Small Bathroom Remodel On A Budget (before & after)

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Sharing our small bathroom remodel on a budget at the lake house which includes a walk in tiled shower, small DIY built in storage cabinet and new luxury vinyl flooring. The small bathroom is 5×7 and to save money, we opted to stay within the same layout. Removing a standard bathtub and installing a walk in shower with frameless sliding glass doors was one of the best small bathroom ideas to stay on budget.

The old bathroom had a dark wood ceiling with paneling and tile on the walls.

As you can see, the bathroom layout is small not leaving a lot of options. I have provided shopping links as well, just click any of the tan highlighted text to be taken to the product.

Small Bathroom Renovation Ideas

There are two bedrooms on either side of this bathroom and one of the options was to make this bathroom bigger by sacrificing a bedroom but we quickly decided against that idea as it would have been costly and losing a bedroom was not an option.

After all, this is a small bathroom remodel on a budget!

Shower Tile and Tub

One idea that we considered for this small bathroom remodel was to install a stand up shower which would have allowed for a larger vanity but in the end, we decided to remove the existing tub and install a full walk in tiled shower and keep the smaller vanity.

The old bathroom had a really old window inside the shower which is the oddest place for a window but from the outside, it would look funny without the window so we opted to keep it.

The window frame and sill was completely rotted so we replaced the old wood window and frame with a vinyl window and frame.

This bathroom is directly off the kitchen so we wanted it to coordinate with the modern coastal “light and airy” theme we were doing throughout the house.

Jim removed the old bathtub and surrounding tile and added Hardibacker board in preparation for the new tile.

The tile we used is called Kolasus White Matte in 12×24 size from Home Depot. Installing a new walk in tiled shower can be pricey so keeping your material cost down is a great way to save on a bathroom remodel. The tile is under $2 a square foot and if you are looking for that high end white and gray vein look, this is the most budget friendly tile out there. The tile has excellent ratings and for under $200, we installed a brand new modern tile walk in shower.

Wondering how to install a tile walk in shower?

Click through to this DIY tile shower installation post.

Small Bathroom Remodel Before and After

Here is the small bathroom before we remodeled.

Here is the new modern bathroom below after the remodel.

Unfortunately I did not have my professional camera with me when I took these pictures so the glare on the glass doors and lights is obnoxious!

I plan to take better pictures soon but you get the idea of the dramatic before and after.

What is a reasonable budget for a small bathroom remodel?

A small bathroom remodel under $3000 is not impossible in fact, if you are handy you can save a lot by doing the work yourself.

Vanity & Lighting

We purchased a new black vanity (like this one ours is sold out) with a farmhouse style sink, an affordable 3 light modern farmhouse light fixture, black coordinating hinges (this one) and modern door knob (this one) as well as a black modern faucet (like this one).

Glass Shower Doors

The glass shower doors ate up a large chunk of the budget but we felt like the doors were a focal point and added the modern look we were going after.

You can save $1000 plus if you use a fabric shower curtain instead of glass doors.

New Bathroom Door

We updated all of the interior doors thanks to Masonite to a 2 panel solid core shaker style and they are gorgeous!

We opted to have the doors prehung (see our post on why we like prehung solid core doors here) to make installation easier (you will pay a little more for prehung but well worth it in my opinion).

Here are a few door options to get this look if you are struggling with door styles. This 2 panel shaker door is similar , this one at Wayfair and this one too.

If you are looking for a door to be delivered to your home, Wayfair and Amazon have great affordable options – just be mindful to order the correct size! Search for 2 panel solid shaker style door.

Paint

We painted the walls and doors Chantilly Lace which is a cool toned white paint color but not stark white. I think it helped make the small bathroom feel larger and brighter.

Labor

Keep in mind, we did most of the work ourselves (well Jim did!) so you will have a labor cost which many times is twice or three times as much as materials depending on the size of the bathroom and materials you pick.

We picked very inexpensive materials “to get a high end look” and did most of the work ourselves. Jim did pay for some labor but was minimal.

Accent Wall

We had leftover white ceiling and wall planks from our basement remodel that we installed directly over the walls near the toilet and vanity to give a shiplap wall look.

We glued the light weight planks with adhesive directly over the old tile and paneling. It came out so good!

Built In Cabinet

We installed a kitchen upper cabinet (installation post coming soon) in the bathroom wall to create additional storage for towels and toiletries.

Accessories & Fixtures

This bathroom had no storage options so this was the best solution. We added coordinating modern black cabinet knobs , towel hooks and a new toilet paper holder as well.

Flooring

Install new vinyl plank flooring. Vinyl plank flooring is water resistant and great for bathrooms. It’s affordable and the styles and color selections are endless!

We ended up replacing the floor in the bathroom so that it would match the rest of the house flooring.

The living room and kitchen flooring (adjacent rooms) needed to be replaced so we decided to carry the same flooring into this bathroom so everything coordinated.

Overall, we are thrilled with how our small bathroom remodel turned out and even happier that we stayed in budget!

Top Budget Small Bathroom Reno Ideas

1. Change out the fixtures – swap out old faucets, shower heads, and other bathroom fixtures for a more modern look.
2. Install New Vanity and sink
3. Install new tile – switch up the look with new tile around the sink, floor, or shower stall area.
4. Replace the bathroom mirror – an updated mirror can give your bathroom an instant facelift.
5. Add a new light fixture – replace an outdated light fixture for something more modern and stylish.
6. Replace bathroom door with an upgraded solid core door

Updated Our lake house is now available to rent in the New Hampshire Lakes Region, just 15 minutes south of Lake Winnipesaukee so if you are interested, click through to this page, “rent our New Hampshire Lake House” for more information.

Looking for more small bathroom remodel ideas? Click through this post, small “5×8 bathroom remodel and cost” and check see how we incorporated small bathroom layout ideas in a tiny space at our split level home. This particular bathroom was a lot more expensive than this bathroom but still affordable.

Feel free to print the materials list and tutorial below.