Bathroom Renovation - What's a Realistic Budget?

jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 03:32

So I'm looking to renovate my bathroom because it's really too old and sad. Here's an example of what I want it to look like, it's an old bathroom and what you see in this picture is literally the size except its missing the toilet: https://www.homebeautiful.com.au/media/15459/080318-bathroom…

So in terms of cost, it's :
- wall and floor tiling
- shower screen, shower head, handles
- vanity sink, cabinet etc
- new toilet
- new exhaust fan
- new windows to replace old ones
- labour cost for removing current bathroom (tiles, vanity, toilet, and a tub which I don't want anymore)

The house was build in 1980's so I assume there's asbestos, so that may be another hidden cost. What's a ball park figure of this reno job? I'm hoping to be able to do this under 10k. $5k-7k would be amazing if it's possible.

The only reason I'm renovating is because the shower screen is falling apart, vanity cupboard is all mouldy and pipes are leaking. I don't want to spent too much money because my grand plan is to purchase my neighbours home and be able to demolish and rebuild. It sounds like wishful thinking but I've expressed interest and he's open to it, so there's a good chance in 5 years time after I bought it, I'll be in a financial position to demolish and rebuild. So I'm just looking for a budget reno with ikea type fixtures.

I'm no handy person, so I'd love to know thoughts from pros out there.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Steptoe on 01/11/2019 - 05:27

    Post actual photo, as someone here may have OzBargain Ideas of how to polish a đź’©

  • apsilon on 01/11/2019 - 06:22

    I'm thinking of having a bathroom reno done myself. Won't be until mid next year but I think it's time, place is functional but tired and dated. I've only done some very cursory initial research but I see budgets of $10k plus and for something the size I have and wanting at least mid range of everything I'd be looking at $15k up to $20k.

    You can save a fair bit the more you DIY but I'm time poor so I doubt I'd do any of it. If you DIY pretty much all of it you can should bring it in under $10k, especially given the pic you posted looks to be half the size of mine. FYI, demo is one of the larger costs and one of the biggest savings for DIY.

    • Talvash on 01/11/2019 - 07:40
      +1

      Be careful with DIY demo for a 1980's bathroom, there is a fairly high chance the walls are asbestos sheeting. This is safe unbroken but once you start pulling it down you need to know what your doing. Using professionals is a much better idea (and a legal requirement if more than 10sq meters).

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 12:13

      Thanks, didn't know that about demo, but would probably still hire due to high chance of having asbestos

      • TimOfEastBNE on 01/11/2019 - 21:53

        It's pretty cheap to get building materials tested for asbestos. Search DIY testing and you'll find the correct protocol and where to send your samples. About $40/sample, response can be within a few hours of receiving the sample at the lab. We had suspect flooring, turned out safe so feed us '000s.

      • Peck on 14/12/2019 - 23:22

        I was lead to believe that they stopped using asbestos in Aust. homes around 1974

        • apsilon on 15/12/2019 - 06:35

          Was definitely used up to the early 80s and rule of thumb is be cautious of anything built prior to 1990.

          • Peck on 15/12/2019 - 10:14

            @apsilon: OMG! Thanks. I will be looking for a house in the next few months, and was going to use a tad after 1974 as a cut off.

            • apsilon on 15/12/2019 - 10:33

              @Peck: I think it's supposed to be '82 for Sydney at least but you never know if old materials that had already been sold were used after that even though they shouldn't have been hence I've heard '90 as a precaution. It's going to be in almost every building before the 80s but remember it is safe if it's not disturbed. Just because it's there isn't a reason to panic.

  • oscargamer on 01/11/2019 - 07:33
    +6

    OP. If you don't do DIY and it's going to be gone in 5 years…… Don't bother. Save your money.

    You won't get what you want for 10k. It'll likely be nearer 20k.

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 12:14

      Thanks. Just need a realistic opinion as well and it seems everyone is leaning towards more likely to be 20 than 10.

  • [Deactivated] on 01/11/2019 - 08:33
    +1

    Not for $10k.

    $20k if you're lucky.

    Much more if you run into problems, ie floor sag needing leveling before tiling.

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 12:14

      Thanks. Seems everyone is leaning towards more likely to be 20 than 10.

      • [Deactivated] on 01/11/2019 - 12:24
        +1

        I DIYed my own 2x2m bathroom. Midrange everything. Relocated a few pipes as the fittings were the old 2 tap system. Essentially, the bathroom was ~60 years old if not older.

        The job involved demolishing back to frame and floor joists, roughed in power, water and drain, adding floor (negligible cost), re clad, shower base, water proof, tiles, grout, paint, silicone… windows and doors reused.

        The material cost alone was $7k at trade prices. Ex delivery, ex demolition, ex cleanup.

        If you want to reframe doors and windows… Probably another $2k for materials.

  • Kaz0551 on 01/11/2019 - 08:47
    +3

    How long is a piece of string? Fitting range from $39 cheapo to $1200.

    Tiles range from $15m2 to >$50

    Last reno we used a bathroom reno guy who did gut and resheet with pc items for 12k. I did not like the PC item quality.

    This reno we spent 8k just on PC items. Most quotes we got for this reno were 15-25k

  • Kaz0551 on 01/11/2019 - 08:48
    +4

    Replacing shower screen and vanity may cost you $500. Just do that.

  • John Kimble on 01/11/2019 - 08:56

    $20k +/- $10k

  • elgrande on 01/11/2019 - 08:57
    +1

    my grand plan is to purchase my neighbours home

    Can you please upload a copy of your grand plan, perhaps in MS Paint form?

  • Adz81 on 01/11/2019 - 09:08
    +9

    Here's a some before and after pics of my bathroom- I did this work myself, barring the plumbing work and showerscreen/installation:

    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/80723/73817/screenshot…
    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/80723/73819/start_3.jp…
    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/80723/73820/start.jpg

    Here's the finished version:
    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/80723/73821/img2019021…

    The most expensive part was the showerscreen, which was $1500 installed (full disclaimer, country region- there's not much room for bargain shopping). Tiles are the cheapest I could find in Bunnings with a mosaic tile border thrown in for asthetics (bonus added flexibility for small areas where cutting a tile to fit would be a pain in the tits). Water proofing had to be done twice becuase I broke the membrane when we pulled up the first lot of new tiles we put on (the glue went off and didn't stick to the tiles, so had to remove and replace all over again). The vanity/basin is an Ikea job, and probably the second biggest single cost ($300ish, I think?).
    All told, with $500(ish) for plumbing works, removal and replacing of the rear wall (where the plumbing was a dog's breakfast- again, I did this myself), painting, waterproofing, tiling & grouting, installation of the nook on the wall (it was originally an old school white cabinet with sliding doors), this probably cost me around the $5k mark, with a lot of swearing, sweating and cursing thrown in to boot. I was fortunate enough to be able to take the time and do a lot of it myself, which saved me a good chunk of change.

    • Adz81 on 01/11/2019 - 09:19
      +6

      Additional:
      I wasn't (before this), what I'd call particularly handy… but none of what was done was incredibly difficult to learn, it just took a LOT of swearing at times.

    • godofpizza on 01/11/2019 - 10:34
      +1

      nice work, any reason why you didn't just buy an shower screen from bunnings?

      did you replace your tub at all?

      what did you do about the demo garbage?

      • Adz81 on 01/11/2019 - 10:44
        +2

        Tub was brand spanking, so I left that as it was (just replaced the tiling around it and the tapware.

        Just double checked my emails, the screen was actually cheaper than I thought:

        1 / 1860 x720 / 1220 Total inc gst $ 1086.00

        I didn't go with a Bunnings one due to odd sizing (the door and the bit over the bath), not being super-confident about installing it.

        I was superlucky with the demo garbage as a guy at work had a hole that we wanted filled in with anything, so a good chunk went there. The rest I kind of siphoned into regualr garbage collection over time.

        • godofpizza on 01/11/2019 - 14:50

          same here we had to go custom as ours was front was 78cm.

          i think it you had just gone with the single glass sheet like in the op photo?

    • lainey13 on 01/11/2019 - 20:51

      Well done for saving money and doing the hard yards to learn how to do that much yourself.
      It does look pretty dated already though… Looks quite cheap. OP if you pay for the absolute cheapest it will look cheap… but I suppose that might be all you need right now :)

  • GG57 on 01/11/2019 - 09:31

    "The only reason I'm renovating is because the shower screen is falling apart, vanity cupboard is all mouldy and pipes are leaking."

    Only replace these parts of your bathroom, and get a professional to do it.
    Choose the vanity from Ikea or Bunnings.
    Re-use taps and even your existing sink if possible.
    Everything else is just aesthetics.

    Asbestos will not be a hidden cost; if it is present, the professional will advise you of the only way (and costs) to address that.

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 12:17

      Thanks for the advice. The tub is next to the vanity so I wanted to remove it so it makes the bathroom bigger. Replacing the vanity and tub means below it, it'll have missing tiles and portions of the wall where the tub was would have missing tiles. I think that would mean I had to replace all the floor and wall tiles. I'm not moving locations of all the taps and sink, but it seems like it's still an expensive job from all the other comments :(

  • Seraphin7 on 01/11/2019 - 09:44

    If you can find cost effective trades, you'll be looking at $15k - $20k excluding any issues re. asbestos. Who knows what that could cost if you end up there.

    This price is for effectively a "like for like" renovation where you're not looking to move any pipes, change the position of taps or drains, move the toilet, etc. These are the sort of things that hike up the cost quickly.

    In my experience, the primary driver of cost if you're doing a "like for like" are the fittings you go for. Tiles can run anywhere from $15 to $60 a square metre (before you go stupid at prices above that). Taps … $50 to $300. Will you need custom cabinetry or can you get off the shelf? Do you want stone bench tops, or are you going to be happy with laminate? My memory is that the frameless shower screens like in your desired photo are more expensive than other options.

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 12:18

      oh wow thanks for that. Didn't expect the frameless showers to be more expensive. Thought it's less overall glass so it'll be cheaper. I'll look into it further , cheers

  • bdl on 01/11/2019 - 09:57
    +1

    Did this recently, $20k for renovations nearly the same scope as yours including re-waterproofing of bathroom. During works, found friable asbestos in wall - that cost $14500 extra to remove 3 linear meters of lagged pipe.. so, budget accordingly if you suspect friable asbestos. NSW.

    If you're in a unit in NSW, put aside some funds for a lawyer (<$1000) to prepare a bylaw (if required) and/or to organise a meeting with other owners to vote on bylaw to allow you to renovate the bathroom.

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 12:19

      holy crap, 14.5k! Thanks for the heads up on cost.

      • bdl on 01/11/2019 - 12:58

        Yeah, it was a bit of a shock, but not many places that will remove it 'properly'. My builder did have it tested first to make sure it was the 'bad' stuff. If you have asbestos sheeting and it's not friable and you're not cutting into it, then you may be OK.

        I had no plans to find asbestos, and the by-law was new to me, so I was hoping you learn from my experience :)

        Try not to move toilet/basin/shower/etc - gets really expensive if you move that stuff.

        • Adz81 on 01/11/2019 - 14:00

          I had a moment of panic pulling my walls down when I saw the word "Asbestos" on them… Very faintly after that, was the word, "Free"… the building inspection had indicated that there wasn't asbestos though, so I hadn't been too fussed until I saw that.

  • Reverse Snorkel on 01/11/2019 - 10:27
    +1

    The accessories are the cheap part. You'll need to get the walls waterproofed and properly sealed or you will end up with mould and nasty stuff. Realistic budget is 15-20k for a normal size bathroom. that's if you don't need the taps and bath drainage moved.

  • godofpizza on 01/11/2019 - 10:28

    I just finished my reno, i had to do my bathroom/kitchen/landlady and toilet at the same time.

    For a first timer the main issue is finding someone to do the work. As Christmas is approaching it maybe difficult to secure services.

    for my shower i had a range of quotes
    6k 8.5K and 25K

    as Searphin said, replacing like for like will help keeps cost down. As plumping and electrical work will increase your budget if you want to do something different to what you have.

    tiles: don't even go to beaumont tiles if you in a hurry for tiles as they charge an express fee to pick tiles ($10-$25 per order)
    plumping items: go to a specialist supplier for idea or prices, you'll find that their alot cheaper than bunnings with bigger range.

    new/used/demo: i picked up a display vanity and store clearance for mixers/taps, save heaps but keep in mind that some store don't let you return clearance stuff so you need to be sure

    good luck

    • GG57 on 01/11/2019 - 10:58
      +1

      Maybe check you auto-correct settings:
      Plumping
      Landlady

      Good advice though.

      • godofpizza on 01/11/2019 - 11:00
        +1

        typing on my phone is a nightmare….

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 12:20

      Thanks for the advice.

      • godofpizza on 01/11/2019 - 12:33

        have you got a budget yet OP?

  • GG57 on 01/11/2019 - 10:46

    I forgot - Tiles:
    If you need to / want to replace tiles, there are obviously clearance centres.
    Larger profile tiles seem to reduce the time for laying, and associated costs for grout.
    But make sure that you source all from the same batch of tiles, as you could get some colour differences between different batches.

    • godofpizza on 01/11/2019 - 10:51
      +1

      keep in mind the OP want to do ( from photos ) floor to wall tiles. Best to a get professional tiler and ask for their advice on tiles sizes as they may not be too keen on large format tiles so ask before buying or choicing tiles

      • GG57 on 01/11/2019 - 10:56

        Certainly.
        I had a recent reno and sourced my own tiles. My tiler was more than happy to lay larger format on the floor and continue up one wall (facing the door) with the same tile.
        Smaller profile (subway) on the other walls.

        • godofpizza on 01/11/2019 - 11:04

          your right it depends on who doing the work. If the tiler quoted for work on xyz and you you pull in with marble/granite tiles he/she is not going to be happy.

          So have an idea of what tile style your want and when you quoting you bring this up. It avoid nasty surprises and keeps everyone happy.

  • godofpizza on 01/11/2019 - 11:12

    So in terms of cost, it's :
    - wall and floor tiling

    $20-60 per metre plus laying cost

    • shower screen, shower head, handles
      massive range

    • vanity sink, cabinet etc

      averaging about $600

    • new toilet
      big range

    • new exhaust fan
      cheap, if you start looking at one with lights an heating add more money

    • new windows to replace old ones

    most bathroom renos don't deal with bathroom.this might be a hidden massive cost. are the windows broken or do the frame also need to be replaced. call up a fee glaziers for prices it varies alot if you looking at replace just the widows.

    • labour cost for removing current bathroom (tiles, vanity, toilet, and a tub which I don't want anymore)

    depends on who you call, asbestos clean will cost alot.

  • voo123 on 01/11/2019 - 12:01
    +1

    im currently renovating a 2.7m by 1.7m 1960s bathroom and the total cost is projected to be around 8500. It's alot cheaper than other bathroom renovation specialist companies. The tradie doing it for me works like a robot, doing 12hr days 7 days a week to get it all done within 1 week for me.

    • Adz81 on 01/11/2019 - 12:03

      How good are good tradies (or contractors?) :D
      The guy that did earthworks around my place yesterday was incredible (and cheap! $95/hr including bobcat hire), charges only for machine hours, not the manual stuff he does in addition.

  • voo123 on 01/11/2019 - 12:16

    He seems to know what he's doing and is ensuring the tiles are straight on the walls, as my walls are uneven. Waterproofing done in 2 coats with plumbing being moved aswell and adding another toilet in the bathroom.We saved cost by having a new plasterboard over the old for the ceiling only. For walls, only the necessary plasterboard were cut out and resheeted. Bathroom accessories and taps are obtained from facebook marketplace/gumtree in uneeded but brand new condition sourced from Reece. Vanity from Highgrove, basin from ebay. Overall we saved about 1k for bathroom accessories.

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 12:22

      Thanks for sharing! You're in VIC! DM me his details if you don't mind. Would definitely love to check him out and get him to quote. Cheers

    • cooldude123 on 15/11/2019 - 20:08

      any chance you could please DM their details too?

  • voo123 on 01/11/2019 - 12:39

    If im happy with the end result i can Pm you the details. But here are some progress pics, to my untrained eye it looks acceptable as i know the waterproofing was done well ( we waterproofed the whole room, not just the shower area and floor) and the tiling is straight with minimal lipage.

    https://imgur.com/ysneRIp
    https://imgur.com/v5VPAJQ
    https://imgur.com/q6tamPd

    • jlim87 on 01/11/2019 - 13:18

      That looks good from my untrained eye too haha thanks for sharing. Hope everything goes well!

    • Kayla12n on 21/02/2020 - 21:24

      Hi there
      Would you be able to Pm me their details if you ended up happy with your renos ? We’re in Melbourne area and would live to get a guy to help get our bathroom done quick :) thanks !

      • voo123 on 21/02/2020 - 22:59

        Hi there,
        The bathroom reno has been completed but i am not completely satisfied with the final result, due to lack of attention to detail in certain areas. However, i am satisfied with the price i paid as this house is only worth 400k, and i am turning it into an investment property very soon, so did not want to overcapitalise for the reno. For a PPOR, i would hire a bathroom specialist for a better finish.

        For 10k, i got a bathroom reno with floors completely gutted and joists/bearers levelled to create a dip for the shower floor. Minor plumbing works were done to accommodate extra toilet in bathroom. Rusted steel water pipes underneath house were replaced to copper pipes. Extra toilet replaced and tiled in that room. Floor to ceiling tiles in bathroom. Also had minor electrical works included ( installed 7 extra downlights, 10 old architrave light switches replaced to a modern switch. Other quotes i got for this job ranged from 15-25k.

        The lack of attention to detail involved using angle grinder to cut tiles as his tile cutter couldnt cut through porcelain tile. Therefore the edges weren't clean, and this is especially noticeable in certain areas such as the shower niche area. The tile edges to door jamb area had some silicone on it whereas i believe it should have been grouted. Caulking wasn't clean and uniform in all areas.

        Perhaps, i am being fussy with the final result, however at least i know it has been waterproofed properly. Overall, considering the price i paid, the job would probably be passable. For a PPOR, i would definitely increase my budget to get a proper renovation. It would be ideal if i can provide detailed pictures but i am on vacay atm.

        • Kayla12n on 22/02/2020 - 00:21

          if you’d still be happy to share their details by dm would be greatly appreciated :) we are in a similar situation. Wanting a quick and decent job that isn’t too pricey

        • godofpizza on 23/02/2020 - 22:04

          if you don't mind me asking, if you saw the tile cut being roughly cut. Why didn't bring this up with the tradie, before for any further work as done? i assuming you had a chance to see the bathroom' progress. The tiler who did the work in my bathroom also used a angle grinder to cut tiles. But what he did was mounted the grinder it to a brick to allow him some control with cuts he did.

  • windale on 01/11/2019 - 13:05

    Cost us $15000 with new walls (made the space bigger) all new plumbing, shower, toilet, floor to ceiling tiles, vanity, tap ware, glass etc etc. you might do it cheaper DIY everything. You need trades for a lot of stuff though and to get a waterproof certificate.

    • voo123 on 01/11/2019 - 13:18

      Admittedly to get a bathroom fully certified that it would definitely cost more. For waterproofing, i helped out and made sure to cover every plaster joint, floor to wall junctions, puddle flange with membrane tape and slathered 2 coats of waterproof.

  • Geekomatic on 02/11/2019 - 15:43

    Don't forget about salvage yards. A good friend of mine found one of those super-expensive free-standing baths for $150! I've been to the two nearest us and it astounding what people have tossed.

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