Rental Bathroom Upgrade Part One

When the average renter talks about the one thing they could change in their space, bathrooms are a common answer. In my personal experience, rental bathrooms are either incredibly outdated or bare bones.

Background on this project

The worst rental bathroom I’ve had was in Philadelphia. It was also the worst rental I’ve had in general. When I took my job in the Philly area, I had one weekend to find housing. The row home I moved into was the only spot that fit my budget. And it was a total dump. Thinking back, I must have overlooked how disgusting the house was because I was so desperate to find a place to live.

The plus side of gross rental apartments or houses is that the landlord is usually open to makeovers. I like to push the envelope when it comes to rental “makeovers.” If it will improve the space, I risk it. It has worked out well so far! Now that we’ve covered the background, here is a picture of the Philly bathroom when I moved in (excuse the poor quality photos in this whole post) –

What to do about it?

I imagine a lady painting the bathroom magenta in the late 80’s or early 90’s, decorating with mixed florals and plaid, and feeling incredibly stylish. The 90’s may be popular right now, but I couldn’t live with the color. Not to mention, the walls had probably not been washed since they were painted. The floors were also chipped, discolored, and stained. The makeover started with fresh paint. I went with navy blue and white because 1. I had a navy and white shower curtain and 2. the colors wouldn’t clash as poorly with the floor. Paint is an easy way to improve a room!

I also added a mirror over the vanity ($12 on sale at Marshalls, score!) and removed the medicine cabinet. It smelled like cigarettes, so storing my toothbrush in it wasn’t an option. Two sidenotes – The hooks for the cabinet were left on the walls so it could easily be put back when I moved out. And the bathroom had a linen closet that could be used to store things like facewash, toothpaste, etc. Finally, I put up a towel bar above the toilet. My intention was to stop here, but the bathroom still felt dirty. Also I can’t help myself 😉 So stay tuned for Bathroom Upgrade Part Two!

Project Costs

The cost for this part of the project was about $66.
Navy Paint: $22 (Sherwin Williams – In the Navy)
White Paint: $22 (Sherwin Williams – Extra White)
Mirror: $12
Towel Bar: $10