Updating a Rental Apartment’s Bathroom With Style
December 4th, 2008 categories: Investors/Landlords
When updating a rental apartment, you have to balance a few things: budget, quality, quick turnaround and marketability. Landlords have a hard time with this. The approach many take is to forget quality and focus on the budget. Personally, I think you can achieve all of the above - budget, quality, quick turnaround and marketability - with style.
Here’s how I did just that last month when I remodeled a bathroom in a rental. As you can see from the before pictures, it was definitely time.
Before the Bathroom Remodel
Challenges
Spend Maximum of $3,000 on labor and materialsComplete Within One Month (in-between tenants)Don’t Make it Look Like an ApartmentKeep it Neutral Make it Last - high quality materials that last mean I have less down time
How I Did It
Free Demo- My husband did the demo work for me. He found that some of the sheetrock around the shower had to be replaced and that we needed to add insulation. In addition, the subfloor had to be replaced.Kept Old Cast Iron Tub and Radiator - both in good condition and make the bathroom blend with 1920s style of the apartmentKept Existing Light Fixture, Mirror (repainted with a silver metallic paint) and shower fixture (which was replaced last year)Replaced Toilet- went with a Kohler toilet on advice of plumber (new technology almost guarantees you won’t have to call a plumber to fix a clogged toilet) for $197.00Replaced Sink - to add some storage and some color, went with a combination sink and vanity - a steal at $169.00Replaced Sink Fixture - went with a Delta faucet - $89.00Replaced Floor Tile - Used a high quality porcelain tile at $5.24/sf, 12×12 with limestone look.Replaced Wall Tile - Used a 3×6 subway tile at $2.75/sf in Biscuit Beige. Subway tile keeps with style of house and is not typical in rentals. Repainted Ceiling
After the Bathroom Remodel Photos
Did I Meet My Goals?
The bathroom cost $3,400including labor and materials, which I attribute to some repair work (replacing sheetrock and subfloor) I wasn’t counting on. I did save money by not having to repaint the walls, not replacing the bathtub, bath fixtures or light, and by reusing the mirror.I splurged on the tile but for a small area, the extra cost didn’t hurt too much.The bathroom was completed right on time, thanks to my contractor. No, you can’t have his number:)And the apartment was rented!
