6 Bathroom Remodel Ideas on a Budget
I may not have scientific proof, but I do know for a fact that beautiful bathrooms make people feel SO good!
Not only can bathrooms look beautiful, they can be designed in a way to keep you safe while toileting and showering without costing an arm and a leg!
Let’s go over six tips that are very friendly towards your wallet and make a huge impact on how your bathroom looks! Watch the video below or keep reading, my friend!
1) Stainless Steel Grab Bars
Stainless steel grab bars are the least costly and they match most bathroom aesthetics.
Stainless steel grab bars come in finishes like satin and polished, so you have different options to choose from to make the stainless steel grab bars look more elevated.
Plus everyone should have grab bars in their bathroom to keep steady while moving around!
For me, we have a grab bar in the number one place falls are most likely to happen, which is when you step out of the shower! Put a grab bar at your shower entry, so that when you’re stepping out you’ll feel secure.
I also highly recommend putting a grab bar next to your toilet if it’s next to the wall. That will help you stay steady while you’re getting on and off, managing your clothes, and wiping your bottom!
Bonus Tip
A bonus tip is to have all of your grab bars in the bathroom match instead of having grab bars of different colors. Grab bars of the same color and finish look more cohesive. Very pleasing to the eye!
If you have any windows in your bathroom, you can also place the grab bars horizontally under the sill so you can camouflage them from being noticeable. If you’re concerned about that kind of thing, of course!
I personally like for my grab bars to stand out. I want you to use them!
2) Declutter
Clean and clutter-free!
Have you ever walked into someone’s bathroom and think, “Wow, they have a lot of stuff”? Usually cluttered bathrooms don’t make me think pretty or clean.
Decluttering the bathroom floor, counter tops, bath tub, shower, and toilet tank instantly makes your bathroom look so much better! All for the cost of free!
Not only will decluttering make your bathroom look nicer, it’ll prevent you from falling!
When there’s too much stuff on the floor, it’s really easy for your feet to be tangled up and for you to fall, my love!
By decluttering the floor, counter space, and all the other bathroom surfaces, you’re helping out your safety, too!
Another inexpensive way to help with decluttering in the bathroom is to mount cabinets or shelves on the walls. Get you some vertical storage there!
You could also make recessed niches between the studs in the walls to make shelves in your bathroom. The best part about creating recessed niches in your bathroom wall is the ability to make them at the height that works best for you! Create recessed niches that you can reach while sitting down and standing up to reach your bathroom supplies better!
There are a lot of different ways you can change your storage so that you can make things clutter free and keep yourself falls free! Maybe put the trash can inside of a cabinet to clear up the floor. You do what you gotta do!
When decluttering, I don’t care if you use the Konmari Method or just throw everything out. Even a little decluttering makes your bathroom look so much better! When I declutter, I find myself asking, “Do I need to keep five hairbrushes and six bottles of shampoo?” The answer’s usually a big “no”.
3) Paint
A pop of yellow in the bathroom gives a cheery, fresh feel!
A fresh coat of paint really changes things up and it’s a really inexpensive option for remodeling!
If you want to do something besides paint the walls, you could use wallpaper or tile. However, at the end of the day you’ll spend less money if you actually paint the walls.
There are a couple of bonus tips I want you to follow when you pick a paint color. The first thing is it’s really good to pick a paint color that contrasts with your shower, tub, toilet, and vanity.
Typically in most bathrooms, the toilet and shower are white or some kind of off-white. You want to choose a contrasting color that’s darker than white and that’ll make the bathtub, shower, and toilet pop!
We really want to see where the toilet and the shower is so that lessens our risk of falls.
As you can see from my bathroom, we chose a blue purple color that really makes the toilet and red towel grab bar stand out.
You can really tell the difference between the floor, the wall, and the other bathroom fixtures, which is beneficial for people with low vision and lessens the chance for falls in the bathroom.
If you have older family members, please choose a color contrast that has red, orange, or yellow hues. As we age, it’s easier for our eyeballs to see those hues as opposed to seeing green, blue, or purple colors.
Red, yellow, orange colors for a bathroom would be better to use than dark blue, purple colors because people with dementia see those colors as black.
We don’t want people to fee like they’re falling through a black hole in the bathroom! Stick with the red, orange, yellow kind of hues.
(FYI: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you purchase anything using the links, you’re helping run this website! Muchos gracias!)
4) Big Mirror
Another low-cost option to make your potty pretty is to install a big mirror!
When you put in a big mirror, it makes the bathroom appear larger! And it allows people of different heights, ages, and abilities to comfortably see their reflections!
One type of big mirror to consider is a tilting mirror. Here’s a video about the Ponte Giulio tilting mirror if you’re interested in watching!
I love tilting mirrors because if you have family members who are at various heights in your household, the tilting mirror makes it so everyone can see themselves well.
My little two-year-old loves watching her reflection while brushing her teeth. My 6’ tall husband also appreciates not ducking down to look at his handsome face. A large mirror, especially one that tilts, easily meets everyone’s needs!
If you’re somebody who likes to sit at the bathroom and brush their teeth or get ready for the day, you can move the tilting mirror down so you can see yourself while sitting and tilt it back up to use while standing at the sink.
Tilting mirrors= a win-win for everybody!
5) Cabinet Handles
Replace all of your bathroom cabinet handles with C or D-shaped handles.
C or D-shaped handles are the best to have in your bathroom because people of all ages and abilities can easily open and close cabinet doors and drawers!
The nerdy occupational therapist in me knows that you can use all different kinds of grip positions with your hands. You can also use equipment, like a grabber/ reacher, to stick through the C or D-shaped handle to open and shut the cabinets.
C and D-shaped handles make things so much easier for people to get the things they need to use in the bathroom without asking for someone else’s help!
C or D-shaped handles are everywhere and available at many price points! You can find them in any box store or online for a low cost in a multitude of polishes and material types.
You could even match your handles to your grab bars! Ooo la la!
6) Sink Handle
Switch out your bathroom sink handles for lever style handles!
You can use one lever handle or two lever handles!
Lever handles are great for people of all ages and abilities because they make it easy to turn the water on and off.
For example, my two-year-old is a pro at turning the bathroom sink water on and off because it’s effortless for her to grip the handle with her hand, the palm of her hand, wrist, foot, elbow, or forearm to turn the water on and off.
And believe me, my two-year-old has tried every single body part to turn the water on and off!
My point is that people of all hand capabilities can use a lever handle!
Please replace those terrible acrylic knobs and cross handles that are a PAIN in the BUTT to turn! They’re even harder to turn as we get older and develop arthritis in our hands and fingers.
Lever handles are very findable online or in box stores and are inexpensive to buy. They come in a ton of varieties! You’re sure to find something suitable to make your potty pretty!
Conclusion
Well, there you have it! Six tips to make your potty pretty on a budget!
If you’d like even more tips to make your potty pretty, please sign up for the Toilet Talk Newsletter and download your FREE eBook “10 Tips for a Pretty Potty”!
Tell me in the comments below which tip was your favorite? What have you already done to your bathroom? Sharing your experience could help out somebody else!
(Hey, did you know we have an awesome online course for people who have a hard time wiping after using the toilet? It’s an awkward topic that you can learn how to solve in the comfort and privacy of your own home! Learn more about the course HERE!)
