10 bathroom renovation ideas for Auckland homes

Bathroom renovation ideas that make your budget go further

Whether you’re getting your home ready for the market or simply want bathrooms that are nicer to use, our tips for adding value to your bathrooms can make your budget go further and achieve more. It’s all about getting a bigger bang for your bathroom bucks.

Minimise areas of tile

Tiles are great. They look beautiful and are surprisingly low-maintenance, however deciding to tile every surface of your bathroom will make for a very expensive renovation. If money’s an issue, we recommend you limit your bathroom tile ideas to areas that have the most visual impact – like the floor and splashback areas. Tiled showers are gorgeous, but they can be considerably more expensive than pre-made showers.

Mix expensive tiles with cheaper tiles

You can trim tiling costs even further by mixing feature tiles with ordinary tiles, either as a border or randomly to keep things interesting. Or use plain tiles on the floor and save your feature tiles for the splashback or bath surround. You can also use feature tiles as a horizontal strip along the wall, then paint the rest.

Have a tiled shower with no door

There’s no doubt about it, tiled showers are more stylish and elegant than pre-made shower units. But they can work out to be quite expensive, unless you lose the door. Ask your bathroom company to quote up a walk-in frameless shower that uses just one sheet of shower glass to separate it from the rest of the room.

Use an old dresser as a basin cabinet

The trend of ‘shabby chic’ is a way to upcycle beautiful old pieces of furniture. In a bathroom, you can use an old dresser as a vanity unit, with the basin either set down into the bench surface or mounted on top. You can also use vintage furniture as storage cabinets in a bathroom.

Don’t penny-pinch on paint

There are special bathroom paints that resist the growth of mould and mildew. They cost a little more, but are absolutely worth it. Choose a satin finish for easy cleaning.

Keep the plumbing in the same location

Bathroom remodel ideas get really expensive when you decide to change the position of the vanity, bath, shower or toilet. You’ll save heaps if you keep the drains and water supply pipes in the same place. Unless your existing layout is a huge problem, do your planning within the current plumbing arrangement.

Always get a new loo

New toilet sets aren’t expensive and they really make a difference to the look of your bathroom. However (refer previous point), it’s best to choose a model that’s plumbed in the same way as your existing loo, i.e. wall or floor mount. Choosing a new loo at a bathroom shop is a humorous exercise that you won’t want to miss!

Go with standard sizes

When you’re looking a new vanity, bath or shower, you’ll notice that they come in standard sizes. Try to plan your bathroom ideas around these sizes, or you’ll need to have components custom made. Here’s a quick guide to standard sizes:

If you can’t afford a total reno, just update your fixtures

Maybe you bathroom is still perfectly serviceable, but the style is out of date. For a quick makeover, update the fixtures – taps, spouts, shower set, light fittings and towel rails. You can also make dated cabinetry look smarter with a lick of paint and new handles.