If you’re at all like me, you’ve watched a little too much home improvement TV and now you have the “itch” to get some updates of your own going.
At the beginning of the summer, my husband and I set out to update the master bathroom in our house. It was our first time with any major upgrades, so we were a little inexperienced going into this. Our vision was to turn our master bathroom into a spa-like retreat without sending all our money down the drain.
It took a little work and a lot of patience, but we did it. I’m so glad we took the time to research, shop around and build a budget to make it happen. I learned a lot going through this process and thought I’d share a few of my tips with you.
Stay on track with these 4 home improvement tips:
1. What can you do yourself? Research — This may not fit everyone’s plan, but you will save a lot of money if you can spend a little time on Pinterest, YouTube, or another “how-to” site looking up how to do a few things yourself. Or maybe you’re lucky (like me) and have a family member or a friend you can ask to help out with things like painting, demo work, etc.
As an example, my dad is a retired carpenter and did all of our demo work, saving us more than $1,000. I found a great deal on new cabinetry, but I had previously researched how to stain your own cabinets, because I had light wood color and wanted a darker wood look for our new bath. It didn’t look hard at all and I know we could’ve done it, but after finding the great deal, I opted for new cabinets.
2. If your old cabinets are still in good shape, sell them to a house flipper. They’re always looking for great deals and you could make a few extra bucks.
3. Create a “must have list” for your project — We knew our shower and vanity were “must haves” with the upgrades. To create the spa-like feel that we were looking for, we wanted a tiled shower with a glass door, plus granite countertops. However, our tub, toilet and tiling were just fine. We were able to slash the cost by keeping all those items. Keep what you can — it all adds up.
4. Get Multiple Quotes and Shop Around — This one has to be the most important. To give you the full picture, here’s what we did in our master bathroom:
- Demolished our old shower, vanity and lighting
- New tile shower, fixtures, glass door
- New vanity, granite counter tops
- New mirrors, lighting and towel bars
- We had multiple quotes ranging from $8,000 to $25,000 for the work described above — that’s a big difference. Its important to shop around and get several estimates.
If you have the time, be your own general contractor. Decide where you’re able to do some things yourself or maybe decide if it’s truly a “must have” feature.
So there you have it. I hope these tips help you in your next home improvement project.
What tips have helped you on your project? Let us know at
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Sara Carnes is co-host of the Family Friendly Morning Show with Len Howser every weekday from 6-9 a.m. on 95.5 The Fish. She and her husband Russ are raising their two daughters, Makayla and Reagan, right here in Northeast Ohio.
