Too often we see people spend 10-20,000 and though the finishes are lovely, the layout, storage, and lighting are not improved at all. So many bathrooms can benefit from a reworking of the layout; this adds value long after the tumbled travertine and hammered bronze are again outdated.

And luxury features aren’t always as costly as you might think. Our bathroom was done with granite on top of a custom made vanity cabinet.

The granite cost $150, the vanity cost – $550. That’s a no-brainer compared to the cheap stuff that still costs half as much. Anyhow, thought I’d chime in.

Looking forward to seeing some pictures of the before and after when you’re all done!

In our experience remodeling our bathroom, here’s a couple things I thought of… Make sure if you hire a contractor/outside worker that they are reputable and qualified, check references/get referrals if you can. Also, we found it cheaper to get the work materials and have everything all ready for the tilers/installers when they came rather than them going and getting everything (instead of paying for their time, we did it and negotiated down the installation price). We also used a tile outlet (Tile Club for example) instead of the home store. If it’s a small job, you can buy discontinued high-quality tile for a lot less… just be sure to buy extra for patch jobs in the future. Also, we used granite tile instead of a slab. With thin grout lines, you can hardly tell the difference!

Good luck on your remodeling adventure Sheila!