You've lived with those pink tiles at your tub for long enough, and you just can't take another day with that short ivory toilet. You have finally decided that it's time to renovate your bathroom, but you don't have as big of a budget as you'd like to get all the luxuries you want. So what are you going to do?

Prefer to listen?

We're going to tell you our 7 top ways that you can save money on your bathroom renovation. Our tips will ensure you update the look of the bathroom while adding value to your home—all without sacrificing quality or your budget!

Unless you just won the lottery, you're likely going to have some kind of budget that you need to stay within for your bathroom renovation. We would all love to have that beautiful, luxurious, spa-like bathroom that we've been dreaming of. However, reality sets in, and there's only so much money to go around. There are ways that you can still renovate your bathroom while staying within a budget.

1. Keep the fixtures in the same locations

One of the biggest expenses in a bathroom renovation is the plumbing. If you can keep your toilet, vanity, tub and/or shower in exactly the same locations, then you will save a considerable amount of money on plumbing.

A lot of work is involved in relocating fixtures, particularly the toilet. If your bathroom is functional with the current locations of the fixtures, then don't change that.

If you are considering converting your tub to a walk-in shower, there is definitely less cost associated with that than locating your shower in a completely different location. For more information on converting your tub to a walk-in shower, click here.

2. If it ain't broke, don't replace it.

It's a natural instinct to want everything to be brand new when you're renovating a room. However, it's not always necessary to do that.

For example, if your toilet is only four or five years old and works just fine, there's really no need to replace it. If you really want to update the look of your toilet, simply put on a new toilet seat and handle.

Sometimes you need to buy new things because they are so out of date that they bring the value of the house down if you don't replace them. This is often the case with a vanity. However, there are even options for a vanity.

Our client wanted to update the look of his existing vanity, but there was nothing wrong with the vanity apart from its appearance. Instead of replacing the whole thing, we just refaced it. It was a wall-to-wall vanity, so it was easy to just replace the doors and drawer fronts. Combined with a new countertop and a new sink and faucet, he got a completely new look at a fraction of the cost. Very little demolition, disposal, or plumbing was required to get a whole new look.

3. Vinyl Plank Flooring

Although the usual go-to for bathrooms is a tile floor, you can save a lot of money by opting for vinyl plank flooring. Not only is the installation considerably less expensive than the labour to install a tile floor, but in most cases, you don't have to remove the existing flooring. That saves on demolition and disposal fees.

We love vinyl plank flooring, and so do our clients. Not only is it extremely durable and comes in a multitude of designs and colours, but it is also 100% waterproof. Unlike tile, which can be hard and cold to stand on, vinyl plank is soft and warm.

Our favourite brand is Twelve Oaks. In our opinion, it is the Cadillac of vinyl plank, but at a Chevrolet price. Be weary of inexpensive vinyl plank flooring that you can sometimes find at big box stores. There is a difference in quality, so know what you are buying.

4. Do some of the demolition yourself

If you are a little handy, try doing some of the demolition yourself. Work within your abilities, though. If you really don't have a lot of skills at plumbing, don't try taking apart your bathroom shower. However, that doesn't mean that you can't remove the tiles from the inside of the tub or shower and remove the associated wall board. If you do the demolition and disposal yourself, you will save on that labour with your contractor.

If you are a little handy and can do some of the plumbing, then consider removing the toilet, vanity, and bathtub or shower yourself. Make sure you know what you're doing, though, and don't guess! Don't rely on YouTube videos either. If you really aren't sure and have never done this type of plumbing before, don't start now. It could result in a huge leak that will negate any savings from doing this demolition yourself.

Even if you aren't handy or comfortable doing any of the demolition yourself, you can still take care of the disposal and save a few hundred dollars in disposal fees. Even if your contractor tells you that all he's going to charge you is the cost of the dump fees at the land transfer centre, you can rest assured that somewhere in your quote he has charged you labour fees to remove all of that debris and garbage and haul it off to the dump. After all, he has to pay his workers an hourly wage to do that. Depending on the amount that there is to dispose of, you should be able to save at least a couple hundred dollars by doing all of the disposal yourself.

5. Don't buy top-of-the-line when a mid-range will do the same job

Normally, I would always recommend buying the best-quality product that you can afford. However, when you've got a budget, you don't always have to buy the Cadillac.

For example, many of our clients like Toto Toilets. Not only do they come with a hefty price tag of $500 and up, but you also have to buy a Toto toilet seat, which also comes at a high price. One of the best features of a Toto toilet is how quiet it is. Unless you have someone in your household who gets up to flush the toilet, which wakes up other members of the household, this feature won't be necessary. You can get an excellent toilet from American Standard for half the price. Just make sure you get one with a glazed trap and a MaP rating of 1000.

You can also skimp a little bit on your vanity, but this is one area where you don't want to buy the cheapest, low-end vanity around. Those are usually made with particle board and will warp with the humidity and moisture in a bathroom. Go for a mid-range vanity with some nice features such as soft-close doors and dovetail joints.

6. Check out flea markets and yard sales for accessory items

When it comes to plumbing fixtures such as toilets and shower controllers, I never recommend buying them used. However, you can get some great deals and some fabulous finds at flea markets, antique shops, yard sales, and second-hand stores for items such as mirrors, clawfoot tubs, sinks, toilet paper holders, and more.

You might even be able to find some really unique light fixtures that suit your bathroom perfectly. However, a word of caution... Check with your electrician first to ensure they meet the electrical code standards for installation in a bathroom area.

Learn to think outside the box as well. One of our clients inherited her great-grandmother's antique dresser. She asked us to convert it into a vanity. This was a very simple process, and when combined with a beautiful antique sink she found at a local antique shop, they gave her a beautiful remembrance of her great-grandmother and made use of a beautiful piece of furniture at very little cost.

7. Do a cosmetic renovation

If the budget really doesn't allow for a full renovation, then consider a cosmetic renovation. For a few thousand dollars, you can completely change the look of the bathroom with some simple tasks.

For example, put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and ceiling, a new countertop on your vanity, a new faucet at the sink, an updated light fixture, and some vinyl plank on the floor, and you've got a whole new bathroom. Pick out a new, fresh, colourful shower curtain, and you've transformed the whole room. A renovation doesn't have to be a gut and redo if the budget doesn't allow for it.

Bonus Tip - Consider open shelving

It stands to reason that larger vanities will cost more than smaller vanities, so if budgetary constraints don't allow you to get that gorgeous 5-foot vanity that has all the storage in it you want, consider a 3-foot vanity with some open shelving where you can store some of the items in baskets that you might have otherwise stored inside of that 5-foot vanity.

Not only will this give you much-needed storage, but it will also help create a more open and airy space. This results in making a smaller bathroom look larger, and that's never a bad thing. And if you carefully place your items on the open shelves, it can really add to the decor.

In summary…

There are many ways to save money on your bathroom renovation. Making a list of wants and needs will help you realize what you can’t live without and what can wait. Consider some of the money-saving ideas discussed above when it’s time to renovate your bathroom.