Ah, so you’ve begun considering your master bath remodel and you’re looking for tips from the pros on how to get the most bang for your buck! You’ve come to the right place! I’m going to walk you through your best categories to save money and make economical selections, and the best place to really splurge and invest!
Splurge
LABOR – If I haven’t made this clear by now, the craftsman who do the work to create your new bathroom should be the highest dollar amount you spend. I cannot describe the number of times through the years that we’ve heard “we tried to save money but now we have severe foundation damage” or “we tried to save money but it’s been 18 months and we still don’t have our bathroom yet” or “well….we did save money….but…you can tell the minute you walk in that it was done on the cheap.” Ugh, these stories give me hives! We totally stand by interviewing multiple contractors or laborers for a job and choosing the one you feel has the most integrity and skill at their job. We absolutely do not stand by pricing out multiple bidders and choosing the cheapest one. You’ll always get what you pay for in the end.
LOCATION – by location I mean, let’s spend our big dollars on making sure the layout of your bathroom makes sense! We’ve seen some seriously crazy layouts that make no sense at all, and our first piece of advice is always “make the layout make sense!!” Whatever it costs to rearrange plumbing and electrical, trust me, it’s worth it in the end!
HARDWARE – Your faucets, toilet, shower hardware, and tub filler, these are the components that we should really invest in. Not only for function’s sake knowing that the more you spend, the longer they’ll last. But also for aesthetic and experience sake! Knowing that you’ll touch your bathroom sink faucet likely over 140,000 times in the faucet’s life span, it’s crucial that we commit to splurging here. (Also, pro tip: Purchase your bath hardware from approved plumbing supply sources. As much as I love Home Depot, the interiors of the faucets are plastic and that’s why they’re so inexpensive. We need to be investing in quality hardware with brass interiors.)
LIGHTING – When we’re saving in so many other places, we still HAVE to make a statement! Splurging on lighting will help us make an impact!
Save
TILE AND COUNTERTOP – Likely, even when we save in this category, this dollar amount will still be one of the highest you spend in the whole project, but that makes sense because bathrooms are primarily hard surfaces! Where you can save here is by making sure you’re making appropriate selections. Sure, a quartzite would be absolutely stunning in here, but maybe, in order to make the budget, we select an appropriate level quartz, or maybe even a countertop remnant from the slab yard!!
CABINETRY – If at all possible, when trying to save money, try and save your existing cabinetry! If the work well for you, functionally, and the style is still accessible, just keep your existing cabinets!
MIRROR – Absolutely my easiest bathroom SAVE ever! Whether you keep your old mirrors or hunt thrift stores for the perfect find, I’ll always advocate for this to be a great place to save on budget!
You’re THIS close to your dream master bathroom! Don’t let the big price tag scare you away! You deserve a restful retreat and it’s closer than you think!
What areas do you think you’d save or splurge on?! Check out our Pinterest for more bathroom inspo!
