Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
helena2013_gw

Suggestions for finishing a bathroom as cheaply as possible

Helena2013
9 years ago

So... I have a bathroom that had to be gutted last year because of mold issues, and now has to be finished off at the least possible expense because nobody, but NOBODY, will even look at a house in my region that doesn't have 2 bathrooms. (The other bath is small and just has a very small corner shower; the gutted bath had a tub).

Went to Lowes and picked out a toilet (Kohler Santa Rosa 1-piece, $328) and also a tub/surround/glass combo by American Standard in their "Saver" series which would come to $900 for the set. Haven't shopped faucets etc but will end up with Delta so I'm figuring it will come to about $1700 so far.

My problem is the vanity which can only be 48" wide x 22" deep due to space limitations, and I absolutely (because I will probably be stuck here for a year trying to sell in a bad market) want one with 6 drawers. HATE the ones that don't have a drawer at the top! Apparantly the 6-drawer ones are not easy to find. Went to Lowes and Home Depot, then to Consumers Kitchen & Bath which had TWO (one by Bertsch and another by Galleria), at $939 and $989 respectively, and I was not impressed with the quality of either. That's just for the cabinet, before adding any kind of solid surface/integral sink top. Is $1000 pretty much the cheapest you can get a 48" vanity cabinet for nowadays that isn't made of pressboard/MDF?

Comments (22)

  • numbersjunkie
    9 years ago

    I don't think you will do much better than that for what you want. Have you checked Overstock? You might do OK if you can find one that comes with the top & sink (maybe faucet & mirror too), because those items can add a lot if purchased separately. Do you have a style in mind? Is 48" the absolute max - would 50 work? Bellaterra Home has some that look nice and are supposed to be real wood, and I think you can get them through HD.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Bellaterra

  • gmp3
    9 years ago

    If money is an issue and your plan is to sell, I would settle for something that was as nice as possible off the shelf at Lowes, HD or another local vendor. You can save money on the top if you go to a local granite fabricator and pick out a remnant. I wouldn't spend a lot based on what I liked if I was selling. Buyers might hate it.

  • numbersjunkie
    9 years ago

    I'm not sure a remnant will be that cheap. I got quotes using remnants and they were still ridiculous.

    But HD does have some pretab tops in the 48" size. I got those for a project a few years ago. They had granite and solid surface with undermount sinks. I think the 48" was only like $130 back then.

  • gmp3
    9 years ago

    I went to several fabricators, some want a silly price, some realize they have overstock, and deal. You need to be somewhat open minded about the color, but I was able to get a 44" top with undermount sink for around $250, a 30" top with undercount for $200 and another 52" length without a sink for $200.

  • Swentastic Swenson
    9 years ago

    Signature Hardware or Wayfair online have quite a few vanity selections. I think Signature even ships to Lowes.

    We got a 60" solid wood double vanity including sinks and marble top for around $1600 with free delivery. I'm sure it'd be much cheaper for a single bowl 48"

  • Fori
    9 years ago

    IKEA has some nice selections that are cheap. You won't get exactly what you want without a larger budget I'm afraid.

  • jerzeegirl
    9 years ago

    Try Costco and BJ's Price Club. They have some Studio Bathe vanities that I thought were a great deal (although I did not see one in person).

    Here is a link that might be useful: vanity

  • littlebug5
    9 years ago

    I agree with Mayflower. There's no reason to outfit the bath to YOUR preferences if you are getting ready to sell.

    We just re-did a bathroom and bought an Eljer toilet at Menards for under $200. It's a good quality, solid toilet. We bought a vanity at our local plumbing supply company for $500 (that included a matching medicine cabinet). The vanity is 48" by 22". The vanity top/sink was a special-order onyx, about $400. The faucet is Moen, from Menards, at $100 or so.

  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago

    I was going to second Costco, including their toilets, faucets, tiles, and vanities. My local Costco has very nice toilets for around 100.00 to 150.00 (not online, though). Also IKEA if you like their look for the vanities although installation may not be as straightforward.
    (328.00 for a toilet seems steep).

  • Helena2013
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm stuck with a 48" vanity because of the positions of the door, toilet, and tub. No wiggle room for anything else unless I want to start relocating drains etc (which I don't).

    Having a pair of drawers at the top of the vanity is important because back and leg problems often make bending/reaching painful, and I may be stuck here longer than I anticipate being.

    As for the toilet choice, well, not to get into TMI but due to a medical issue I unfortunately often have to spend a lot of time there and the height, compact-elongated shape, and one-piece easy cleanability of this particular model makes more sense for me. This model's particular flush valve is better than the cheaper ones too.

    Thanks for the suggestion of Costco, I hadn't even thought about that because I haven't had a membership there in literally decades (no room to store stuff, LOL).

  • aok27502
    9 years ago

    See if you have a Surplus Warehouse near you. We had to do a gut job on a bathroom in my Dad's house, to make it sellable. Kept the toilet, replaced everything else. Quality isn't top of the line, but it's certainly fine for make the bathroom clean and usable.

  • piscesgirl
    9 years ago

    Like other's suggested I would look for remnants for the countertop. Check local granite yards. I would also glance on craigslist. I have seen granite yards selling pieces at low prices that can be fabricated for your needs or I have also seen everyday people selling old pieces (whether it be from a kitchen island or something) that you may be able to get cheap and have your local granite yard fabricate. We had our local granite yard fabricate a piece of marble for us for $150.

    You can also check craigslist or Ebay for vanities. I occasionally see new or quality older pieces for great deals.
    Good luck!

  • oldfixer
    9 years ago

    Your budget of cheap is already way over what I consider cheap. If your style and taste demand such things, then that's what you'll have to deal with. From just your starting figures, I would have everything purchased, and be spending the rest on a Caribbean Island.

  • juddgirl2
    9 years ago

    I would also suggest Costco for the vanity. A friend has one in her bathroom remodel and it's very nice. I think it came with the granite counter and maybe the sink too, so that's a cost savings. We purchased a 62" vanity from a discount cabinet center and the price doubled by the time we added a granite counter, 2 sinks, and nice hardware.

    Costco might also be a good source for faucets. I bought their Hansgrohe kitchen faucet for less than $200 and it looks and works great.

  • lafdr
    9 years ago

    I agree with other comments that your idea of cheap is very different than mine. Can the toilet or other things you bought be exchanged? If your have a space limitation for your vanity you may have more limited choices for that. But with the other pieces, you can get stylish items off the shelf at Lowes or Home Depot for much less than you are spending. What budget were you aiming for overall?

    The last small bathroom remodel I did, I spent 239$ for a much nicer than base model toilet, 269 for sink/vanity combo, 74$ for sink faucet, around 100$ for bathtub faucet, $69 for a light. I did splurge on a 179$ larger mirrored medicine cabinet. Plus floor tiles, paint, new shower curtain rod and rod. Plus labor. Existing tub and tile was cleaned up and kept.

    The best suggestion I have for a budget remodel is to buy off the shelf and keep telling yourself "It is nicer than what was there before."

    I know it can be hard to just think it is "only 100$ more for the better one", for every item. It really adds up with all of the pieces you are getting.

    lafdr

  • Helena2013
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    lafdr, I haven't bought anything yet. The space is just the existing tile floor, open framing all around where the bathtub was (drywall had to be removed because it was all wet and moldy), capped-off plumbing and drain lines where the toilet, vanity and tub used to be. The only thing left is the ceiling and the wall where the vanity and toilet were.

    When I bought the house I was figuring on replacing the toilet and the vanity/sink because they both were in really bad shape, original from 1960. The tub area had been redone by the sellers, all tiled and with a jetted tub. What I didn't plan on was the entire long tub wall having to come out because of a roof leak saturating it and also the framing and subfloor underneath. It was discovered in the course of finding several other serious hidden issues (including asbestos) after purchase, and their remediation did serious damage to my finances There's no way I will be able to afford to do the other major things the house will need in the near future and so I'm just going to cut my losses and get out as soon as I can before any of the other on-borrowed-time stuff fails and costs me more money that I don't have, LOL

    As for budget, I was hoping to be able to get the entire bathroom done (including labor cost) for under $5000. That's considered rock bottom cheap around here if you have to hire someone (which I do; can't physically do it myself and don't have any friends/family who can do this kind of thing either). As a comparison, my former neighbor needed her tile shower repaired because of a leaking pan last year; best estimate she could get for removing old pan, putting in new one, and replacing the lower 24" of wall tiles was $3800. So I figure that if I can get away with less than $5K for what I need done, I'll be doing pretty good LOL

  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago

    Costco vanity 48" (22" deep) ranges from 799.00 to 1099.00.

    This one is 799.00, hardwood and wood veneer, marble top, and vanity.

    899.00 with granite, sink.

  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago

    Or IKEA for a modern look, 48", 19" deep. come sin various colors/woods, for 599.00

  • mayflower1032
    9 years ago

    Agree, you should return the toilet, look at these from Home Depot. You can save $240. A buyer will not notice the brand of toilet. As long at it is complete and new, it will look great.

  • mayflower1032
    9 years ago

    You can search on the HD site under vanity. It allows you to select the length and can sort by lowest price. There are many many choices. Here is a small sample of 48" vanities. Agree with the other posters, find one that includes the top. It will cost too much to have a custom top installed.

  • Mags438
    9 years ago

    Those are some nice suggestions. Thanks for posting them with pics instead of links