My $500 DIY bathroom remodel

[omieluv]

My friend's home is in need of upgrades to both bathrooms + kitchen and she was very delighted to learn that your upgrade was so easy and cost friendly! Thanks for passing along the info, she is going to go shopping this weekend to check things out.

 

[Kay]

Wow, that is quite a transformation for $500! The white beadboard and moldings are a huge improvement over the white plastic walls and "oak" chair rail. The combination of the beadboard and the colors you chose makes it look like a loo in a cozy beach side cottage.

 

[onedrop]

Wow! I am super impressed with the results of your bathroom upgrade!!! And for $500 no less? I am going to show this to DH when he gets home so, just to show him it''s doable without a lot of money. We need an upgrade to our bathroom in the worst way. Great job!!!!

 

[Catmom]

WOW, it looks great!!!! Isn''t it amazing what just a few changes will do. I love the new color, too!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Wow! It looks fantastic! Way to be!

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks, to all of you!

Carrots~ I have old brass knobs in the rest of the house, including 4 in that same hall. I actually put on the "new" brass knob because I had to get rid of the old one with a lock (because of our little boy). So, I don''t know what I''m going to do about that situation.

And, here is our pin-up girl! Isn''t she lovely?! She is attached to a 1950 calendar courtesy of a Pool Hall.

 

[Dreamgirl]

It looks very nice! I love the colors!

 

[diamondringlover]

Wow that looks very nice, I have a old ancient bathroom I need to remodel as well!! gotta love older homes

 

[asscherisme]

Wow! Great job!

 

[somethingshiny]

I''m glad to see so many of you like the colors. I live in a rural area where "style" isn''t particularly grand, and I kept hearing people say that the blue and green would look awful and the blue is too dark for such a small room. Glad I stuck to my guns on that one!

 

[eks6426]

Your bathroom looks terrific. It definitely doesn''t look like you only spent $500!

The pinup girl is interesting....it looks like she actually eats compared to the models of today.

 

[dragonfly411]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

 

[omieluv]

Date: 11/3/2008 3:48:06 PM
Author: somethingshiny
I''m glad to see so many of you like the colors. I live in a rural area where ''style'' isn''t particularly grand, and I kept hearing people say that the blue and green would look awful and the blue is too dark for such a small room. Glad I stuck to my guns on that one!

What colors did they suggest then, as I think what you did was just perfect!

 

[somethingshiny]

Island~ I agree, the looks WAY different than current standards. I think she has a great body!

Dragonfly~ That is one great compliment, thankyou!

omieluv~ The colors that were suggested were white, white, and some more white. "You just can''t put color in that small of a bathroom". A couple of people thought the blue would work if it was really pale, and several thought a very pale green as well. The funny thing is, I think pale colors work better on larger spaces, not tiny ones!

 

[TravelingGal]

That is an awesome redo!!

 

[piccolascimmia]

It looks great, you did a wonderful job on a tight budget! How long did the redo take you to complete? I''m trying to get motivated to paint, and your redo may just push me over the edge

 

[Lynn B]

DARLING! I *LOVE!* stuff (re-do''s) like this!!!

GREAT JOB!

My DH and I have done some similar things on a shoestring, and so I totally understand your (very well-deserved!) sense of pride! YAY!!!

You''ll BRREEEEEEEEZE through the kitchen project!!!

 

[somethingshiny]

Date: 11/5/2008 1:08:38 PM
Author: piccolascimmia
It looks great, you did a wonderful job on a tight budget! How long did the redo take you to complete? I''m trying to get motivated to paint, and your redo may just push me over the edge

3 days, but we could only work on it for a few hours at a time. We have a 2 year old and DH works 2nd shift, so our times were basically from around 10am until 1 or 2pm.

Lynn~ Thanks! I do have more pride in work that I''ve done myself and on a smaller budget than any large budget jobs with help! *ahem* we''re looking at doing a kitchen for $3500 (cabinets, counters, floors, walls, appliances) Not quite sure on how we''re going to squeak that one by yet!

 

[Selkie]

Hey somethingshiny, FABULOUS job, and I hope you don't mind if I totally rip off your ideas when we (hopefully!) remodel the bathroom in the house we are (hopefully!) buying. Did you find the beadboard at Home Depot? Is it the panel kind or the tongue-and-groove? What height is it? Thanks!

PS-I love the pinup girl, too-how quaint!

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Love the colours, love the beadboard, love the new pedestal sink and lighting! This looks soooooo much better than it did!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 11/5/2008 6:58:40 PM
Author: somethingshiny

Date: 11/5/2008 1:08:38 PM

Author: piccolascimmia

It looks great, you did a wonderful job on a tight budget! How long did the redo take you to complete? I''m trying to get motivated to paint, and your redo may just push me over the edge

3 days, but we could only work on it for a few hours at a time. We have a 2 year old and DH works 2nd shift, so our times were basically from around 10am until 1 or 2pm.


Lynn~ Thanks! I do have more pride in work that I''ve done myself and on a smaller budget than any large budget jobs with help! *ahem* we''re looking at doing a kitchen for $3500 (cabinets, counters, floors, walls, appliances) Not quite sure on how we''re going to squeak that one by yet!

OHMYWORD, girlfriend, if you can truly pull off THAT KIND of kitchen remodel for $3500 you will win the rare and coveted LYNN B REMODEL-ON-A-DIME FIRST PLACE PRIZE!!! Good lord, girl, how will you even BEGIN to do that?! I know you must have some ideas, and I am dying to hear them! (But most of all, I have to say -- YOU GO GIRL!!!

)

 

[Miranda]

It looks so great! $500!? I''m impressed!

 

[somethingshiny]

Selkie~ Rip away!

The beadboard is from Menards. It''s a tongue and groove that came in 8'' tall panels of about 6" width. There is a 3'' panel available, but we had some issues that we had to hide on the old wall, so we needed a height of 4''. So, we just cut them down on the radial arm saw and had to rip a couple to fit around the tub and door frame, but they were really easy to install. We used an air powered brad-nailer in a few spots on each section. The brads have teeny heads that can be countersunk so they''re not visible. We also got the chair rail and base boards at Menards. It''s all MDF because it''s less expensive than wood, cuts much more easily, and doesn''t have the shrink and swell of wood (which is good for a bathroom).

thanks, Lauren! I wish I could do my kitchen to rival yours, but that''s just a pipe-dream!

Lynn~ Ah, yes, the ideas....
First, the walls need big repairs. We will plaster coat them if we can, but we may have to hang some new drywall. Either way, it''s work we can do ourselves. (which saves big time labor fees!!) I''m intending on laminate floors. Tile is obviously out of our budget, and I do love the richness of a wood floor (without the wood upkeep).

I found a place that sells overstock kitchen stuff. When people order cabinets and counters that they decide they don''t want, it''s sold at a HUGE discount. I''m hoping I''ll find something I love and then install them ourselves. If that plan backfires, I have a backup. I want a "country" looking kitchen with distressed cream colored cabinetry, maybe some glass fronted cabinets, etc. If I can find plain white cabinets for a good price, I can refinish them myself. I''ll give them a sanding and then rub a stain into them to age them and seal them for protection. I''ve built some furniture, so if necessary, I can probably manage a couple pieces in the kitchen to give it a custom look.

I really love a "farm sink", so I''m hoping that''ll fit into the budget. And, I''d love to have a bronze colored faucet and light fixture. Obviously, any light fixture can easily be changed with spray paint, so if I can manage the faucet, I''ll be fine.

The counters are going to be my biggest problem. I know I don''t want granite (nor could I afford it), but I''m not sure what material we''ll use. Hopefully, I''ll find something at the Builders Sale.

We want black appliances and they are gonna be the "let''s make a deal" kind. We have some mom-and-pop businesses that are good to work with.

I have a folder of pics ripped from magazines, paint samples, etc that I keep adding to. This is the tentative plan. And, fingers crossed, it will come to fruition!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 11/6/2008 8:19:08 PM
Author: somethingshiny

... Lynn~ Ah, yes, the ideas....
First, the walls need big repairs. We will plaster coat them if we can, but we may have to hang some new drywall. Either way, it's work we can do ourselves. (which saves big time labor fees!!) I'm intending on laminate floors. Tile is obviously out of our budget, and I do love the richness of a wood floor (without the wood upkeep).

I found a place that sells overstock kitchen stuff. When people order cabinets and counters that they decide they don't want, it's sold at a HUGE discount. I'm hoping I'll find something I love and then install them ourselves. If that plan backfires, I have a backup. I want a 'country' looking kitchen with distressed cream colored cabinetry, maybe some glass fronted cabinets, etc. If I can find plain white cabinets for a good price, I can refinish them myself. I'll give them a sanding and then rub a stain into them to age them and seal them for protection. I've built some furniture, so if necessary, I can probably manage a couple pieces in the kitchen to give it a custom look.

I really love a 'farm sink', so I'm hoping that'll fit into the budget. And, I'd love to have a bronze colored faucet and light fixture. Obviously, any light fixture can easily be changed with spray paint, so if I can manage the faucet, I'll be fine.

The counters are going to be my biggest problem. I know I don't want granite (nor could I afford it), but I'm not sure what material we'll use. Hopefully, I'll find something at the Builders Sale.

We want black appliances and they are gonna be the 'let's make a deal' kind. We have some mom-and-pop businesses that are good to work with.

I have a folder of pics ripped from magazines, paint samples, etc that I keep adding to. This is the tentative plan. And, fingers crossed, it will come to fruition!

Girl, we would get along GREAT! I *LOVE!* the way you think!!!

OK, counter top idea for you... what about tile? (As you no doubt know) tile is a surprisingly easy DIY job and there are so many wonderful, nubby, rustic, *country* styles to choose from. (And it can be almost free if you can do the work yourself!!!

)

In fact, if we go too far over budget in our upcoming remodel, I've already decided that the granite countertops are what I'll do without. DH could do a lovely tile counter top and in a few years, we could replace it with granite then.

My decorating style is country, too! It's fun because it does lend itself to mix-and-matching... different color cabinets, or even a few different (but complimentary) door styles, etc. Even a cute little "curtain" instead of doors, or I've seen CHICKEN WIRE door fronts that are sooooo cute! And all of that is dirt cheap and completely replaceable down the road when the budget loosens up.

In our town we have an Ollie's... and my daughter just got gorgeous, Mohawk, rustic, distressed-looking oak laminate for her house... for a song! We just LOVE a great deal like that. My husband was so impressed with the QUALITY of that stuff, and it sure is beautiful!

FUN project(s)! I'll be thinking of other ideas for your kitchen, too!!!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Shiny, you should be able to easily afford a bronze faucet and fixture if you''re buying new.

For my house redo, we did everything in oil rubbed bronze...from the door hinges, to the the things that hold the toliet seat onto the toliet (seriously, we changed the seat just to have those two little things in bronze).

Anything you''d buy in bronze will cost you the exact same amount as buying it in chrome, or brushed nickle, or brass if it''s the same style.

 

[somethingshiny]

Lynn~ Thanks for the ideas! My style is not usually country, but it''s what I lean towards for kitchens. So, I''m trying to have what I want in the kitchen, but not mismatch with the rest of the house. Since, I lean towards pretty traditional I think it''ll be fine. Plus, it''s so eclectic, I can throw in different seasonal pieces without a problem. I''ve thought about a tile counter, but the only ones I''ve seen seem to be a pain the butt to keep clean. I''ve never heard of Ollie''s but that Mohawk has a great line! Let me know anytime you come up with ideas!!

Italia~ I love that all the metal matches in your house! And, I''m glad to here that it shouldn''t break the bank! We just bought new vent covers for a couple rooms in the oil rubbed bronze, and the more I see them, the more I love them. It''s so weird how just a little metal makes such a difference in the overall appearance!

 

[moremoremore]

Great job Shiny....I also did a cheap bathroom makeover but yours was more involved...so I know how much work you put into it!

As for the granite, you might really be surprised at how you can good a get deal on it unless you''re looking at the more swirly exotic types...the kind with uniform speckles is actually affordable compared to other man made stuff...butcher block is also pricey....and laminate is a waste imo for reasale...et you may have to desire now to move...

 

[somethingshiny]

mmm~ thanks for the tip on the granite!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Another good tip on granite is that you can buy granite tiles for way less than slab granite!

When we redid my house...a slab of our shade of granite was about $74.00 per square foot...and a tile was about 10.00 per square foot. So, you''re talking a HUGE difference in price. If you used tiles and mirco thin grout lines, you could actually get a pretty beautiful look for a lot less money. However, slab granite pricing includes labor---while tile pricing doesn''t. In Chicago, an average price is about $4.25 per square foot to install tile. So, you''d still save a big chunk of change.

Also, depending on how big your kitchen is, and how great your need is...you might be able to use scrap granite from a single slab that someone didn''t need a lot of. Often times people only need a bit from the 2nd slab, and the remains of that slab are now priced to sell because they can''t restock it--and there isn''t much else to do with it besides discount it and sell it.