The Ultimate Guide to a Bathroom Renovation

A well-planned bathroom can be nice on the eyes and a pleasure to use but it may be one of the trickiest spaces in your renovation. With such a compact area to work with that serves a number of functions it can be difficult to try and achieve everything you want within the budget you have set.

So from basins to baths, taps to tiles, plumbing, and pipes, here is what you have to be considering when planning your bathroom renovation.

Before you get carried away with all the luxuries you can have, have you considered your budget? Are you looking at basic renovation? Mid-range? High-range? Have you considered all the costs?

A bathroom renovation can be hard on your budget as it requires the most amount of work. So you have to keep your eye on it so that additional costs don’t pile up, consider the following;

• How old is your home? Is the current bathroom to AUS Standard?
• Do you need to upgrade your hot water system?
• Consider flooring requirements?
• Do you need a bath?
• Are you future-proofing?
• Do you need heated floors?

Answering these questions will separate your needs and wants and allows you to set yourself a realistic budget for yourself.

If you are unsure about how much it will cost sit down with your designer, who can help you have a better idea of costs and assist in making a bathroom within your budget.
At the end of the day, you want a bathroom that you’ll love but won’t blow the budget; so consider this before you start pinning ideas on Pinterest.

Your bathroom design won’t come together instantly, the layout is really important as you want to be sure you are getting the most out of your space. Consider the different use for the bathroom you are renovating, is it a powder room? master? or the bathroom the kids will be using most? This consideration alone affects how you are going to design that particular space.

Before you sit down with your designer, consider the atheistic you want to go with. We suggest creating consistency throughout your home, if the design of your home is a contemporary you can’t have a Hamptons style bathroom, these two designs clash with each other and can ruin the overall flow of your interior. Sit down with your designer and explain the design you would like so that they can make appropriate suggestions.

Beyond how it looks, the functionality may be the most significant aspect when designing your bathroom. Make sure that the bathroom isn’t over-crowded, that there is a sufficient amount of storage, consider what will be the first thing you see when you walk into the layout. Think through all of these when a design has been given to you. A good designer will consider all of this before finalizing your design, but it’s good to show them a few ideas before they start so that they have a clear idea of what you want.

We find that Pinterest is a great source, search ‘contemporary bathroom’ or ‘industrial style bathroom’, whatever fits your atheistic and save the ones you find the nicest and the most practical for you.

If you are doing all the bathrooms in your home, make sure the design you have chosen fits every bathroom. Again, consistency is the key to creating a flow throughout your home.

A multitude of things goes into the renovation itself. Once the existing bathroom has been removed you're ready to start the process.

If you changed the layout of your bathroom you will also need to replace all plumbing and pipe fixtures, if you are keeping the existing layout this isn’t essential but if it is within your budget it is recommended; after all, you wouldn’t buy a new car and keep the engine of your trade-in.

Next is your waterproofing, failing to waterproof the bathroom properly can result in you facing huge issues in the future. By ensuring the appropriate water-proofing measures have been met, you prevent any water leakage which leads to dampness, structural uses and could attract termites.

Don’t be shocked when your builder explains the waterproofing process, it can be timely and take up to two weeks. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so be sure that your builder is taking the right approach so that you aren’t faced with any nasty surprises in the future.

This is the stage where you see it all come together, tiling. Make sure that your tiler is reputable as this is a difficult task to complete and can be disastrous if done wrong. When choosing tiles think about durability, maintenance, and cleaning. Large tiles can make your space feel much bigger, consider a feature tile to add more of a design element to your bathroom, if your bathroom isn’t tiled from floor to ceiling it can look unfinished.

In the design stage, your designer should present a selection of tiles that work together for you to choose from.

Once the above steps have been done, the fixtures can start being installed, again these should have been chosen during the design stage. Fixtures can be a pricey portion of your bathroom, the following are some estimated prices based on your renovation:

Bathtub: Bathtubs aren’t always essential in a bathroom but if you do choose to have one your looking at a $300-$800, depending on if you choose to go mid-range or premium.

Toilets: Toilets range greatly in price, they can start from $200 and go up to $1000, again it depends on the quality you choose and the functions you wish for it to have. Mid-range toilets generally cost anywhere between $200-$500.

Tapware: There is a range of tapware available in the market, depending on the design you go with costs may vary. Mid-range tapware can be anywhere between $100-$300 but there are more premium options available that are priced between $300-$700

Basins: Generally, there are four basin designs; wall-hung, semi-recessed, above-counter, under-mount. Mid-range basins can cost anywhere between $150-$400, but you can also bet custom designs that are more in the premium range where you are looking at anything $400 and up.

Shower Heads and Taps: The market for this is a huge range and there are many designs. There isn’t a set price we can put for this one because they can be anywhere between $20 to $200.

A bathroom renovation is no easy task and it requires a great deal of planning and management. It is essential to do your research first before you start planning anything and have an idea of the commitment you are setting yourself too.

Needs some inspiration? Take a look at the bathrooms Reno+Co has done.