DIY BATHROOM MAKEOVERS: SOMETHING I CAN LIVE WITH
Remodeling any part of a home takes planning, organization, and a budget. Sometimes, it’s not always easy to stick to the budget you had originally planned. Let’s face it, things come up or the money just didn’t go quite as far as you had hoped.
DIY bathroom makeovers sometimes run into complications like plumbing issues, or busting concrete to move things around a bit. But what do you do with a partially finished project? Well, in my experiences, if you can’t finish it exactly like you want it-make it something you can live with until you can finish it.
Starting Out Strong
We wanted to expand our guest/kids bathroom. It was rather small and had a small pink square tile shower that was not big enough to say it was even there! The walls were a mint green color on the top half that wasn’t the pink tile. The vanity was 
also the pink tile on the top around the sink, which was white. The bottom part of the vanity and the cabinet next to the sink were painted a darker green color. The cabinet doors were actually a pink color. Luckily our living room was large enough that we could move the wall in some which would expand the bathroom.
As with all projects, we were eager to get started. We didn’t have a big budget, but we were going to go ahead and do what we could. We had already started remodeling in the living room by opening up the space between the living room and the dining room, so it wouldn’t be much to move the bathroom/living room wall, right? So, that’s what we completed and never regretted it for a minute.
Demolition Day
Our main goal was to expand the bathroom and get rid of the small tile shower, without making the bathroom totally unusable. We started with a large hammer, knocking out the tile first on the wall we wanted to move. We then 
hammered all the tile out of the shower and had quite a mess. We also scraped the tile off the floor since we knew we were going to replace that as well. After using a flat shovel to scoop most of the broken tile into large round plastic tubs, I took the broom and dust pan to sweep up the rest.
My husband had no problem moving the wall since there wasn’t any water pipes to deal with. He did have to deal with a few electrical outlets, but it worked out great. He then put up drywall as the finishing touch. Part of the mission accomplished!
Complication
We had already purchased a nice white shower/tub unit to replace what was once just a small tile shower. The plumbing for the faucets and shower head had to be adjusted somewhat, but that is not where the problem actually occurred. The drain from the old tile shower was not going to match where the new drain was on the shower/tub unit. We had to rent a jackhammer to break up the concrete……and even at that, it wasn’t easy. The concrete was much thicker than it should’ve been. But, thanks to my husband, we got the drain moved and piped correctly.
We were ready to set the shower/tub unit into place. I don’t know how we managed to get it into place because it was quite bulky and heavy as well, but we did it with a little help. As we stepped back to look at the new-look, we were pleased. Even though it was not finished, it was already better than it was before.
Something I Can Live With
While it was better, it wasn’t complete. Of course, life happens and we don’t get to finish projects as quickly as we would like. But the green and pink HAD to go. I started by painting the light green walls with white, but I didn’t stop there. I painted all the dark green trim and the pink cabinet doors white as well. Wow! What a change!
I even went a little further, did some research and found a new paint for tile. Yes, I even painted the tile white with Rust-oleum tub and tile paint. It was only actually left on the bottom half of one wall and on top of the vanity. It wasn’t actually finished, but it was as close as it could be without being completed.
Conclusion
If your project gets delayed, don’t get discouraged-it happens. DIY bathroom makeovers don’t always get finished as quickly as we would like. In the meantime, you can do a little work to make it look nice. Making it something you can live with for now is better than looking at something you can hardly stand to look at-until the project can be finished properly. 
It’s not something that I plan to keep in the bathroom because we are going add cabinets for storage on the wall that we actually moved out. We are also going to replace the sink, vanity and cabinet that is closest to it.
Not every project will be perfect, but there is always something you can do to make it acceptable for now.
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Hey, thanks for this post. I needed to read it.
Recently, I had a semi-finished, semi-botched makeover of my bathroom and I felt despair. I didn’t have the money to finish it all and there’s a leak from the cistern (only very slight, but very annoying and nevertheless will need to be repaired). Also, the wiring from the halogen downlight in the ceiling is hanging out bulbless as I couldn’t get hold of any more halogen, so I bought an LED with the same fitting but it didn’t work. It needs an upgrade to the transformer.
At the moment, I can’t afford to have this work done, so I have placed a drip tray behind the toilet, which needs emptying 3 times a day, have a lantern style torch on the shelving to provide light, and consider it something I can live with. Thanks for posting this and letting us know it’s okay that we don’t finish stuff right away.
Robert,
I TOTALLY understand where you’re coming from! I also have another bathroom that I haven’t started anything on yet, but I’m thinking on it. LOL
I’ve already had a problem in there as well. There was a crack in the bottom of the tub/shower unit when we bought the house. Since we haven’t even started on that bathroom yet, I needed a temporary solution.
I found Flex Seal! It works great for leaks or cracks. It does have quite a strong odor, so be sure and have the exhaust fan and/or windows open for ventilation. Be sure to let it dry the recommended time also. Maybe this will help eliminate the drip tray you have to empty to cut down on some frustration anyway.
Keep your eye on the ending result and I’m sure you will get there. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to finish a project, just that we do finish in our time.
Best of luck to you!
Cristy
Hi Cristy,
Your website is awesome. I really like the lead to shopping via “must have tools” headliner.
The affiliate disclosure is well written and leaves nothing to question by a buyer.
The post on the bathroom is perfectly explained and the pictures add a visual story to the post.
Well done….sarah
Thanks, Sarah. My “Must Have Tools” will be forever expanding as I add new items when I can. It seems there is always something you need, but didn’t think of. I hope to fix that problem with this page by listing those things that are needed.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pictures I added to my post on the bathroom. It’s hard sometimes to put things into perspective unless you see it.
Cristy
What an adventure! I would not have had the courage to bust out concrete to move the drain. When you moved the drain, did you have to pour concrete back down? Also How did you test for leaks on the new drain?
Thank you for this helpful article by the way. I am getting ready to do some minor remodeling (compared to what you did) and this give me the boost I need to get started
Well, Mike, I have to admit that my husband was running the jack hammer on that project. I was in charge of busting the smaller pieces and the clean up!
No, we did not pour any concrete back down because the area was going to be covered by the new tub/shower unit we installed. We did put some sand in the hole to fill it in some, but to leave enough area to work in-just in case there were other problems or leaks.
As far as testing for leaks on the new drain, we basically let the glue dry on the new pipes and ran water in the tub and let it drain out while we watched for any drips. I have to say, my husband and I never had to re-do plumbing because of a leak (thank goodness because I really don’t like doing plumbing work!) I’m thankful that it holds the first time…..so far!
Good luck with your project! Come back and let me know how it turns out, I’d love to hear about it.
Cristy
A very interesting informative post, which I have passed to my wife as she like this sort of thing.
I couldn’t see a way to subscribe to your blog though, to get future updates
Thank you, Dave. I’m glad your wife is into similar projects. I hope she will enjoy as well.
I apologize for the subscribe problem. I will get right on that right away. Thank you for letting me know about that.
Cristy
Hey Cristy 🙂 Bathroom makeovers can be quite a major task for sure! It’s the one room in the house that has more connections to water than any other room. To do it yourself you have to know what you’re doing and it can be quite costly as well to replace, the sink, toilet, cabinet, tub, walls, floors, and ceilings.
I’m not handy at all and retired now so I would outsource it for sure! The one thing that’s obviously important is to have a second bathroom!
How much does it cost to completely renovate the bathroom?
Yes, it can be quite costly, but not so bad. Mine is still a work in progress! But we take in steps so we don’t have to spend a lot at one time and that helps.
I guess the cost would be how much you would actually want to spend. Our biggest expense so far was the tub/shower unit-but again, that depends on how much you want to spend. Different styles can range from $400 up to $2500. Toilets are about the same, but we found a great one with the push button flushing located on top of the tank on sale for $98 and was thrilled.
To completely renovate our bathroom-which we are doing the work ourselves-is going to cost around $2,000 (on the low end) to $5,000 (on the high end). It kind of depends on how many items I can find on sale at the time we need them. LOL All in all I am a bargain shopper, so I am pretty good at finding deals on great items. The main thing is that, one day, we will have it finished!
Best of luck to you,
Cristy
I am extremely hands on and have contractors in my family that I grew up learning so much from. Projects are intimidating and after a demo as things look different and scary. However, if you can see the end result and stick to it, it is totally worth it. There are soooo many homes that with just a cosmetic touch can make all the difference. I don’t know what was the deal with the color salmon back in the day?! Nice job on your project!
I know you are so thankful for having family members for guidance. I know how you feel. I have learned so much from my husband on these projects, no matter how small. Some of the most simple things that I probably would have never thought of, is just the way he thinks. I tell him he has a “carpenter brain”. LOL
Growing up, my family was a very “do-it-yourself” type as well, but no professional contractors. My family had general knowledge about building and remodeling, but it was mostly learn by trial and error.
Yes, colors have changed-thank goodness! I’ve never been a fan of the salmon color, unless it was just a little splash for accent.
Cristy