Landlords and homeowners are always interested in thrifty methods to add long-term value to their rental properties and homes. And one of the best ways to enhance yours is to upgrade the bathrooms. Keep reading now to learn 5 inexpensive techniques for upping your properties’ appraisal values with quick and simple bathroom renovations.
5 Fast & Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Bathrooms
While it’s true that, in some cases, a bathroom needs a deep overhaul, in most cases, it’s possible to create significant aesthetic and functional enhancements with just a couple of simple and inexpensive moves, including:
- Switching out fixtures & accessories
- Changing the paint or wallpaper
- Ensuring adequate ventilation
- Renovating the flooring
- Upgrading the lighting
Now, let’s look closer at each of these low-investment, high-ROI ways to increase your rental property’s value, attract more discerning tenants, and make everyone in the residence happier!
Concentrate on Ventilation
Air is our first connection to life, and the air we breathe is vital for longevity. Mold and mildew are very common in bathroom areas because they have multiple water sources running through them. It only requires a small bit of moisture to enable microscopic mold spores to reproduce. Then, they can go airborne, and travel throughout your entire home very quickly. And that’s not good because they are known to cause negative health conditions in some people.
Mold and mildew do not typically develop in well-ventilated areas, because all the moisture continually dries up, leaving them little chance of reproduction. So, to increase airflow and thereby decrease mold and mildew development in your bathrooms, consider adding a new vent fan, or installing a new window. The goal is to draw out moisture and humidity so that mold and mildew are not able to propagate.
If you do decide to add a window to your bathroom, you’ll enjoy the added benefit of natural lighting. Light from the outside adds energy to the room and also saves you money on your electric bill because you won’t have to turn on the light each time you go into the room. Plus, windows are excellent for making quick changes to the room’s temperature or allowing unpleasant smells to exit more quickly.
Modernize Lighting
Modern LED lighting options might surprise you. There are so many choices available today that you’re sure to find something inexpensive that can really boost the mood of any bathroom space. Your tenants will appreciate bright yet inexpensive-to-operate lighting in key areas, especially around the vanity. Also, consider adding low-wattage mood lighting near bathtubs to enhance the enjoyment of relaxing soaks – or low-profile dim lights tracing the room’s perimeter at baseboard level. The choices are nearly endless in this exciting, affordable renovation niche.
Modify Flooring
Bathrooms are typically some of the smallest rooms in a home, meaning that redoing the flooring is much easier to fit into a remodeling budget. Consider updating your aged bathroom floors with:
- Vinyl
- Ceramic
- Hardwood
These materials are all durable and water-resistant. For most people, carpet isn’t a good option for bathrooms simply because there’s always water splashing around, and carpets will hold the moisture and encourage mold growth.
Installing new flooring is an art, but most homeowners and landlords can save a good bit of money by DIYing their bathroom flooring. Just spend some time researching, make a good plan, gather all the materials and tools that you’ll need, and perform each step sequentially and carefully according to your plan!
Spread Some Paint
There aren’t many remodeling tasks that can make fast, dramatic changes to a space like a fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper. Paint is inexpensive, easy to apply, and very quickly transforms an old, dingy room into a fresh, invigorating one. You can even paint over old wallpaper, as long as you properly prep the paper first to avoid reactivating its glue and causing it to peel. A couple of hours spent performing a careful paint job can add years of newness and value.
Consider using a semi-gloss paint for bathrooms. It resists water instead of absorbing it, and it can be washed repetitively to maintain its fresh appearance. It’s especially beneficial near the sink and shower, where dirty hands are likely to frequent. A high-gloss paint is also a decent choice for bathrooms, but many people feel that the level of sheen is excessive, especially because bathrooms are most often on the small side when it comes to square footage.
Upgrade Accessories & Fixtures
One of the best ways to renew your bathroom and appeal to more refined tenants you won’t have to use tenant screening services for is to change out the dated fixtures and accessories. You’ll need to consider the size of your bathrooms to make the best remodeling choices. For example, placing a small round mirror in a small bathroom can create the look and feel of an expanded space. However, placing a large, clunky mirror in the same room can create a feeling of cramped claustrophobia.
Regardless of how small the bathroom is, the goal is to create an aura of lightness and spaciousness. In many cases, it isn’t necessary to change out the tub, commode, or vanity. Instead, you can often get by nicely by making smaller changes – like changing out the light fixtures, placing a new wastebasket under the sink, adding some wall art, or incorporating some faux flowers into the scene.
You might also benefit from replacing the sink faucet with a more modern, water-saving model, or adding a smart shower head that remembers your pressure and pattern preferences. And again, accent LED lighting creates amazing differences in all types of rooms, and it’s surprisingly affordable and long-lasting.
Remember that adding value to a bathroom isn’t always about making major changes or spending a lot of money. In almost every case, you can enhance the aesthetics and desirability of a bathroom, and add long-term value to the entire property, with just a few simple and inexpensive renovation efforts.