How much will my bathroom cost to renovate?

05/07/2013 Now before we get to the answer let’s consider a few other factors. Bathrooms are small expensive rooms that carry most of the cost of a larger renovation, along with their friend, the kitchen. Put another way, you spend most of your money on a renovation in the bathroom and kitchen.

This means that whatever you do, it should be carefully thought out and considered before you begin, so you spend your money wisely. It’s a good space to spend money on. Let’s face it, we all would love a beautiful bathroom to relax in or start our day in. It sets the mood for the rest of your day. But will I get a good return on the money I spend remodelling my tired, ugly bathroom?

Studies have shown that the money you spend on a bathroom renovation is usually doubled when you go to sell your home, providing you spend it well and do a tasteful job.

Other factors we should consider are: How long do you expect to be in your home?

If you are going to be there for more than 10 years, this will drive the design of the bathroom. For example, many people think “I will need a bath in my home for resale!” If you don’t necessarily use a bath, and you are planning on staying a while, that’s a long time to put up with a large item which you do not use taking up space in your bathroom for 10 years. Ditch it!

Are you planning on selling? If so, then do a tasteful job that will appeal to the likely purchaser of your home. Clean simple designs and colour choices are best. Don’t blow the budget on expensive fittings, because many people are not so brand aware in the bathroom area. Perhaps one feature basin like Villeroy and Boch, or some feature tapware like Hansgrohe or Grohe will draw the potential buyers’ eye.

So, you are staying a while. Let’s do a nice renovation, that you can enjoy. This is more for yourself. So choose designs and fittings to suit you, and your family.

So we have ironed out some of the choices that drive the cost of a bathroom renovation. Design and fittings. What will my bathroom project cost? What are my renovation options?

1. The Spash and Dash Renovation:

You should be able to get out of this cheap and nasty for about $5000. The aim here is to cover up the real problems for a potential buyer, so they can feel comfortable about moving into your home, while they work out what they want to do to perform the “proper renovation”. You renew the taps, the toilet, possibly the vanity and the shower screen, and then you paint the bath and the tiles white (using a specialist contractor). If your tiles are in good condition, then a regrout and a re-silicon might do the trick. If you are lucky this will last you a couple of years and when the paint starts peeling , and the grout starts getting mouldy again, you will be somewhere else, and it won’t be your problem. Smarter Bathrooms, neither recommends this course of action, nor carries it out.

2. The Remodel:

This involves pulling everything out, including the tiles and fittings and replacing them in the same place. The advantage of this little number is that it saves cost, and is usually a bit quicker, (you might save a week in the renovation schedule). It does mean you are stuck with your original layout of course, which might not be an issue if the design works. If your current bathroom has design flaws, then now is a good time to sort them out. You will pay only a bit more usually – if you start moving things around within the confines of the room. It’s only when you start changing windows and taking walls out, that the cost of your bathroom renovation starts getting a mind of its own.

A bathroom remodel usually starts at $20,000 and goes up depending on the size of your room, which fittings you choose and whether you have an older home, solid brick or an apartment. All these factors add to the cost.

3. The Full Renovation:

This type of bathroom renovation involves looking at the design, the context of the bathroom within the home and how it functions, and also how it interacts with other areas such as the kitchen and laundry. Smarter Bathrooms is Melbourne’s expert in this area and many of our clients are amazed at the solutions we come up with for them. Ideas they have not even considered. The cost of the full bathroom renovation starts at $25,000 for changing the position of fixtures and fittings within the existing room, and goes up accordingly if you start to remove or insert new windows, remove walls, change doorways and start involving other spaces within the home. Keep in mind that alterations to windows may involve a planning permit and structural alterations may involve a building permit. Neither of these are a major issue, and we can organise them for you, but they do incur extra costs. These depend on so many factors, that it’s best to call and chat through what you want to do.

You need to seek a professional to help you work out the actual cost. We can quickly give you a cost indication over the phone if you describe your bathroom renovation project to us. Feel free to call for a no obligation chat on 1300 66 28 38.

The cost is driven by two parts. The cost of the labour, and the cost of the fittings. They are broken up approximately 2/3 labour, 1/3 fittings. Unfortunately, you have little control of the other factors.

About This Author

Smarter Bathrooms

Smarter Bathrooms is regarded as the leading Bathroom Renovator in Melbourne. With over 1500 project completed and more than eight years specialising in bathrooms and kitchens we are well qualified to help you. We start renovating 5-10 bathrooms and kitchens every week and bring to you ba…