The average cost of a bathroom remodel tops $16,500, according to Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value report. Whether you’re looking to update your bathroom to meet your living style now or you’re looking to sell your home in the near future, revamping your bathroom doesn’t have to cost you an arm & a leg to achieve spectacular results.
If you’re looking to sell your house soon, bathroom renovation yields an average of 62 percent return on investment at the time of resale, Remodeling Magazine’s report indicates. How much more will you enjoy that ROI – and the improved livability of your bath – if your initial investment was just $1,000, rather than tens of thousands?
Fortunately, the bathroom is one room in the house where you can accomplish a lot with $1,000. Here are four updates and upgrades that cost less than $1,000, but can leave you feeling like a million bucks when you step into your new bath.
1. Redo walls and floors
The key to bringing this job in under $1,000 is to do the work yourself. The materials themselves don’t generally cost that much, it’s the labor to have someone else do the job that hurts your wallet. Even buying a few gallons of high-end paint, can keep you on budget for most bathrooms. You can splurge on flooring and still keep costs relatively low. It’s really the time you will invest in learning the proper techniques & doing the project yourself. There are many resources available online, as well as, at your local home improvement stores.
2. Switch out the shower door
Unless you have an originally custom sized door, most are are easy to switch out with an updated shower door. Patterns, frosting and frameless are just some choices you might want to think about. Some people opt for replacing the shower door completely for newer bowed rods & shower curtains.
3. Swap out the shower enclosure
Replace cracked, chipped ceramic tile or an old, stained shower enclosure. Replacing the shower enclosure can give the room a whole new look. There are various options for reglazing, replacing and fitting fiberglass overlays.
4. Update fixtures
The biggest bang for your buck is swapping out the old, dated fixtures. Low-flow showerheads or high-efficiency toilets that require less water to flush, bring your bathroom into the 21 Century and yield long-term savings on utility bills. Faucets, sinks and lighting fixtures all update the bath and make a big impact for little cost.