Everyone would love the luxury of an easy button when it comes to getting the bathroom of your dreams. However, the reality is that major remodel projects can be pricey. To curb the cost of a bathroom remodel in particular, homeowners will often wonder where to cut corners.

Although the Cyclone Contracting remodel team is a highly skilled and experienced team, we understand the desire to minimize the cost of your home remodel project while still maintaining a relationship with professional contractors to ensure the job is done right. Following are tips from the Cy Guys to make your bathroom remodel more affordable!

Set Yourself Up for Success

As with many things in life, preparation is key! Before taking action on anything else, it is wise to have the majority of your gameplan in mind (and maybe even on paper too). Having specific ideas of how you want your bathroom to change will both help your remodel contractor and give you peace of mind as the project ensues.

What does this look like? Think about color scheme, materials, any special touches, things you want to keep the same, and more.

Do Some Demo Yourself

If your bathroom remodel entails any tear-out, you can save yourself money on what you would pay in labor costs by doing some of the demolition on your own! This could mean something simple like tearing out an old vanity or, depending on the project, could mean coordinating with your designer/contractor beforehand to map out a section of drywall that needs to be torn down.

A word of caution: Make sure you work smarter, not harder when it comes to DIY bathroom demolition. You will end up costing yourself money for accidents like damaging plumbing behind a wall, chipping away the wrong areas, or even personal safety accidents.

Do Your Own Painting

Painting is something that can be done easily on your own as long as you don’t mind a little bit of hard work and patience. To make the job more efficient and enjoyable, enlist some friends or family members to help!

Consider Your Existing Layout

This is a big one. Whether or not you decide to change the configuration of your bathroom (like moving the location of plumbing or electrical) can either save or cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Consider how important it is for your sink to take up a new location, or for your shower to have two heads. If those location changes are non-negotiables for your remodel, you will need to allocate a fair amount of budget to plumbing new lines and paying your contractor for other infrastructural changes.

Mindful Material Selections

Money and materials go hand-in-hand when it comes to selecting things like fabric, countertops, or tile for a home remodel. Especially if you have your heart set on top-of-the-line brands, it can be hard to consider alternatives. However, we recommend ordering samples from different vendors with different materials at varying price points. This will allow you to weigh both aesthetic possibilities and your budget simultaneously.

One caveat to consider is that certain materials do better in bathroom environments than others. Talk to your contractor for specific advice! In general, porous materials can be harder to clean and are more likely to develop a mold problem.

Play Around with Existing Furniture

Another way to go about saving money and making your bathroom remodel more affordable is to repurpose old furniture rather than buy new. Consider sanding down and refinishing an existing vanity instead of buying a new one.

Have Questions for the Designer or Consultant

Your remodel team designer or consultant should be well-versed in all of the things that go into bathroom remodeling. It is a good idea to come prepared with questions on how you can cut project costs that are specific to your bathroom. The more questions you ask, the more you can learn and glean from your contractor, and the better chance that you’ll end up with the results you are looking for.

Hire A Professional to Optimize Your Budget

The Ames and Ankeny area home remodeling crew at Cyclone Contracting are invested in each and every project they take on. After scheduling an initial consultation regarding your remodel project, talk to the Cy Guys about options they see when it comes to getting the best bang for your buck on your newly remodeled bathroom. Contact us today!