Powder Room Renovation on a Budget – The REVEAL (Part 2)

It’s done, y’all. It’s finally done.

Let’s take a look at the before, shall we? (Click to enlarge.)

And here is the after:

It’s WHITE, which I love. But too much white can also make it feel a little cold and boring. I have refrained from hanging anything on the walls for now but I’m sure I’ll get the itch later down the year. I’ve added some neutral coloured accessories for the time being.

UPDATE: I’ve incorporated some wood! And a plant! It makes the space so much warmer.

BEFORE

If you missed my IG Stories or part 1 of the reno, this was our original vision:

• vessel sink
• round mirror
• new faucet
• new lighting, vintagey feel
• board and batten on walls
• fresh white paint on walls
• painted vanity
• white countertop
• vintagey linoleum flooring
• to reuse as much as possible

As you all know, renovations rarely go as planned but I think we made it work and stayed under budget.

Here’s where we saved money:

LIGHTING

J and I fell in love with a light fixture from Shades of Light but it is so expensive. While J was ready to spend whatever on something he loved, I was not. So I Googled. I stumbled onto a dupe at Lowes in Canada!

COUNTERTOP

We went with a precut laminate countertop over stone. Guys, laminate has come a long way. All we wanted was a white counter and if we opted for stone, it would cost $2000, plus have a ton leftover, forcing us to spend more money.  

This precut laminate wasn’t the exact size of our vanity but J cut it easily to fit with a saw. He caulked the edges along the wall and it looks seamless. Cost of laminate: $45.

TOWEL BAR + TOILET PAPER DISPENSER

Both fixtures were chrome and J had the genius idea of spraying them matte black to match the knobs on the vanity. One can of spray paint: $10.

BOARD AND BATTEN

Knowing that the powder room would be mostly white, we wanted to add some texture to avoid it feeling sterile. J and his friend, also J, worked on this board and batten together. It was pretty simple apparently – just a couple pieces of baseboard/moulding, measured and cut with a saw, then nailed to the wall. They got this done in a couple of evenings and over a few bottles of beer.

REUSE WHAT YOU CAN

We kept the existing knobs, toilet paper dispenser, towel bar, toilet and vanity. If the colour is wrong, see if you can just spray paint it to make it work with your decor. I also sold parts that were still usable on Facebook Marketplace to someone who was renovating a rental suite. He talked me down to $40 for the mirror, counter and two sinks (one was left over from a previous reno) but hey, it’s out of our garage and that’s an extra $40 towards the countertop. All of the accessories we already had around the house so no extra money was spent.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE IKEA

Ikea can sometimes look, well, like Ikea. However, they have recently included more stylish pieces in their designs and their prices and durability are simply amazing. I believe finding items with a little extra oomph is key to making your home look less big box store and more custom. Even if something doesn’t appeal to you in the beginning, give it a try. For example, that faucet – it isn’t typically ikea and I love it! But I didn’t at first. We brought it home to put it up against the sink and I could tell immediately that it was perfect.

There was also a major debate whether to go with black faucet (Amazon) or chrome (Ikea). We bought both home to test it out. In the end, we went with chrome, simply because I liked the lines of that one more. But I think it would’ve been pretty either way.

FLOORING

Though I had my eye set on a vintage linoleum floor, we decided to forgo it – for now. Well actually, J just started installing the board and batten and it was like, “oh I guess we aren’t doing the floors anymore.” He said the floor will seem inconsequential – whatever the heck that means. I would love to still do the floors so I’ll keep working on him, hahaha!

COST BREAKDOWN

• counter $45 (saved from $2000)
• light $180 (saved from $300)
• faucet $130
• sink $130 (one sale for $110 currently)
• board and batten $100 (J said this can be done cheaper but they were ‘impulsive’ and Rona only had the ‘expensive stuff left’.)
• paint $150
• spray paint $10
• mirror $80
• plumbing parts $75
• sold off usable parts for $40
• skipped flooring – saved around $400

I have linked everything we used below:

 

ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR / FIVE / SIX / SEVEN / EIGHT

 

 

I’m pleased with how everything turned out and even happier with how we didn’t overspend.

Do you have any tips when renovating a small space?

Huge thank you to J’s friend, J, for lending us his expertise and his tools. 🙂