The $500 Bathroom Source and Pricing Post

Thank you SO much for all your kind comments regarding our newly remodeled bathroom. In this post, I will be sharing all of the specifics of what went in to this update on a budget. The $500 Bathroom Source and Pricing Post.

The $500 Bathroom Source and Pricing Post

Let’s start from the ground up.

When we moved into Storybook Cottage we found the garage and attic chock full of wondrous (and not so wondrous) things. One happy find was a large stack of new tile. I admit that if this home was going to be our forever home I probably would have selected a lighter colored tile but when you have FREE tile, you use it. Ditto for the thinset and grout.

The tile was installed by the talented Mr. Decor so the new flooring was in essence free and such an improvement over the previous warped linoleum.

Now about the tiny oriental carpet….

….A back story.

For the very first ORC I ever participated in I found a gorgeous carpet at an estate sale for the family room makeover. It wasn’t cheap but given that I paid $350 for a $5000 carpet I was a happy camper.

This teeny carpet was a “free gift with purchase” when I bought the family room rug.

Which means that all of the flooring treatments in the bathroom were….FREE.

Ralph Lauren Gustavian Blue

You may have noticed that the walls in the family room are the same Ralph Lauren “Gustavian Blue” as in the bathroom. This “before” image shows the layout of the space and you can see the open door on the left that leads to the bathroom.

Given the close proximity of the spaces, it just made sense to continue the paint scheme. Since I had a good amount of Gustavian Blue (eggshell finish) leftover from the family room project the paint for the bathroom was, in essence, FREE.

The oak vanity was such a small project that I only had to purchase a quart of Ralph Lauren “Club Navy” paint (semi gloss). The paint line is carried at Home Depot who provides a nice discount to military members. So the price of the vanity paint was $15 and I have tons of leftover paint if anybody wants some. 

Painting The Vanity

I did receive a few questions about the technique we used to paint the vanity. 

It is a circa late 80’s oak vanity that had at some point been painted black. Mr. Decor removed the doors and gave the doors and frame a good sanding.

I am always a “less is more” type of painter. I want to make sure there are no excess globs of paints or drips. So I use a light hand to apply paint. Because of this to get the coverage and depth I wanted due to the dark navy color it took FOUR coats of paint. As it has been humid here  I would apply a layer of paint then give it an entire day to dry before I added the next coat.

I did want to update the vanity hardware as it was rather worn and dated. Chrome knobs and hinges were selected. Everything came from Lowes. The hinges come in a pack of two for $2.77. The knobs were $1.67. Lowes also offers a military discount so we paid a little under $12.00 total for all of our hardware.

Window Treatments

The white gauzy Roman shade was actually purchased several months ago on clearance for $3.97.

It was a good width, just a wee bit too long.

To shorten the shade I studied the construction of the cord pull system and then just shortened the cords to where I wanted the shade to end. The fabric was cut with pinking shears. Fabric glue was used to seal the fabric edge and attach the fabric to the bottom weight.

One of the biggest expenses was the new toilet.

The old toilet was 30 years old water hogging monster. The elongated style took up valuable real estate in an already tiny room. A new Kohler in the “Wellworth” style was a wonderful improvement. With the military discount, we paid $149.00.

On top of the toilet tank, I filled a small plant greenhouse, found at HomeGoods for $10.00, with our seashell collection.

A New Sink

The costliest item was the new sink. The original sink was not a standard size and given that we were keeping the original vanity it had to be a custom order. Again if this was going to be my forever home I would have selected a new vanity and a different sink but this fit the bill for our “right now” home.

It is a custom vanity top in white from Woodcrafters. We ordered it in store at Home Depot and with our military discount, it cost $262.07.

The mirror came from Kirklands. It was on clearance and the nice store manager also let me use my 20% off coupon which brought it down to $35.26.

The Ralph Lauren hand towel in “Ocean Tide” was $3.00 . The soap dispenser was $6.00. Both were clearance items found at HomeGoods.

This is where I must mention that, between Mr. Decor and myself, doing all of the sourcing and DIY is what helped keep the grand total of this bathroom at $496.30.

I am truly thankful that Price Pfister generously provided all of the gorgeous bathroom hardware which included the widespread Arterra Faucet, the Arterra Towel Ring, and Mr. Decor’s favorite new thing… the Arterra Paper Holder.

One last note~ I am thankful for talented family members who have provided gorgeous artwork to us over the years. An aunt painted the watercolor shown on one wall and my brother in law, A.J. Abellera, is an amazing photographer who captured the “Bridge of the America’s.

It is these personal touches that truly make this budget bathroom remodel special.

Again, my deepest thanks for all your lovely and supportive comments.

Laura