Budget 70s Bathroom Renovation | HOMES

Bathrooms can be notoriously expensive to renovate, but there are some easy ways to cut costs. Ask yourself – what can I keep, recycle or buy second-hand? By working with what you’ve got you reduce demolition and removal costs and save on new purchases.

This original bathroom was a seventies throwback, but typifies the rundown, dated properties I love to get in and “cosmetically refresh”.

The biggest challenge was the budget; the owner had $2500^ to spend and not a penny more. I relied on money-saving creativity and the owner’s handyman skills for some intensive DIY.

Plumbing and installation on a budget

bathroom feel larger and more open. The toilet was changed and moved in order to make room for the bath." src="src" />BEFORE AND AFTER: The fixtures and fittings were very traditional and aged. They needed to go! The walls were replaced with different textured tiles, brightening the space instantly. The existing mirror was replaced, making the bathroom feel larger and more open. The toilet was changed and moved in order to make room for the bath.

The toilet took away the space of a potential bath and made the bathroom feel smaller while the walls looked very timeworn and outdated, taking you back to the seventies.

The tiny bath was impractical, and as there was space for a standard-sized one, that was the first obvious change. I picked up a second-hand cast-iron bath in fantastic condition for just $41.

Installing this required a pivotal plumbing change: moving the toilet to the adjoining wall. I found a new toilet, still in its box, on Gumtree for $70.

Tile makeover

The brown '70s floor tiles had to go – in their place we laid large, modern ones, sourced from a tile factory, end-of-line stock, for just $8 a sq/m.

Some new wall tiles were required, but for the most part we were able to just paint over the existing wall tiles with White Knight tile paint, one of my most trusty standbys for cosmetic makeovers like this.

Designer looks for less

I bought a second-hand 900mm vanity off Gumtree for just $71. That beauty should be a real inspiration for those who think they have to fork out top dollar for designer looks.

A trip to Bunnings was rewarded with new taps, fittings (towel rack, toilet roll holder) and a mirror, all for under $150.

Painting and styling

Painting, two new lights and a $110 glass shower screen for the bath completed the makeover. Oh, and let’s not forget the $2.99 Ikea spice racks that I spray-painted white – it’s imaginative touches like these that personalise a space and add a bit of fun. The main cost of this bathroom makeover was electrical and plumbing labour.

The rest of the renovation we pretty much did ourselves, as the owner turned out to be a competent DIY tiler. The internet is a terrific source of cheap alternatives to paying full retail, whether it’s seconds, second-hand products or bargains offered by discount retailers.

This is not a complex makeover, but you could easily pay ten times the price to achieve a similar look if you went about it the wrong way.

^ Budget as of October 2014