Smart ways to save dollars on your bathroom remodeling cost

While some homeowners have grandiose plans to build their dream bathroom—complete with that jacuzzi tub—a majority of the people who will start a bathroom remodel this year are primarily looking to add value to their home. In other words, they want to get the best possible return on their investment. To accomplish this, the work needs to be done right and the project needs to stay on-budget. 

For homeowners remodeling their bathroom for the very first time, meeting these two goals can be harder than it might initially seem. That’s why, in this article, we’ll review the best ways to save money on your bathroom remodel while ensuring that you get the most out of it when you list your home. Let’s dive in.

Avoid unnecessary rework by hiring a professional

We’re living in a golden age for DIY home projects. Thanks to step-by-step video tutorials online, more and more homeowners are tackling their own remodeling projects—including master and guest bathroom renovation work. While there are some parts of a bathroom remodel that homeowners can take on themselves, anything involving plumbing and electrical is best left to an experienced professional contractor.

Our recommendation is that you start working with a professional from the very beginning. As a homeowner, you have a vision for what you want your bathroom to become. A remodeling expert can help translate that vision into a concrete plan that takes time, cost, materials, and space into account. This helps prevent critical mistakes from being made at the outset of the project.

Think about it this way: this might be the only time you ever remodel the bathroom in this home. As such, you’re going to have to learn by trial-and-error, rent or buy tools you’ll use only once, and risk the end-quality of the bathroom on your own (steep) learning curve. In contrast, an experienced remodeler in your area has already completed hundreds of successful bathroom remodels. When you hire a pro, you’re getting all of their experience and expertise.

Skip the major layout changes

Many homeowners want to make huge, splashy changes to their bathroom, and their initial instinct is to move the bathtub, shower, toilet, or vanity around. After all, this is what many people do with furniture to keep their home fresh. However, unlike your couch or end table, nearly everything in your bathroom is connected to existing pipes that are expensive to move.  If your dream bathroom involves the tub being on the other side of the room, an experienced bathroom remodeling contractor can probably make it happen. But, if you want to save money, our recommendation is that you work with your contractor to plan your remodel in such a way that allows most, if not all, of the existing pipes to stay put. 

You can still transform the space without fundamentally shifting the location of the tub, shower, or vanity. Talk to your contractor about your options.

Save on materials without compromising on quality

To cut down on their remodeling costs, many homeowners decide to purchase the cheapest-possible materials at retail prices. In doing so, they are buying low-grade tubs, shower tile, floor tile, sinks, faucets, fixtures, and more. The unfortunate truth is that the cheapest of bathroom remodeling materials are often not built to last, and have the potential to break not that long after being installed. Even something as seemingly simple as an inexpensive toilet can lead to many hours of headaches for homeowners down the road.

Want a better way to save costs on your bathroom remodel without risking the overall quality of the project? Talk to your contractor (or a remodelmate!). An experienced contractor can leverage their connections and industry knowledge to help find you the right deals on high-grade materials. They also may be able to order in bulk or using pro discounts, which means they can save you even more.

The post was contributed by Katy Peterson. She has been in the industry for almost ten years and enjoys writing about topics that help homeowners keep their home repair at minimum expense.

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