Small Bathroom Makeover on a Budget

Pdudley
by Pdudley
We bought a small house with a small bathroom. The floors were missing in places and there was a huge hole in the wall by the toilet. Being seniors (over 70) on a fixed income we had to be creative and make it useable with what we had available. Please forgive the cleaning supply clutter in the pictures as I snapped to get done instead of staging. You can get the idea anyway. Take what you have and think outside the box. Look around and see what you have and Think Outside the Box! It doesn't have to be a permanent solution but it can be a temporary fix.
We took a tree limb and cut two pieces and screwed a scrap board on them. Drilled pilot holes in the limbs and used screws to fasten to the wall. Since the bathroom was going to look 'outhouse' rustic I placed old and retro bathroom shaving supplies on the shelf.
We took a larger picture frame and cut and glued a piece of shower curtain to a piece of cardboard and placed it inside this frame. Glued a smaller picture from the dollar tree centered inside this frame. We needed this size to hide the 'hole' that was in the wall. We were going to patch the hole but decided it made a great place to 'hide' items that we wanted out of sight. One day we will have the funds to patch and replace and expand but just for now we needed to get done and get moved into the house.
We mounted 4 clothing hooks on 4 small boards that we painted black and trimmed in gold on the small area between the 'hole in the wall' and the mirror. Since the only electrical outlet is on this wall these hooks will hold the hair dryer, curling iron, etc. up out of the way but come to the mirror. There are two beautiful light switch covers that my friend made for me and hand painted to match the shower curtain. You can see one in this picture.
We bought two shower curtains and placed one on a tension shower rod using retro shower curtain hooks that were also used to hang the other curtain that was cut into a window curtain and used for the picture frame with enough left to make a scarf for the back of the toilet. (once the cleaning supplies are moved LOL) Later I want to mount a board above this shower curtain to hold items as this is wasted space since there is no light above the shower area.
The window (right above the toilet) leaves no room for a regular shower curtain rod so once the window curtain was placed where we wanted it a small hold was slit in the curtain and the end of the tension rod was placed through the hole to the wall beside the window.
More tree limbs were used to hang the window curtain. Two forked branches made the 'curtain rod holders' and one small limb became the curtain rod. Using the other package of shower curtain hooks the second cut and hemmed shower curtain was turned into the window curtain.
Another view of the shower curtain tension rod placement and the window curtain area.
As you can see there is VERY LITTLE room so we had to get creative. The towel holder bar beside the sink is close enough to the toilet area that instead of the usual thin towel bar we used a heavy duty bar that has a dual role for safety when getting up and down at our age. (again, please excuse the supplies as this was a quick posting idea). We figured we cannot be the only people with champagne taste on a beer budget, so to speak.
For safety sake we placed a phone extension on the shelf. We figure this bathroom is so small we can barely turn around anyway so we should be able to reach the phone from any area LOL.


Well, that is about all I can share on this project.
We had to leave the existing sink/counter/vanity area for now. It is very narrow but there is very little room so it works. Leaving the large mirror above this area for now provides more light in the small area.
There is a small closet directly across from the counter, next to the shower so the area is quite small. We had to put in a floor and used the discount area of Lowes to find the best bargain as most of the bathroom floor was missing.
The glass door knobs with skeleton key holes should tell you how old this house is, but thankfully we LOVE old things heck we are OLD THINGS LOL. The closet door opens 'into' this small area across from the sink which explains why the counter/sink area is so shallow.
Another clothing hook on the closet door provides a place to hang your towel when taking a shower.
This is about all I can share on this makeover. The whole point is to show that you can make do with what you have and think outside the box. Is this my 'dream bathroom'? NO! But, it is all we have and we made it serviceable for the size and using what was available. Never say you cannot afford to do something. ANYTHING is better than NOTHING!


If you like this please check out out posting of the yard furniture that we painted to put on our patio. Again it is using what you have and just looking at it a little different.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 12 comments
  • Feekie Feekie on Jan 31, 2017
    I just finished putting a glass door knob on my bathroom door. When I was a little girl, my daddy put a glass door knob on my bedroom door, and I've loved them ever since.
    • Pdudley Pdudley on Feb 01, 2017
      aren't glass door knobs beautiful and fun? All the doors in this old house built back in the earl 30's have them. Plus the 'Mother-in-lawst house in the side yard, which we turned into my sewing studio.
  • Anna Anima Mundi Anna Anima Mundi on Jan 31, 2017
    As someone who has had tiny bathrooms for years, I applaud your ingenuity! I love using the tree branches idea, and the picture to hide the hole in the wall. And also the piece of shower curtain to form a back "mat" for the picture. Your bathroom looks really good.
Next