How to avoid bathroom reno budget blowouts
Renovating a bathroom can transform your entire home, and make your morning or evening rituals the best part of your day. This luxury comes at a cost though, and if you’re not careful it’s easy to let your bathroom renovation budget get away from you. We’ve heard of people spending tens of thousands more than they intended.
To help you avoid a blowout, we’ve rounded up eight tips to stay within your budget.
1. Get quotes (not estimates) in advance
Your bathroom renovation will consist of several little jobs completed by different tradesmen, possibly including a plumber, tiler, carpenter, electrician, joiner, and/or a waterproofer. The trick to staying on budget is to get a clear understanding of what you need to get the job done, then get detailed quotes (not estimates) in advance. Quotes are generally fixed price, whereas estimates can go up or down depending on how long the job takes.
It’s a good idea to get a price from at least 2-3 of each trade to ensure you’re getting a fair deal.
2. Get quotes (not estimates) in advance
Once you’ve got a clear idea of how much stuff costs, it’s a good idea to create a budget and stick to it. That way if costs increase or you change your mind, you can look back at your budget and make compromises or cuts as necessary.
3. Consider hiring a project manager or interior designer
Bathroom renovation companies and interior designers can make bathroom renovations so much easier. Renovation companies will provide a fixed price quote for the entire job, then they’ll source all materials and labour, and manage trades throughout the job to completion. They may charge a margin of 10-20% on materials and labour, plus other costs to cover their time, but sometimes they’ll save you money simply by planning well.
4. Be prepared to compromise
You may have had your eye on a fully tiled bathroom, custom vanities, and underfloor heating. But when you get quotes back, you may be surprised at how much this stuff costs. So be prepared to compromise and cut back where necessary – you’re not the King of England – you don’t always need the best of everything.
5. Check your contract
If you’re working with a renovation company or project manager it’s a good idea to check your contract to make sure you fully understand its contents (with the help of a lawyer ideally). In particular it’s important to know if there’s any reason costs could increase, and what happens if the works are delayed or the contractor can’t finish for any reason.
6. Do the work up front and stick to the plan
During a renovation the most cost effective way to do things is to make all your decisions up front before work starts. That includes layout, tiles, vanities, fixtures, paint, accessories and any structural changes like new windows or built-in baths.
Once you’ve made these decisions it’s best to stick to these once the project starts because variations tend to increase costs – especially if contractors need to redo work they’ve done. Sticking to the plan may also mean you’re more likely to meet timelines.
7. DIY what you can
Labour and materials are the two biggest costs of any bathroom renovation. That’s why using your own labour to paint, prep the site, or do demolition could save you thousands of dollars (which you could spend later in your reno, or keep). Just be sure that you don’t bite off more than you can chew, stuff like plumbing and waterproofing is best left to the experts.
8. Stick to quality materials and good workmanship
You might be able to save a bit by finding the cheapest tradies and cut-price fixtures, fittings and materials. But chances are, you’ll pay more in the long run when your reno needs to be redone and fixtures need to be replaced after a few years (or even months).
That’s why we always recommend finding quality tradies with good reputations and plenty of experience. When it comes to your bathroom fittings and fixtures, it’s also better to go for quality – something Australian made with a reputation for great value and durability – like anything from Abey for example!
