Budget-Friendly Bathroom Renovations To Boost Your Home's Value

Bathrooms are arguably the most frequented room in most households. Considering the foot traffic this area sees, it's natural for bathrooms to show signs of wear faster than other rooms of the home. A bathroom's fixtures, tiling and decor are also trend-sensitive, so having an outdated or well-worn bathroom can make your home seem older and less appealing than it is — reducing its resale value and putting off prospective buyers during a potential sale.

The good news is that a small-scale renovation can prevent this while also enhancing your enjoyment of the space. Keep reading to find out how bathroom renovations can impact your property value and why you don't have to dedicate thousands of rands or hours to do it.

Does a bathroom renovation increase home value?

If you've ever rented or owned a home, you'll know the importance of having a well-functioning bathroom. It's unsurprising then that the average cost for a bathroom remodel can exceed half a million rand. While you can recover some of this if you sell your home, it's still a massive investment to make and one will involve weeks (or months) of limited bathroom access, messy construction work, and strangers working in your home.

Depending on your home's age and condition, you could find that your bathroom is structurally sound and fully functional — if not as inviting and accessible as it could be. In these cases, you could make a few budget-friendly tweaks to the space that will boost your home's value, and make your bathroom a more pleasant space to be in without blowing through all your money. Here are a few ways you can do this.

8 high-value bathroom renovation ideas to boost your home’s value

1. Update your flooring

Few sights are as unappealing in a bathroom as cracked, stained, and chipped tiles with mouldy grouting. Replacing one or two of them can be easy, but if multiple of your bathroom's ceramic or porcelain multiple tiles look his way, vinyl click flooring can be a better option. It's suited to most bathrooms, provided your tiling grout is thin, its seams are thin and shallow, and any missing tiles or major cracks have been filled in.

All you need to do is select your desired finish (it can look like anything from stone to wood) and click them into place with no glue required. They're fully water and scratch-proof, easy to clean and should you damage one accidentally, replacing it is as simple as slotting in a new tile.

2. Install ventilation

Bathrooms can develop odours quickly, especially if they have no windows or have a small bathroom space. Even if your bathroom has a separate toilet, the constant steam generated from a shared shower or bath can create an unpleasant atmosphere that encourages rust and mould to develop. An easy way to prevent this is by installing a ventilation system in your bathroom. This will keep the space cool and odour-free for years to come. This addition is best left to a professional, as attempting to do it without experience can result in an incorrectly sized or noisy fan and shoddy, damage-prone ducting.

3. Swap out your toilet

It's easy to forget the role that your toilet plays in your home's appeal. After all, it's just a toilet. That being said, you can replace it with a more attractive model that comes with added benefits for your household. Water scarcity is a constant concern in South Africa, and you can save up to 20% of your household's water use by switching out your current toilet to a more efficient model.

Opting for a brand-new model also means that you can look forward to years of trouble-free use, and so will your home's next owner.

5. Re-coat your sanitary ware

The near-constant presence of running water, personal cleaning products and humidity in a bathroom can impact how your sanitary ware looks. Even if your tubs and sinks are functional and new, they can develop unsightly stains through no fault of your own. If the water in your area is high in harmless particulates and bacteria, it can create unattractive discolouration and stains no amount of scrubbing will eliminate. Instead of ripping out your sanitary ware and replacing it, you can re-coat them at a lower cost — saving you time and generating less of a mess.

6. Make use of mirrors

Mirrors are a cost-effective way to instantly improve any bathroom space. It can make a small bathroom seem larger and brighter and allow more than one person to use it at once. Generally speaking, it's best to place mirrors in areas that naturally get the most sunlight. You can also select specific types of mirrors to address your needs such as a height-adjustable shaving mirror or LED lighting to mimic outdoor conditions.

To get the most impact from a mirror, install one without a visible frame and border and choose one that's as practically large for the space as possible.

7. Enhance with lighting

Strategically adding additional points of lighting to a bathroom can transform it completely. This can take the form of plug-in floor lamps or the addition of built-in points and switches. You can add strategic lighting over mirrors and even make your existing lighting dimmable for evening or nighttime bathroom use. Whichever option you choose, have a qualified and certified electrician install it for you. Doing otherwise could impact your home's safety and resale value.

8. Add Smart finishing touches

Your home might already make use of Smart technology that allows you to view who's at your front gate without leaving the couch or digitally control a room's temperature from another room. Adding similar touches to your bathroom can give it a modern look and feel and make it more convenient to use. Examples of Smart bathroom additions can be automated soap dispensers or Bluetooth speakers so that you can listen to music in the shower. Other handy functions include automatic mirror demisters and toilet and towel rack heating.

When considering adding Smart technology to your bathroom, remember that the changes should be in line with that of the rest of your home. If you haven't made any technological advances in your home, making similar additions to other rooms in your house will ensure the entire space is cohesive.

You might be considering the above points in preparation for selling your home. If so, it's always a good idea to consider all your financial options. SA Home Loans can assist you if you need to unlock the true value of your home loan by switching your bond or if you’re an existing client, by accessing funds through a range of our Further Lending products. Contact our team today to begin the process.