How to Make an Efficient and Reasonably Cheap Bathroom

When renovating a home, bathrooms (perhaps next to kitchens) represent by far the largest part of the budget. Even for small bathrooms you can get easily quoted $20K and more from builders and professionals. They charge a lot for labour and probably even more for managing the whole thing. With that said, the more you can do and organise yourself, the more you save. The more you know, the less you get ripped off. You control not only the expenses but the quality too.

Redesiging and Installing Vanity to Save Space

The old vanity was replaced with a new - narrower one to save space in a small bathroom. The most important points when replacing a vanity are below.

Bathroom Ceiling with 3 +1 Light Unit - Step by Step

Bathroom ceilings are relatively simple and can be done an average handyman. Here is an example of a ceiling made in a small bathroom of a unit.
It was done in 3 stages: About 3/4 of it was done first, then "3 in 1" light unit (light + fan + heater) was installed, and finally the ceiling was closed and finished. It had to be done BEFORE the shower screen was installed (because with it maneuvering would be very restrained).

Designing a Shower in Small Bathroom

Often the shower needs to be designed in a way that will make a better use of space because it is just what you don't have. We talk about small bathrooms. If it is a typical rectangle, you might have a problem to move around the toilet and vanity. It doesn't have to be a rectangle. It might have a non-typical shape. The tradesman who will lay tiles would ask you anyway and you need to be able to draw the layout on the floor.

DIY Vent Fan Exhaust Duct in Small Bathroom

Mouldy bathrooms are a common problem and unless you find a way to get rid of dampness, moulds will not go away and constant exposure to them can even lead to asthma. The dampness created by hot water (mainly from the shower) ideally needs to be let outside through a duct so that it doesn't stay on ceiling and walls. Ducts are however not standardly made with small fans. Here is a hint how you could make one yourself. You just need to get a bit creative.

Making Painting-Like Pictures

You can add a bit of a painting-like touch to photographs by putting a layer (or two) of clear matt varnish over them and then wrapping them around a wooden frame.

TV Entertainment Unit Out of Old Coffee Table

Wooden TV entertainment are sold for hundreds of dollars. This one was free - made of old coffee table that nobody wanted anymore. The only problem with it: it was painted in black and it was too large. So? Cut it in half and sand.

Rustic book shelves made out of old bed planks

Wood and rusty metal go well together as home decor. This one used to be a bunk bed with long rusty screws and bolts. It is now a book shelf. All that was needed were some black metal angles from Bunnings to fix it to the wall and matt clear polyurethane painted over the wood.