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GUIDE — COST NOTES
Bathroom Renovation Cost Guide
No two bathrooms cost the same. Two rooms of the same size can end up with very different quotes. The price comes from decisions: whether the shower moves, what sits behind the tiles and how far the finishes go. This guide walks through those decisions in the order they come up on paper.
Reference: shower, bath and vanity each add their own line to a quote
SHEET A — PLAN
The layout sets the budget
Most of the cost is decided before anyone picks a tile. Start with the plan. If you’re still weighing up options, the Bathroom Layouts Guide sets them out side by side.
01
Room size and shape
More floor and wall means more membrane, more tile and more labour. But a small room isn’t always cheap. In the narrow bathrooms of St Kilda flats and terraces, awkward corners, cutting around windows and tight access can make up for the smaller area.
02
Keeping or changing the layout
If the shower, toilet and basin stay put, the work is mostly a strip-out and rebuild. Swapping a bath for a walk-in shower or turning the room around adds more work. Walls may need changing, the floor may need regrading and the new layout needs to be drawn up properly. Bathroom Design is where those trade-offs get priced before the build starts.
03
Moving plumbing
Moving a drain or a toilet waste is often one of the biggest single changes to a quote. In apartments, what’s under the floor and the rules of the building can limit where pipes can go. A plan that works with the existing waste points usually leaves more of the budget for finishes.
SHEET B — SECTION
What's in the wall still costs money
Two quotes can look far apart simply because one prices work you’ll never see. Wet-area waterproofing, floor falls to the drain, sheeting, and repairs to rotten framing or old substrate all sit under the tile. Leave them out and you pay later. Water finds its way through, and a leaking shower gets repaired from the membrane out.
When you compare quotes, check that each one covers the same layers. The Bathroom Waterproofing Guide explains what those layers do.
HIDDEN LINES ON A QUOTE
— Strip-out and removal of old finishes
— Substrate, sheeting and any framing repairs
— Floor grading and drain position
— Waterproof membrane to wet areas
— Rough-in plumbing and electrical
Finish level: a double vanity, brass tapware and marble-look tile each add to a quote
SHEET C — ELEVATION
Tiles, fixtures and finish level
Tile choice
Price per square metre is only part of it. Large-format tiles need very flat walls. Small mosaics, herringbone and feature strips take more time to cut and set. Tiling to the ceiling adds more area to cover. See Bathroom Tiling and the Bathroom Tiles Guide.
Fixtures and tapware
Wall-hung toilets, in-wall cisterns, wall-mounted mixers, frameless shower screens and custom vanities all take more work at rough-in than their floor-mounted or off-the-shelf versions.
Finish level
A tidy, durable rebuild with a standard fit-out is what most Complete Bathroom Renovations cover. Stone tops, niches with mitred edges, heated towel rails and made-to-measure joinery are part of Luxury Bathroom Renovations. Choosing well between the two usually means spending on a few pieces you touch every day.
TITLE BLOCK — BEFORE YOU ASK FOR A PRICE
Make your quote comparable
☐ Decide whether the layout stays or changes
☐ Note where the shower, toilet and basin sit today
☐ Take photos of the whole room, including the floor and ceiling
☐ Save a few tile and fixture references you like
☐ Check any building or strata requirements if you live in an apartment
For the full planning list, see the Bathroom Renovation Checklist. To learn how each stage runs, read Bathroom Renovation Timelines. For a quick question, use the contact page.