Our small bathroom remodel is officially done! It’s funny how procrastination tends to set in after the bulk of a project is done. We are a little over a year into renovating this small bathroom and we just completed the final touches a couple weeks ago.
What this small bathroom looked like before:
I absolutely love how our small bathroom remodel turned out but in order to fully appreciate the end result I think you need to see the what it looked like beforehand!
The two pics below were taken during the demo stage of our small bathroom remodel. You can see that we had already pulled up most of the flooring and started removing the vanity as well.
You never know what surprises you’ll find when tearing up a 35 year old home. In our case we found mold, rot and a whole lot of STINK in the subfloor and drywall around the toilet. Who knows how long the seal at the base of the toilet had been leaking!
Although finding moldy and rotting subfloor was an unexpected part of our small bathroom remodel it also made us feel good to know that a major and unforeseen problem was being taken care of preemptively. We also felt justified that all the time, money and energy put into this project was actually necessary.
The Vision for Our Budget Guest Bathroom Remodel
We purchased our current house in the Spring of 2021 and we knew beforehand that we wanted to remodel almost the entire home. So during the month and a half long wait for the purchase to go through. I spent a lot of my time creating mood boards for the upcoming renovation. Here is what I came up with for the small guest bathroom at the end of hall.
I wanted to branch out from any interior style I had done before and commit to something more trendy. I incorporated midcentury modern vibes, bold patterns, gold accents and rich black vertical shiplap. I wanted the space to be an experience for my guests– a room that would be memorable.
And here’s how it turned out!
Paint Colors
- shiplap: Tricorn Black SW 6258
- walls: Chantilly Lace OC-65
- door: Gray Owl 2137-60
Clever Money-Saving Tips
There are a few ways we saved money during this budget guest bathroom remodel but the main one is that we DIY-ed the entire thing ourselves.
I know that I’m incredibly blessed to have a handy husband who enjoys doing house projects with me. But if this is not the case for you then just keep in mind when budgeting that labor is usually 1 to 2x the cost of materials.
Another way I was able to save a money was by opting to keep the original bathtub and surrounding tile and incorporate the existing cream color into my color scheme. Luckily for me the vinyl flooring I was considering just happened to have the perfect shade of cream and tan that matched the existing tub perfectly. You can see how well it goes together in the pics above!
Speaking of flooring, I have no regrets when it comes to choosing a luxury vinyl floor for this bathroom! It was another great way to cut cost but more than that I truly enjoy it. Isn’t the pattern dreamy?
I also tried to save money on this small bathroom remodel by re-using a vanity that was previously installed in the master bathroom (pictured below). But it was way too large for the space as it made the bathroom feel even smaller and we could barely shut the door!
Small Bathroom Remodel Design Tips
Here are a few things I learned through trial and error during the process of this small bathroom remodel:
- Keep in mind the scale of your space. A small bathroom will only feel smaller if the patterns are too large or the vanity is too big (my case in point pictured above).
- Commit to your paint color. It wasn’t until I started painted the shiplap black that I realized in order to get the look I wanted I would have to paint ALL of the trim the same color– even the window sill!
- Water ruins shiplap made from MDF boards which can be problem in bathrooms since they can get wet and moist. The solution for us was to add a clear plexiglass backsplash behind the vanity, use solid wood baseboards, and install a strong ventilation fan to pull moister out of the room.
Links/Resources and Cost Breakdown
- vanity lights $120
- mirror $60 (similar one HERE)
- 36″ Modway vanity $500
- gold faucet $90
- vertical shiplap $250
- paint $150
- recessed lights $100
- plexiglass $40
- luxury sheet vinyl flooring (labor not included) $300
- subfloor and drywall repair $35
- solid wood baseboards $64
That leaves us with a total of $1,709! Not bad for such an amazing transformation, right?!
Did you catch my last post?
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