HELP! Bathroom on a Budget!
7 years ago
We are just in the process of buying our first house, but if you’ve read any of my other discussions we want to move in and do what we can on a budget to start! The bathroom is one thing we need help and advice on! My dad is a plumber/pipe fitter so in the future we would be looking to put a new bathroom in! (Maybe turn the bath around and have it lengthways across the back wall etc) but for now, we don’t know what to do!! It’s perfectly useable, but just not to our taste! If anyone has any advice of how we can make it look a hell of a lot better on a budget we would really appreciate it!
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PRO7 years agoRelated Discussions
Dingy bathroom, shoestring budget
Comments (9)The other thing is that you do not need to keep much in a bathroom. All one really needs is soap/shower gel shampoo and conditioner in shower stall, toothpaste, dental floss soap/handwash on basin. One toilet roll and a spare, a toilet cleaning brush, one handtowel. Consider how much room the shaving person needs for the size and position of the hand basin, and room for placing the gear while shaving. A shallow mirrored bathroom cabinet should handle all that. Unless you really like a bath even toddlers can be showered. Everyone to bring their own towels and toothbrushes from their own rooms. Plenty of hooks and towel rails. Maybe there is room for a set of shallow shelves with sliding doors on the way to the bathroom for extra soap, toilet paper, cleaning products. Pharmaceuticals in separate safe cupboard and cosmetics keep in own rooms. You want a tidy utilitarian space. Non-slip floor, if tiles grout in mid grey to avoid dark mold or pale soap scum staining. Skylight if possible if window does not give much light. Laundry chute or hamper somewhere on way to bathroom....See MoreWooden bathroom countertops on a budget
Comments (1)Wow it looks like a different room completely!...See Moreneed some ideas for a bathroom relift via paint only...low budget
Comments (0)my bathroom is in dire need of some TLC, it is looking cold and the walls are looking a little dirty, very much in need of a lick of paint. My bathroom is a long shaped room, rather like a long hallway, and the sink basin, bath, and toilet are all together at one end. it is a spacious bathroom, but I want to make it look a little more sensual in the evening and contemporary practical during the day. I would like to have two different shades of grey, a darker shade near the sink basin and bath, and a lighter shade on the long walls and ceiling, with, wait for it, glitter mixed into the paint.. what does anyone think of this or other ideas, on a real low budget though.. many thanks.xx...See MoreThe Budget Bathroom Challenge
Comments (3)Lovely bathroom and done on a tight budget, impressive! Just shows what you can do with a bit of vision and I expect, a lot of hard work....See More
PRO
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- 7 years agoCertain “nifty” things may not cost the world especially if you don’t have to pay the plumber / your dad (oh well... we always owe our parents and they’re sure not to forget ...) :-)
Your post tickles the Scrooge in me :-)
Relocating the bath to the window and fitting a shower screen seems like a great / easy start to end up with a notably more luxurious Ambiente.
Let’s price some components:
If your water pressure is not entirely abysmal (ground floor should do if your gravity fed header tank is in the attic) then you may be able to use a shower/bath mixer/diverter (many types available starting from about 100£ like https://www.ergonomicdesigns.co.uk/product/REI3417~hudson-reed-reign-triple-with-diverter-concealed-thermostatic-shower-valve.html) and run both bath filler and overhead (rain-)shower or handheld shower from it. As was mentioned, a flush-with-ceiling “shower tile” ( https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/hudson-reed-270mm-ceiling-tile-shower-head-head80, or “German upgrade” to https://www.ukbathrooms.com/products/hansgrohe-raindance-air-overhead-shower-260-x-260mm.html) would give the spa-type look and at that size will probably work with the just-under 1bar you get from a gravity fed supply. You only need a handheld shower/small extra wall outlet to complete, about 20£ for the outlet/shower holder and a few quid for the handset on eBay.
For the bath, overflow filler wastes like https://www.tapwarehouse.com/product/708a keep the looks neat (make sure you get one long enough for the bath you choose) and would also connect invisibily to the mixer valve. You’d built something like this:
Gramercy Home · More Info
Just using your bathtub not a shower lay.
If you want to cap your bathtub costs and stay with plastic (in which case 250£ give you choice choice choice) then you can make an acrylic bath feel a lot more sturdy if you built a wooden or C-steel frame for it so it’s supported under the rim and from beneath the tub’s floor plate. Makes a huge difference to the experience.
Shower screens are from about 50£ for a 4mm x 1400mm x 800mm and again if you go to 100£ your choice grows a lot.
If you’re into the modern look, a hidden cistern for the toilet, like https://www.screwfix.com/p/fluidmaster-schwab-duplo-xs-in-wall-toilet-frame-cistern/2249x can be found from around 100£.
Large mirrors that help make the space appear big ... can either be found via recycling (lots of 2nd hand shops ...), or you buy a cheap set of IKEA ones and tile them (use silicone not tile adhesive - the latter may dissolve the mirror layer over time). IKEA friendly as they are sell sets in a tile-size friendly 30x30cm, “lots”, http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/decoration/mirrors/lots-mirror-art-39151700/ rather attractive price (and correspondingly huge number of web search hits for ‘Ikea lots mirror ideas’).
For tiles, it’s about waiting the opportunity; all tile shops occasionally have joblots / leftovers so with a little luck... if you see commercial properties especially hotels being done up where you are, try to chat to them larger projects often have surplus.
The result of such will luck hugely more pricey than it is, especially if the workmanship is good.
Good luck with your bathroom and let us know how the result looks like! 
PRO7 years ago
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