Renovation: The save-and-splurge way

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - People sometimes do it with food, eating a salad at lunch so that they can eat a steak at dinner. They do it with wardrobe, too, pulling an old, simple dress out of the closet but pairing it with the latest designer boots. Home renovations are frequently approached in this same way: Save here in order to splurge there. Especially bathrooms, where luxury options abound, and homeowners hold out for that one to-die-for showerhead or tile they cannot live without _ no matter what the cost _ while other materials they're happy to find cheap.

Even the most high-end designers will admit that every space presents at least one opportunity to be frugal. "I like repetition in design, and that does afford you a bit of savings, because you're buying quantity," says Chicago interior designer Todd Haley. "Also cost-effective, and beautiful, is to let the natural architectural soul of the space stand out. Less is more in many cases."

Professional guidance can be invaluable in bath remodels. A pro's knowledge of the market can be key in determining which materials and fixtures require money to deliver on quality, and which materials and fixtures are just as reliable and good-looking as they are affordable. Here we dissect two stylish bathrooms that found success in the splurge-and-save approach _ thanks, in some regards, to a pro's input and also the homeowners' own ingenuity.

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SHOESTRINGS AND SERENDIPITY

Were it not for some last-minute basement bargains, Amanda Love and husband Brian Fuller today may not have a bathtub in their master bath. "We were on such a shoestring budget," Love says. "It would have been a very different scene in here had not these cheapies popped up." Hundreds of dollars were saved when Love bought a floor sample instead of ordering new. Builder Chris Carey tipped her off to that treasure. Leading the way to other frugal finds were interior designer Rachel Russ, architects Wilkinson and Blender, and feng shui expert Danielle Engstrom.

Of course, more dollars could have been spared by foregoing such luxuries as an antique Parisian light fixture and a European bath console. But those are the features that sent Love's heart swooning. "I saw that light hanging in the window at Pavilion (the Bucktown antiques store) and I just stopped," Love says. "It really finishes the whole room."

NOTE: Prices are approximate.

Splurge: Duravit Vero washbasin with Duravit Walnut console and console support towel bars, $2,200 at Community Home Supply, 3924 N. Lincoln Ave., Chiago; 773-281-7010; comhs.com.

Splurge: Two Dornbracht LuLu faucets, chrome finish, $2,459 total at Community Home Supply.

Splurge: Custom fabricated stone tub deck, $600, Becker Works, 4312 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago; 773-395-0532; beckerworksltd.com.

Splurge: 1960s antique French pendant light, $1,700, Pavilion Antiques, 2055 N. Damen Ave., Chicago; 773-645-0924; pavilionantiques.com.

Save: Beveled mirror, free (Amanda, a bookbinder, printed the vendor's business cards in exchange for the mirror), MCM Fine Framing, 2019 N. Damen Ave., Chicago; 773-252-7525. Save: Kohler Tea-for-Two bathtub, floor sample, $500 (normally about $1,600), Community Home Supply.

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Save: To-be-discontinued green marble subway tile used on floor, tub exterior, and walls, $3 per square foot, The Fine Line, 209 W. Illinois St., Chicago; 312-670-0300; finelinetile.com.

Save: Toilet salvaged from former bathroom, free.

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'FINISHING TOUCHES'

"I can't put into words how much I enjoy this bathroom," says Paul Zurowski. Two big reasons for that unbridled passion: his shamelessly humongous steam shower and whirlpool tub. "You could host a cocktail party in that shower," says interior designer Todd Haley of Todd M. Haley Inc.

By the time Zurowski and Bill Hiscott (owners of Sawbridge Studios stores), moved into their West Town Chicago loft in 2006, Haley had completed most of the home's major renovations. Having been given a carte-blanche budget from the previous owner, many of Haley's product and material selections were high-end. But there are thrifty ideas to be excavated in the form of Zurowski and Hiscott's clever "finishing touches," and a masculine-looking commercial sink. "I wanted to do something special with the sink," Haley says. "Had we done a sink like this custom, it would have been $8,000. But I knew an $8,000 sink wouldn't fly."

Splurge: Kohler Vintage whirlpool tub, $5,700, J&D Whirlpool, 2730 N. Elston Ave., 773-252-6886; www.jdwhirlpool.com.

Splurge: Kohler Vintage tub faucet, $1,030, J&D Whirlpool.

Splurge: Black Hones slate tile on floor and wall, $15 per square foot, Bel Stone & Tile, 1439 W. Hubbard St., 800-321-6007; belstonechicago.com.

Save: Granite slab C-shaped counter top, custom-made from remnant, $350, Roman Marble, 1650 W. Kinzie St., 312-850-9318; romanmarble.com.

Save: Iron shelving from Container Store ($35 each) with custom-cut glass shelf inserts ($15 each). The Container Store, 908 W. North Ave., 312-654-8450, containerstore.com. Glass cut through private vendor.

Save: Elkay industrial trough sink, $2,000 (vs. $8,000 custom sink), J&D Whirlpool.

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© 2008, Chicago Tribune.