The answer is of course, yes.....but you have to be realistic about what that 'budget' really needs to be. I recently completed this bathroom on a 'budget'. The client and I had to start with a conversation about realistic expectations for the budget.

Bathrooms (like Kitchens) have a HUGE amount of variables involved which will drive the cost upwards if you are not careful. This one cost about $19k, which broke out to $13k to the GC, $4k on fixtures and fittings and $2k in design fees.

Being a tiny bathroom there was less of everything required and none of the plumbing fixtures were moved. The wall tile was inexpensive at $4.20 psf, and only installed around the tub shower. The floor tile was a bargain at $4.20 psf. The vanity light was only $100! There were a couple of splurges, like the special reduced depth toilet, the marble ledge and the medicine cabinet which could have been a flat mirror but the storage was needed. But we are only talking a few hundred dollars extra.

The client opted to purchase and store everything before work started to save on contractor costs and I was happy to pass on my trade discounts. Having everything ready to go meant the bathroom was turned around in a little over 2 weeks.

In this case, there was no option to move plumbing fixtures, but in some projects it makes sense to do so. There is no sense in sticking with a bad layout just to save a few dollars. The most important aspect of a good bathroom design is getting the best layout. The fixtures and fittings are the dressing. A good designer will help you understand where to save and where to splurge and this will more than pay for itself in the overall end result.