Ugly bathrooms with old, outdated tile, dirty grout, and old fixtures can become a roadblock to selling a home quickly and for a great price. So many people “invest” in a bathroom upgrade with the hope of recouping the costs when they sell the home. Yet if you are not careful, that “investment” may cost more than it pays.
But it’s possible to make money on a bathroom rehab if you do it on a tight budget—not much more than $2,000-$3000 for an average-sized bathroom. If you are willing to pick the right supplies and put in a little (not a ton) of sweat equity, you can make it happen.
On the other hand, if you hire a contractor, the project may cost more than it adds to your home’s value. According to Homeadvisor, the national average cost to remodel a bathroom is $10,497, with a range of nearly $6,000 to about $15,000 and up to $25,000 for a large master bathroom. However, D.C.-area homeowners spend well more than the national average. In its annual report on remodeling costs and resale value, Remodeling magazine found that a mid-range bathroom remodel in the D.C. metro area costs anywhere from $14,000 to $21,000, and sellers recoup only about 65 percent of those costs. An upscale remodel ranges anywhere from $37,000 to nearly $67,000 with a return on investment at around 55 percent.
Yet we just remodeled a bathroom in a rental property for just a hair more than $1,500, demonstrating that you don’t have to break the budget to make your bathrooms an asset rather than an eyesore. Ours was a relatively small bathroom at about 35 or so square feet, but even a bathroom two or three times the size does not have to cost a fortune to renovate if you do it right. While larger bathrooms will cost more, even if you spend $3,000, you’ll be way ahead of the game.
Our bathroom had 1980s-style blue-gray tile with dirty grout lines that were really hard to clean, an old sink cabinet with peeling veneer, a worn out and rusty light fixture, and a rusty vent cover caked with old paint. The toilet and the tub were white and acceptable, so we kept those.
Our first step was to disconnect the sink and toilet from the plumbing. We turned it off at the valves under the sink and by the toilet. These valves can break, especially if they are old, so make sure you know where the main water shut off is in your home. Another option is to hire a plumber or handyman for $100-$200 to do this part. If any plumbing is broken or leaky, this will add a cost to your final project, but it should not completely break the bank. It’s a good idea to address leaks before putting your house on the market in any case.
Our next step was to clean and get estimates for re-glazing the tile. This is where you can save big bucks. If your tile is just old and ugly but still functional, re-glazing it will make it beautiful overnight. Removing and installing new tile can range into the thousands, but our re-glazing job cost us just $850.00! The company we used cost about half of what other companies quoted, so shop around. We did not re-glaze the tub, but if you have a pink or other odd-colored tub, re-glazing it white will do the trick. If done right, re-glazing can last a decade or more, but it requires extra care, so share that information with the buyer.
The next step was to install new flooring, which we purchased at Home Depot for about $50. Yup, that’s right, just $50! It’s a small space, but even if the room was 4 times the size, it would just be $200. The flooring we chose is Traffic Master Allure Gripstrip Vinyl Plank Flooring, which is beautiful and looks like wood! (We didn’t use the hand roller shown in the video link.) The tile sits on top of the old tile and it’s super easy to install. It can be cut with heavy duty scissors, so no saws or expensive equipment is necessary. Because it’s thin and a bit flexible, it does not raise the floor too high and is forgiving if the floor is not completely level. Rather than add shoe molding, we just used a gray caulk that matched the floor color to fill in around the edges against the wall. We have used this product at other properties, and it’s proved durable and long lasting. Note: We are not paid by Home Depot and do not get any affiliate marketing fees from them; we just find this flooring to be very easy to use. We have learned that vinyl flooring that snaps together can be a nightmare to install if you are not a home improvement pro, which we are not.
The rest was easy. We painted the untiled parts of the walls and then purchased the sink, faucet, and new light fixture. We installed the toilet ourselves and paid a plumber to install the sink and do a repair to the plumbing lines. We had an electrician install the light fixture, which added no more than $25, because he was already in the house doing other repairs, otherwise we would have done it ourselves. If you are not comfortable doing electrical work, hire an electrician for $100-$200 to get it done safely, which is well worth the cost.
Nowadays, you can get a nice sink and cabinet for less than $500. We found one on sale for about $150 at Lowes! We spent a bit more on the faucet ($106) than necessary because we like to get Kohler products. Kohler provides lifetime warranty for homeowners (10 years for rentals) that typically includes free replacement parts, which brings up another point: Keep all product warranties accessible so when you sell you can share them with the buyer.
Here’s the full rundown on our budget:
| Wall tile glazing | $850.00 |
| Tools and parts for toilet repair | $16.26 |
| Lowe’s light fixture | $58.28 |
| Traffic Master flooring | $50.63 |
| Bathroom vanity | $157.94 |
| Kohler faucet | $106.17 |
| New vent cover | $11.89 |
| Plumbing sink install | $217.00 |
| Paint & supplies (roller, brush, caulk) | $31.85 |
| Light fixture install | $25.00 |
| TOTAL COST: | $1,525.02 |
So if you’re getting ready to sell, don’t let an ugly bathroom stand in the way, and don’t over spend on a remodel. There is a middle ground. This type of rehab is a great way to make a rental property more attractive. While in the past it took more than a few weeks to rent this property, this time around it rented in three days! We also did a kitchen and flooring face lift on this property, so stay tuned for more posts on how to renovate on a budget!
Angela Logomasini and her husband Christopher Prawdzik are licensed Realtors® with Samson Properties in Alexandria. Operating as D.C. Region Real Estate, they serve the Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland real estate market and offer comprehensive real estate services, including 4½% full-service listings.
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