Before-and-After Bathroom Remodels Under $5,000

Is your dream bathroom way over budget? Check out these inspiring under-$5,000 bath transformations for ideas on how to cut costs in your own remodel.

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January 15, 2016

By: Mina Hochberg and Shannon Phillips

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Heather Scott Home & Design

Photo By: Rebecca Zajac

Photo By: Patrick Brickman Photography

Photo By: Anice Hoachlander, HDPhoto

Photo By: Terracotta Design Build

Photo By: Jeff Herr Photography

Photo By: Matt Wier

Photo By: Terracotta Design Build

Photo By: Jeff Herr Photography

With $5,000 or less, seven designers dramatically overhaul seven dreary and outdated bathrooms. See the before-and-after photos and steal their budget-friendly ideas for your own bath remodel.

Before: Gloomy Guest Bath

With dark wood cabinets and dull, colorless tiles, this guest bathroom is anything but inviting.

From: Heather Scott Home & Design

After: Chic Meets Cheerful

Soft gray walls, marble flooring and a furniture-style vanity create an elegant spot for guests to freshen up. Heather Scott Home & Design removes the wall-mounted cabinet above the toilet, making the space feel much larger and brighter.

From: Heather Scott Home & Design

Budget-Friendly: Upcycled Vanity

Instead of designing an expensive custom cabinet for the space, Scott attaches a Silestone countertop remnant to a chest furniture piece. The accent tile in the shower storage niche is pricier than the room’s other tile, so it’s limited to a small space where it still makes a big impact.

From: Heather Scott Home & Design

Before: Generic and Charmless

The builder-grade cabinets and basic tile floor make this feel more like a generic hotel bathroom than a welcoming guest bath.

From: Rebecca Zajac

After: Warm and Inviting

Designer Rebecca Zajac prettifies the room by replacing the cabinets with a custom vanity and laying down patterned floor tiles. Black and brass metals complement the gray and give the room a warm sophistication.

From: Rebecca Zajac

Budget-Friendly: Twice-Used Counter

Zajac saves money by using a remnant counter from the owner’s kitchen remodel. The mirror is a bargain find.

From: Rebecca Zajac

Before: Dark and Dated

The worn almond-colored wall tile, coupled with the maroon paint, make the guest bathroom a dreary corner of this historic Charleston, N.C., home.

From: Lauren Messina

After: Southern Charm

Designer Lauren Messina brightens up the room with an elegant chandelier. The pretty floral wallpaper ties the colors in the room together.

From: Lauren Messina

Budget-Friendly: Refinished Tiles

Rather than entirely replace the wall and floor tiles, Messina refinishes the tiling and makes it white for a crisp, updated look.

From: Lauren Messina

Before: Claustrophobic Chaos

Everything about this small bathroom is in need of a modern makeover, from the busy wallpaper to the curtained pedestal sink. The dull glow cast by the dated brass sconces is unhelpful in a space that already feels dark and confined.

From: Shelley Rodner

After: Peaceful Powder Room

Designer Shelley Rodner brightens and modernizes the bathroom with playful silver wallpaper and a chocolate vanity with much-needed storage. A handsome chandelier replaces the sconces.

From: Shelley Rodner

Budget-Friendly: Go Petite

Rodner chooses a petite-sized vanity, which costs a third less than similar designs with larger footprints.

From: Shelley Rodner

Before: Green Gone Awry

Emerald green walls overwhelm this small bathroom, which lacks cohesion and personality.

From: Terracotta Design Build

After: Simple and Serene

To give the bathroom more personality, TerraCotta Design swaps out the plain pedestal sink for an Asian-themed vanity and replaces the oval mirror with an expansive frameless mirror that enlarges the room. TerraCotta keeps the wood flooring and repaints the walls to transform the room without going over budget.

From: Terracotta Design Build

Before: Cramped Quarters

There’s hardly any room to move in this outdated bathroom. A wall-to-wall vanity overwhelms the small space.

From: Brown Design Group

After: Minimalist Luxe

A floating vanity and spacious glass shower open up this previously cramped bathroom. Rather than splurging on stone slab counters, Brown Design Group cuts costs with a one-piece countertop and sink. A single glass-panel shower helps the room feel larger while saving on extra hardware for a swinging door. Large-format wall tiles make for a quick install.

From: Brown Design Group

Before: Sad and Ignored

From the square floor tiles to the dated sink faucets, this bathroom is an unsightly throwback to the 1980s.

From: Terracotta Design Build

After: Bold Accessories

TerraCotta Design switches out the faucet, hardware and tile for an instantly dramatic transformation. A pair of bright, bold red stools pulls the look together.

From: Terracotta Design Build

Before-and-After Bathroom Remodels Under $5,000

Related To:

Shop This Look

Before: Gloomy Guest Bath

After: Chic Meets Cheerful

Budget-Friendly: Upcycled Vanity

Before: Generic and Charmless

After: Warm and Inviting

Budget-Friendly: Twice-Used Counter

Before: Dark and Dated

After: Southern Charm

Budget-Friendly: Refinished Tiles

Before: Claustrophobic Chaos

After: Peaceful Powder Room

Budget-Friendly: Go Petite

Before: Green Gone Awry

After: Simple and Serene

Before: Cramped Quarters

After: Minimalist Luxe

Before: Sad and Ignored

After: Bold Accessories

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