My Tips for Renovating on a Budget

Wanna know how much it really cost to completely renovate my half-bathroom? Find it here with an itemized breakdown!

Budgets are so subjective. What may seem super expensive to one person could be nothing to the next person. In fact, a quick Google search varies in estimates for a half-bath remodel from $2,500 all the way up to $15,000! That's a pretty gigantic range.

I’m an insanely budget-conscious person. Truth be told, I’m actually kind of terrible at spending money. So, naturally, I aimed to renovate my bathroom on the absolute lowest end of the range without sacrificing the overall style I wanted.

My goal was to renovate this bathroom for $2,000. Do you think I stuck to my budget?

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Itemized Half-Bath Cost Breakdown

Okay, so I didn’t quite hit my goal of keeping my half-bathroom renovation to $2,000. But, considering I replaced everything in this bathroom aside from a few sheets of drywall, I’d say I came pretty darn close!

Here’s how I renovated my bathroom for less than $2,500:

DIY vs. Hired Labor

Bottom line, the biggest reason I was able to keep my budget so low with this renovation is because I didn’t hire out any of the labor. The labor alone for this renovation would have likely blown my budget before I got started. Lucky for me, I really enjoy DIY, so doing it all myself didn’t feel like a chore in the least!

I Didn’t Buy Any New Tools

If you notice, in the budget breakdown, I didn’t include the cost of any tools. That’s because I already owned most of the tools I needed. And I borrowed the few tools I didn’t have from a friend.

I realize this isn’t a reality for everyone. Buying new tools would definitely increase your project cost. However, keep in mind that once you buy a tool, you get to use it over and over again on future projects!

Related: 10 Best Tools for DIY Beginners

Compare Prices

Whenever I’m sourcing items for a room, I spend an excessive amount of time looking for the best deals without sacrificing quality. The penny tile in this room is the perfect example.

It was really tricky to find a resource that sold both black and white penny tile at a reasonable price (black penny tile was surprisingly hard to track down!) I was close to buying mine from Tile Bar because they sell both colors for a fair price, but the shipping added 1/3 of the cost!

I found tiles at Floor and Decor, but I was nervous about how they’d look next to each other since they were from different brands. Luckily, I had a chance to stop by a store to see them side-by-side, and they looked great together.

Know When to Splurge and When to Save

I knew wallpaper would be a huge part of my bathroom design. But I also know that wallpaper can get really expensive really fast.

Although I definitely splurged by using wallpaper in my bathroom (it was over $400 for just the wallpaper), I saved a lot of money by installing beadboard on the bottom half of the room. Not only is beadboard really inexpensive (only $72 for all the sheets I needed), but it adds so much character!

Buy Secondhand

Buying secondhand items is not only a great way to add character to a space, but it is also a big cost-saver. The mirror and almost all of the decor are secondhand, but the biggest secondhand item in this bathroom is the vanity.

While I sacrificed a stone top for the vanity (which would have significantly added to the cost), a few coats of Polycrylic easily made the top waterproof. In addition, I never would have been able to find a store-bought vanity in the color I wanted, and I know I would’ve been hesitant to paint something new.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to watch people transform their homes in what looks like an instant (hello, Instagram transitions) and with infinite funds. I hope this blog post, as well as following along during this entire renovation, helps give you insight into some of the behind-the-scenes work that makes these projects possible.

Don’t forget to save this post to reference during your next renovation!

Catch up on the full powder room renovation with the posts below!

• ORC Week 1 - Half-Bathroom Design Plans and Mood Board

• ORC Week 2 - 3 Ways to Remove Stubborn Wallpaper

• ORC Week 3 - The 10 Best Tools for DIY Beginners

• ORC Week 4 - My Top Tips for Installing Penny Tile

• ORC Week 5 - Beadboard: Instant Character on a Budget

• ORC Week 6 - The Easiest Wallpaper for Beginners - Tutorial

• ORC Week 7 - How to Convert an Antique Dresser into a Vanity

• ORC Week 8 - Powder Room Remodel Reveal

How I Remodeled My Bathroom for Less Than $2500