As we were having the basement finished, we set a cash budget that we were determined not to go above. We learned that you can go cah-razy with so many features in a basement (or a house, or an addition, or anything..) that are so “essential” and “necessary” and will totally “add value” to your home, but you have to draw the line somewhere. I’m so grateful for a husband that keeps me level in this area (did I mention he’s a financial planner?) because I’m afraid that if it were just me and a friendly credit card, I would go cah-razy.
As things moved along, we could see that our original estimate for a gas fireplace was way off since we decided to go with a vented unit. That added over $1000, pushing us over budget. We had to make up for it some where. We knew that the fireplace had to be done right and we wanted it finished as the walls were being put up, so we didn’t want to skimp there.
Soooooooooo, we took it out of the bathroom. We were originally going to have a long vanity with a granite top ($1200), so we scratched that, gave it to the fireplace, and had to get a little creative.
Last winter, Home Depot had these white vanities with the white tops for $39 each in a special promotion, so we jumped on it. Then, we found a middle drawer stand at Home Decorators Outlet for $79 (sorry, they don’t have it anymore) and some cute knobs from Hobby Lobby for $2.50 each, giving us a makeshift vanity for under $200. If we ever want to do a full vanity down there, we can switch it out, but for now it’s just what we need. 
The whole design for the bathroom came from a $5 clearance shower curtain from Target. I loved the fresh color of green with a touch of modern, yet still a little traditional.
mirrors from Lowes (when we bought them they were 59.99..what’s up??)
little bottles from Home Decorators
Allure flooring from Home Depot (waterproof, not as cold as tile, easy to install..love this stuff) Color is not right in the pic, but oh well.
Now, we have to talk about the beadboard. I wanted beadboard, but we didn’t put it in the original estimate. (doh!) Of course, didn’t want to pay any more, stay in budget, blah, blah, blah, so I asked our contractor if I could paint some rooms in exchange for him installing beadboard (because painting the rooms was included in his estimate) He agreed! Yessssssss.
So, my husband and I painted our girls’ rooms at night when they were gone and I got my beadboard.
random picture of a yard sale wreath above a toilet 
Thanks for sticking with me through this loooong post. Moral of the story: set a cash budget. Stick to it. Get creative if you have to. You can do it. It is so much more fun to brush your teeth at a vanity that is paid for…
P.S.
The wall color is called pickling spice from Pittsburgh Paints: see color matches here.
More about the other mirror here.
More on little bathroom shelf here.
More on the bathroom gallery wall here.
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