Money-Saving Alternatives You Should Consider When Renovating Your Bathroom or Kitchen
If you're like many homeowners, there's a good chance that you will be thinking about renovating your bathroom or kitchen in the near future. Bathrooms are one of the most popular rooms to remodel. Homeowners tend to renovate their bathrooms every four to five years. As for kitchens – also a highly popular remodeling project, it's typically every 10 to 15 years.
You may be motivated to update features, experiment with a new motif, refresh the room with creative splashes of colors, or simply make your bathroom or kitchen appear more distinct. Renovating your bathroom or kitchen can potentially boost the value of your home significantly.
But these remodel projects can come with a steep price tag. For example, a mid-range kitchen remodel could cost you anywhere from $50,000 to $60,000, while a mid-range bathroom renovation will run upwards of $15,000. All of this, combined with soaring prices for goods and services fueled by high inflation, might make you feel ambivalent about undertaking a renovation project right now.
Fortunately, there are ways you can still pull off a satisfying bath or kitchen remodel and have it be economical.
So, here we will look at money-saving alternatives for both bathroom and kitchen remodels that are worth thinking about if you want to save money but not cut corners and fall short of meeting your expectations.
3Rs Construction & Remodeling is here to help you with kitchen renovation or bathroom remodeling projects. We are your trusted general contractor in Salem, Oregon.
5 Money-Saving Remodel Options — Bathroom
1) Keep the Bathroom's Load-Bearing Walls in Place
Load-bearing walls are what hold up the second floor of your house and/or the roof. It is a major undertaking to move or remove a load-bearing wall. It also involves structural changes.
You might consider expanding through non-load-bearing walls. You can move or remove this type of wall for a more affordable price and with much less effort than for a load-bearing wall.
2) Refinish Bathroom Elements – Don't Replace Them
One sure way to raise the cost of your bathroom remodel is by removing or replacing the plumbing fixtures and tub or shower bases. Doing so will likely call for demolition work, in addition to construction changes.
Save money here by determining if these items need to be replaced; if so, ask yourself if it is for functional or aesthetic purposes. Choose the more affordable route, which is dressing them up or renewing them instead of replacing them.
You can also refinish your bathtub with an appealing, protective coating rather than replacing it. If you opt to paint your bathroom cabinet and not replace it, this also will save you money.
3) Put in a Prefabricated Bathtub or Shower
It can be expensive to remove an old prefabricated shower base and surround and replace it with a custom tiled base and walls. Instead, try using a pre-formed, one-piece shower stall, and don't install a tiled shower. If you need to cut costs, this is an option that will save you some money.
Because tile showers require several days to put in, and prefabricated shower stalls go up in just hours, you reap substantial savings with the prefabricated shower stalls option.
4) Keep Drywall to a Minimum
You will need to replace the shower's drywall due to high moisture levels. Any drywall that is potentially affected by mold must be removed. When it comes to cost, keep in mind that the more walls that are opened up, the more walls will have to be closed up. Each closed-up wall calls for more drywall and paint, along with additional labor costs.
If you find the drywall in your bathroom is in fine shape, keep it as is. Just focus on the drywall located near the shower and the bathtub.
5) Limit Custom Tile
Custom Tile is one of the more expensive elements in a bathroom remodel. Although tile looks beautiful and comes with the benefits of being functional, easy to clean, and water-resistant, it can also be expensive.
You can cut down on your bathroom renovation costs by opting for wood panels, batten and board, or beadboard. You can add to that savings by searching for leftover tiles online or taking advantage of sale prices at a local tile store.
Pro Tip: be sure you buy enough tile. Even slight color variations will show up in a big way when the project is complete.
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5 Money-Saving Remodel Options — Kitchen
1) Install Functional Flooring
Flooring is a critical element of the interior design of your kitchen. Although your initial interaction with a space is visual, the flooring is the first physical contact someone will have with your space. It is the foundation of your design and can affect its overall success.
However, you don't need to splurge on fancy flooring in order to accomplish the ideal look and feel of your kitchen. As with other items in a kitchen remodel, you can take a practical approach and opt for functional, visually appealing flooring.
For example, you might consider the money-saving option of choosing laminate flooring. It can be installed over your existing flooring, and that eliminates the cost and time of demolition.
Vinyl plank and ceramic tile are functional floors for the kitchen, and you won't break the bank having them installed.
2) Try to Keep Appliances in Place
One of the most expensive aspects of a kitchen remodel is moving gas, plumbing, or electrical lines. They extend your timeline and increase the labor costs.
The goal is to leave the appliances in place as much as possible. For example, homeowners will typically want to move their dishwasher. The dishwasher can usually be moved to the other side of the sink because the washer's plumbing lines come from that central point under the sink.
If you must move appliances, make sure you prevent them from being damaged during the renovation. As long as you don't move the hookups, you'll be able to move an appliance with greater ease.
3) Utilize Existing Layout
Like many homeowners, your natural inclination when doing a kitchen renovation is to replace the cabinets. After all, you want a cohesive design. It's also understandable that you want everything to look new after a kitchen remodel. New cabinets can have a striking impact on a renovation, but they can also cost a lot of money.
But there are actually several money-saving alternatives to buying new cabinetry that will enhance the beauty of your renovated kitchen. Here are several options:
- Paint the Cabinets – Colorful kitchens are stylish and trendy. Repainting the cabinets is an easy and affordable way to add flair and personality to your kitchen. Choose blue to bring a sense of calm to this space or yellow to exude happiness and energy.
- Replace Hardware – An ideal way to spruce up the cabinets is by modifying the details. For example, swap out the hardware to accentuate the kitchen's new motif or color palette. This is an easy and quick way to update your kitchen.
- Reface the Cabinets – For this type of beautification project, you would not change the cabinet framework or boxes but replace the drawer front, doors, hardware, and hinges. You treat the boxes and facings with a new veneer or laminate with whatever color and stain you like.
- Install Molding – You'll find that even a small amount of architectural detailing can have a dramatic impact. Consider installing molding on the cabinet tops to spark visual interest and add character.
4) Be Creative with Backsplash
Who says you have to spend a lot of money on the backsplash? If you are creative enough, you can go easy on the budget and not compromise on the quality of your kitchen backsplash.
Here are some ideas for backsplashes for the budget-conscious homeowner:
- Shiplap – This is defined by horizontally designed planks of wood laid on the wall with a little space between each wall panel to produce a basic line across the wall.
- Moisture-resistant Wallpaper – This creates a unique and unexpected design element.
- Beadboard – A beadboard is a vertical row of thin wood boards. You will typically find beadboard in long, monolithic sheets.
- Peel & Stick Glass Tiles – These glass tiles are appealing and look classy.
- Wood Paneling – This is a great choice if you're shooting for a more rustic style. You might choose wood paneling in natural wood tones.
5) Choose Practical Countertops
Kitchen countertops have the potential to obliterate your budget. After all, countertops are a highly visible element in your kitchen, and they have the potential to increase your home's value significantly – by up to 25 percent of its retail value.
You could spend a few thousand dollars on countertop installation alone, leaving you with precious few dollars for the rest of your kitchen remodel. Why choose materials such as natural stone, stainless steel, or quartz when they will consume much of your remodeling budget?
You don't have to sacrifice quality when it comes to saving money on countertops for your kitchen. Take a more cost-effective approach by selecting appealing but practical countertops.
Some examples of practical countertops – meaning they are durable, aesthetically pleasing, and offer easy maintenance – are laminate, ceramic tile, and solid surface countertops. Solid surface countertops, for example, are hard, impact-resistant, and require minimal maintenance. They are also easy to clean.
Call on the Home Remodeling Experts at 3Rs Construction & Remodeling
When you are ready to start your next home remodeling project, we invite you to call the experts at 3Rs Construction & Remodeling. Whether you're planning to remodel your kitchen or bathroom or build an addition, our highly skilled professionals will guide you, help you come up with design options, and then make it come to life.
Call us at (503) 363-1059, so we can get started on your new home remodel project today!