So your bathroom needs a renovation but your budget won't stretch. Don’t worry, you don't need to spend too much renovating your bathroom if you do it right. Stick to these tips, and you can renovate on a budget.

You have to assess what has to be done as sometimes, just replacing bathroom accessories, painting walls and putting up new mirrors, towel rails and shelves can make a huge difference to your bathroom. Instead of retiling, you could perhaps place overlays over existing tiles and save on cost. The more changes made, the more expensive the renovation.

Work within the structure if you can, as changing layout and plumbing can be very expensive. It’s more practical to stick to the existing layout, unless moving the toilet or shower is a must do for you.

Try to reuse, and not replace, working fixtures or fittings. It’s cheaper to replace old taps and re-enamel an old bathtub instead of buying a new bathtub. In case you have to buy a new bathtub, you could try selling the old one, as the money it generates will help with your renovation.

If you have the time, you can save money shopping around for the necessary materials, fittings and fixtures. But do it after your homework so that you know what to look for. There’s no point in buying a tub with a centre waste to replace one with a waste at one end as its more difficult installing it.

Similarly, find out if the toilet has an S or P trap before replacing it. Choose paints which are suitable for bathroom use and resistant to moisture and, as you are buying your supplies, make sure everything will be ready while building to prevent delays and extra trade costs.

You can save on labour costs by doing some of the work yourself, like removing or laying tiles and painting. However leave any plumbing, electrical and waterproofing work to the professionals, lest you end up doing more harm than good by doing it yourself!