What will my Bathroom Renovation Cost?

How much will my bathroom cost?

Every hour of every day, someone rings us with the express purpose of answering this question: How much will my bathroom cost?
The answer is complex, so let’s take a moment to look at what makes up the final number.

The bathroom renovation is made up of two distinct areas. Fixtures and Fittings – or the hardware that goes into a bathroom like the taps and tiles, and the Labour and Building materials. Usually the split between these two areas is 1/3, 2/3. If the final number is $24,000, the the fixtures are likely to be around $8,000.

Fixtures & fittings:

We tend to recommend good quality fittings that last well, and have good warranties. My logic behind that is the fittings are a smaller part of the overall number and with many of them, it’s almost impossible to change them once the job is done. The tiles, vanity, bath, shower base etc, are built in, and hard to change without stripping significant parts of the bathroom.

What should a starting point be for each item?

• Bath: $450

• Shower base: $150

• Tapware: $200 per set

• Shower head: $280 for a rail shower

• Vanity: $2,000

• Tiles: $30 per SQM

• Shower Screen: $1200

• Accessories: $80 for a towel rail

• Mirror: Budget for $200 for a custom made mirror

• Basin: $250

• Toilet: $500

Add all this up, and it comes to $7,500 as a starting point for your Fixtures. If you start shopping for German fittings and want stone tops and wood veneer cabinets, hold on for the ride as the prices take off. As my Mum used to say: “You get what you pay for!”

Building Works:

When I’m asked what the major cost is in the labour for a bathroom renovation, I say: “It’s like your visa bill. Lots of little numbers that add up to a big number” There are more than 10 different trades involved in a bathroom renovation. Plumbers, Electricians Tilers, Waterproofers, Glaziers, Stone masons, Cabinet makers, and the list goes on. Each one of these guys is usually paid pretty well for the skilled trade they do. The elapsed time frame of the work is 3 weeks plus waiting times.
To use another example: Lets say you took your car down to the garage and they worked on it constantly for three weeks every day? You would expect to see a rather large bill when you picked it up? Well it’s the same with your bathroom renovation cost.

The flagfall for a remodel of an existing room where the fittings are not moving would be $14-15,000, for a wooden structure, and a bit more if the structure is solid. Start moving fixtures around and if the room you are doing is in an apartment where access is harder and the prices start going up. Its not unusual for us to see the building costs above $20,000 for solid brick apartment jobs due to the complexity of the works involved.

Keep in mind also that small bathrooms don’t really cost much less than larger ones. It’s really only the tiling that changes. The best way to really find out what you are up for is to give us a call on 1300 662 838 and talk through your situation with one of our qualified designers, or organise free in-home consultation where we can come to you, and discuss your dream bathroom renovation.