plan well. 

If it’s your dream bathroom go crazy and get what you want, you will live with this bathroom every day of your life but as I always say “understand what you are wanting what you are spending”.

This means if you spend $3000 for an extra 10cm of vanity are you really getting your money’s worth?

Most times it won’t be but we overthink these things. The flip side to this is if this is your forever bathroom then have it done the way you want it done as it’s YOUR bathroom cheaper bathroom or not. 

Small bathrooms can be annoying plain and simple.  A lot of the bathrooms we renovate in Perth have ensuites on the smaller side and our clients are often frustrated trying to make this space the best it can be.

The way I always look at it is less is more especially if you are looking for a cheaper bathroom renovation. 

If you are looking for more of a breakdown of how much a bathroom renovation can cost you in Perth WA CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW or trying to get a cheaper, cheaper or budget Perth bathroom we are here to help.

It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature so always speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice.

If you are looking for a bathroom renovation quote and live in Perth, Western Australia just email us at smallbathroomrenovations@gmail.com

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