We want to put our house up for sale but our bathroom upstairs is in sad shape. The shower liner is yellowed and old (and we have a window with a wood frame in our shower). The tub is aqua. The vanity is crumbling and the sink top’s finish is worn off so it always looks dirty. The light fixture is outdated, ugly and broken. Above the sink is just a huge mirror. The toilet is actually two put together. The base is original (aqua) and the tank is white and doesn’t have a lid (there is a board that goes across and actually makes a nice shelf. The wallpaper is falling off and dirty. There is a large hole in the wall where a towel bar use to be. The floor is pretty bad too. Both the door and linen closet door need to be replace. We really don’t have much money (and by that I mean we have hundreds not thousands) to put into this. We don’t know anyone in the trades and aren’t handy ourselves. I don’t even know where to start with this. Any suggestions?
Bathroom Sconce
Enjoy our wide selection of bathroom lighting fixtures
Ok, that’s a lot, take a deep breath!
First of all, I think you’ll need to do some work. Do you have a realtor yet? He/she may be able to help you prioritize based on what YOUR MARKET expects, what trends and tastes are WHERE YOU LIVE. He/she probably also has a list of contractor friends who will ‘help’ you, ie, give you a decent price, get there quickly.
Here’s where I would start: (low budget, must-do items)
1) Strip the wallpaper, fix the hole, paint in a neutral color.
Cost (diy) $50-75 for paint, brushes/rollers, spackle. (borrow a steamer if you can . . . )
2) Cover the floor with vinyl tile
Cost: (diy) $100 avg bath
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100595260&N=10000003+90401+500335
3) Install a new light fixture
Cost: $25-50 fixture, $50-75 electrician
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=115066-1811-VBP111AN-2&lpage=none
4) Try to get rid of the yellowing on the liner with Magic Eraser. $5
5) Install new toilet & seat
$75-100, toilet, ?$150 plumber
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=746-73333-3755-100&lpage=none
6) Replace doors
Cost: $100-$150
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100012028&N=10000003+90039+501605
7) New shower curtain, liner, towel bar
Cost: $50
Cost: $150-250
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100116231&N=10000003+527204+90039&marketID=90039&locStoreNum=2650
Total of 1-8: $750-$1000
Beyond this, I would definitely think about reglazing the tub and surround, based on how clean you are able to get the wall. I think you could get it done for $500-$1000. But as your realtor will tell you, you would probably get 100% back when you sell.
reglazing etc. http://www.post-gazette.com/homes/20020504refinish0504fnp4.asp
Strip the wall paper and paint the walls a neutral color. Repair where the towel bar was with plaster before painting. Buy a new toilet and replace that. Buy one of those cut to fit bathroom carpets from Sears and cover the floor with that. If you have money left get a new vanity and sink. All of that is pretty easy stuff that most any one can do.
Not much you can do with the shower liner with your budget so make the best of it, buy a nice shower curtain and keep it closed. See if you can get a vanity the same size with a top that has a built in sink. Plan on replacing the water lines to the faucet. If you aren’t handy, get a faucet that doesn’t have the little knob on the back that you pull to engage the sink stopper. Make sure to get everything in white, it’s usually the cheapest. Go out and buy the cheapest white toilet set that you can and get a new wax ring that has new bolts for the toilet base included. Strip the wallpaper and paint the walls a very light color, something that will complement the tub. If you can find one that’s not too expensive a matching shower curtain would also be nice. Spackle and sand the hole in the wall before painting. Buy the same size doors that you have and paint them semi-gloss white. Use the hinges that don’t need to be routed out, I’d suggest three for each door as they aren’t the strongest hinges in the world, but they are the easiest to install. Don’t buy Glidden paint, even though it is extremely cheap, there is a good reason for it. Glidden sucks. I’d suggest Behr from Home Depot, voted best by Consumer Reports year after year. Buy some light colored self-stick vinyl tiles for the floor. Fill in any gaps or cracks in the floor before applying the vinyl, otherwise the cracks will show up in the vinyl. By a lot more tile than you think you’ll need so if you mess up you can have some extra to replace the damaged tiles. Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any more questions.
Good luck,
Jeff
If the rest of the house is in decent condition (ie:you don’t have to worry about replacing or repairing a bunch of stuff) you might consider selling the house with the stipulation that the new owner would be responsible for that room.
Doing that will likely be a loss for you on the selling price; based on what you’ve written, I don’t see a whole lot of options for you.
Good luck!
wash shower curtin,if u dont want to take it down,mix a little bleach and water,the best thing is to try,scrubbing bubbles to clean with.also try second hand stores for a white base for the toilet,the sink,lowes has cheap counter tops and bases.also if the floor is not rotted u can go to the fammily doller and by these peal and stick tile.iv used the tile and they work and look great.good lick.