After poking around a bit, I discovered I didn’t have any before photos of the Main St. house bathroom. Boo, me. I’m not sure how that happened, as I definitely know I took some, but they didn’t seem to get filed in the appropriate electronic bin, and now I can’t locate them.
So here are some after pictures, followed by a brief description of what I did:
This’ll likely be a recurring theme as I recap all the projects with this house, but I’m really glad I spent some time there doing assorted prep work first, before launching into any major projects. This was my first pure flip that I’d tackled alone, with sole decision making powers, and a lot of the things I’d originally planned were simply overkill, and weren’t really suited to the house nor things that would make me any money.
One thing to keep in mind with any investment is that selling it for a higher price than you purchased it doesn’t mean you make money; you only profit if the sales price is higher than your original purchase price + expenses. Most of the potential profit in the Main St. house came from buying it at a substantial discount to fair market value, and not necessarily in upgrading and renovating everything in sight. After assessing things by working in the house for awhile, my goals shifted from the more grandiose plans to simpler ones: gussy up the obvious stuff, stick to stuff I can do that I know produces actual profits (paint, plants, and tile), and aim for a finished prduct that is the best 3-1 starter house on the market in my area.
As far as actual work in the bathroom, I ripped out the peeling, cracked old linoleum flooring, took out the old plastic/fiberglass pre-fab panels that were in the tub surround area, painted everything, replaced the fixture on the wall (it’s just above edge of the photos at the top), replaced the outlet by the vanity with new GFCI outlet and wallplate, replaced the hardware on all cabinets, installed backerboard and tile in the tub surround, and installed the shelf next to the medicine cabinet. (I didn’t do the installation of the vinyl flooring shown in the pictures, as that and the carpet in the back bedrooms were all done by a local flooring company.)
Sucks not having before photos, but in general it wasn’t in terrible shape, but not inviting at all, with peeling up scuffed white linoleum on the floor, pale yellow walls, and on the dingy, beaten-up side. The tub/tub surround was fairly gross, with the pre-fab panels failing and coming off the wall in a few places. The medicine cabinet was a bit awkwardly located, to the far left of the wall the vanity was on, with nothing whatsoever to the right of it to justify its location.
I was pretty happy with how everything turned out, as I feel like a got a pretty good bang for my buck. I originally planned to rip out the medicine cabinet and replace the vanity, centering everything on that wall, but ditched that plan. The medicine cabinet is original to the house (built in 1932) and kind of cool and the existing vanity is in really good shape (despite being a lower-end Home Depot mode), so I just went with them, adding the shelf to the right to try to visually balance the space. Not a perfect solution, but good enough, and a choice that saved me ~$400-$500.
Most of the work went into the tile tub surround. As far as costs, it was actually pretty affordable. The tile I used was on close-out at Home Depot, and I got it at .99/sq. ft. It was the first time I’d worked with hexagonal tile, but after a few hiccups cutting pieces for the corners and edges, it went pretty smoothly. I’m a big fan of learning how to do tile work yourself, and I think it’s pretty crucial if you want to flip houses in the current environment and actually make money. It’s definitely intimidating at first, and you should start with a project that you can take your time and screw up many times (in other words, don’t start by trying to re-tile the only bathroom in your house, or on a project with a hard deadline), but so many houses can be improved with tile, and potential buyers love it. It’s also a pricey job to hire out, but one that’s relatively straighforward for the DIYer, as all it really takes is a lot of patience and the willingness to get your hands dirty.
Everything else was pretty straightforward. I hesitate to call it “staging”, but don’t forget the small touches above. The towels, bathmat, candles, potpourri, art on the wall, soap dispenser and toothbrush holder, and shower curtain and rod all probably cost $40 total, and I’ve used them in two houses now. My goal with such things is to add a bit of color here and there, but more so to guide the imagination of potential buyers and reinforce the idea that “Hey, this is a nice little house and I could move in tomorrow and not have to do a single thing.”
As far as regrets, the only thing I wasn’t happy with is the vinyl flooring, which is a regret that applies elsewhere as well. It’s very soft and dents easily, and the transition between it and the hardwoods in the house reinforces the cheap look of the vinyl. If I could do it over again I’d still go with vinyl flooring, but choose something white and more durable.
Total costs for bathroom renovations:
Tile, grout, mortar, backerboard, soap dish: $150
Paint: $40
New light fixture: $25
Wallplate and hardware: $15
GFCI outlet: $5
Shelf for wall: $20
Flooring: (I’ll include the total flooring costs later with major projects such as roofing, furnace, flooring, etc.)
Total cost for bathroom renovations: $255
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