Half-Bathroom Budget Breakdown

/

My Tips for Renovating on a Budget

Wanna know how much it really cost to completely renovate my half-bathroom? Find it here with an itemized breakdown!

Dark red vanity with drop-in sink, wall-mounted brass faucet, black beadboard behind it with wallpaper above and a wood mirror

Budgets are so subjective. What may seem super expensive to one person could be nothing to the next person. In fact, a quick Google search varies in estimates for a half-bath remodel from $2,500 all the way up to $15,000! That's a pretty gigantic range.

I’m an insanely budget-conscious person. Truth be told, I’m actually kind of terrible at spending money. So, naturally, I aimed to renovate my bathroom on the absolute lowest end of the range without sacrificing the overall style I wanted.

My goal was to renovate this bathroom for $2,000. Do you think I stuck to my budget?

As an Amazon Associate, and partner with other brands, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I receive commissions for purchases made through those links at no cost to you.

Itemized Half-Bath Cost Breakdown

Antique brass wall-mounted faucet on black beadboard with deep red vanity. Red stems in a vase in the background.
Wall-mounted brass faucet on black beadboard. Wallpaper on the top-half of the room. Mirror above faucet with a brass sconce on each side.

Okay, so I didn’t quite hit my goal of keeping my half-bathroom renovation to $2,000. But, considering I replaced everything in this bathroom aside from a few sheets of drywall, I’d say I came pretty darn close!

Here’s how I renovated my bathroom for less than $2,500:

Woman laying white penny tile with a black border.

DIY vs. Hired Labor

Bottom line, the biggest reason I was able to keep my budget so low with this renovation is because I didn’t hire out any of the labor. The labor alone for this renovation would have likely blown my budget before I got started. Lucky for me, I really enjoy DIY, so doing it all myself didn’t feel like a chore in the least!

I Didn’t Buy Any New Tools

If you notice, in the budget breakdown, I didn’t include the cost of any tools. That’s because I already owned most of the tools I needed. And I borrowed the few tools I didn’t have from a friend.

I realize this isn’t a reality for everyone. Buying new tools would definitely increase your project cost. However, keep in mind that once you buy a tool, you get to use it over and over again on future projects!

Related: 10 Best Tools for DIY Beginners

Compare Prices

Close-up of black and white penny tile pattern with black beadboard

Whenever I’m sourcing items for a room, I spend an excessive amount of time looking for the best deals without sacrificing quality. The penny tile in this room is the perfect example.

It was really tricky to find a resource that sold both black and white penny tile at a reasonable price (black penny tile was surprisingly hard to track down!) I was close to buying mine from Tile Bar because they sell both colors for a fair price, but the shipping added 1/3 of the cost!

I found tiles at Floor and Decor, but I was nervous about how they’d look next to each other since they were from different brands. Luckily, I had a chance to stop by a store to see them side-by-side, and they looked great together.

Another way I saved money was by buying my sconces and fixtures on Amazon (after doing my homework to compare prices and reviews). I love to use Google Lens to easily compare prices for similar items across sites to help find the best deals!

Know When to Splurge and When to Save

I knew wallpaper would be a huge part of my bathroom design. But I also know that wallpaper can get really expensive really fast.

Bathroom with fern-patterned wallpaper on top half of walls and black beadboard on bottom half. Dark red sink with antique brass faucet. Wood mirror above sink.

Although I definitely splurged by using wallpaper in my bathroom (it was over $400 for just the wallpaper), I saved a lot of money by installing beadboard on the bottom half of the room. Not only is beadboard really inexpensive (only $72 for all the sheets I needed), but it adds so much character!

Buy Secondhand

Buying secondhand items is not only a great way to add character to a space, but it is also a big cost-saver. The mirror and almost all of the decor are secondhand, but the biggest secondhand item in this bathroom is the vanity.

While I sacrificed a stone top for the vanity (which would have significantly added to the cost), a few coats of Polycrylic easily made the top waterproof. In addition, I never would have been able to find a store-bought vanity in the color I wanted, and I know I would’ve been hesitant to paint something new.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to watch people transform their homes in what looks like an instant (hello, Instagram transitions) and with infinite funds. I hope this blog post, as well as following along during this entire renovation, helps give you insight into some of the behind-the-scenes work that makes these projects possible.

Don’t forget to save this post to reference during your next renovation!

Vanity in moody bathroom with text overlay