Friday, August 28, 2009

Bathroom Remodeling Project - Money Saving Tips

Bathrooms are a great place to spend your remodeling dollars, as a beautiful bathroom ads instant value to a home. However, bathroom remodeling may turn out to be more than a homeowner could have ever bargained for, considering the high costs of materials and labor that accompany such a project.

Fortunately, there are three specific areas where a homeowner can save significantly in their bathroom remodeling project. With a little extra time and a bit of bargain hunting, a homeowner can typically save about $200 to $2000 implementing the following suggestions:

* Bathroom Remodeling Tip 1-Search for Discount Tile: If you plan on using marble, granite or stone for your bathroom floor or shower tile, leave plenty of time to shop for clearance or discontinued material. Discontinued stone can be up to $10 per square foot cheaper than flooring or backsplash right off the showroom floor. This allows the homeowner to achieve a more upgraded look (i.e. granite tile) at a fraction of the actual retail cost.

You can find stone materials that have been discontinued or that are on clearance online on popular bidding sites such as eBay, or in the clearance section of flooring supply stores.

* Bathroom Remodeling Tip 2-Use a Bath fitter. Rather than replace a bath or shower that is in decent shape to begin with, seek out estimates from companies that rehabilitate existing fixtures using bath fitters. A bath fitter will typically go over the existing tub and backsplash with a little bit of man power and lots of caulk, thus creating a new look for an old fixture.

Choosing to go this route when updating a shower or tub can save the homeowner more than half of the cost of total replacement, while the finished project tends to look just as good (if not better) in the end.

* Bathroom Remodeling Tip 3-Purchase Discontinued Hardware. Paying retail for hardware fixtures such as faucets and showerheads is the most unnecessary budget drain in a bathroom remodeling project. While they may not look that expensive, new fixtures are an added expense running anywhere between $400- 1000 (especially in the case of custom orders).

To save money in this area, shop around home improvement stores for fixtures that are discontinued or currently on clearance due to an open or damaged box. You may also find discontinued items by looking online for discount plumbing stores or eBay shops. Admittedly, this may take some time if you have a specific look in mind, but you'll be glad you waited when that $500 faucet shows up $200 cheaper at a discount store a year down the road.

* Bathroom Remodeling Tip 4-Use 'Green Plumbing': While not an immediate savings, using green plumbing fixtures such as high efficiency toilets and low flow faucets and showerheads will make a significant dent in your water bill at the end of each month.

Furthermore, additional savings may come in the form of an instant cash back rebate, as some states are choosing to financially reward homeowners that "go green" with their plumbing choices.

You need to use creative ideas like seeking companies that rehabilitate existing fixtures using bath fitters if you don't want to spend too much on bathroom renovation. Venice homeowners can save a lot of money by following tips on bathroom remodeling. Visit http://www.eurotechcabinetry.com.

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