HANDY TIPS TO SAVE MONEY AND MAKE THE BEST CHOICES FOR YOUR SPACE

I don’t know about you, but I get a warm tingly feeling at the prospect of renovating my bathroom / kitchen / laundry. I think the more common reaction for anyone looking down the barrel of a wet area renovation is more akin to cold sweats, churning stomachs and hives. That totally makes sense when you think about all of different skills and design options involved in a successful renovation, and all the things that can go wrong with the inevitable impact on your budget.

Shows like The Block have gone a long way to increasing the average lay-person’s understanding of what goes into a bathroom renovation, but they have also set some crazy false expectations. For example, keep in mind that the couples on The Block are supported by an army of people behind the scenes and step out of their real lives for months to complete the renovations. They don’t have to wade through quotes from different tradies and decide who is reliable, trustworthy and capable of delivering a quality result. And just between you and I…seriously one week to complete a gorgeous bathroom renovation is a joke in the real world, unless you want your Electrician installing light fixtures whilst standing on your tiler’s back as he lays tiles around the Plumber.

The reality is, unless you’re an avid renovator (or a masochist), it’s not often that you’ll make the significant investment to change these key spaces in your home. There is so much opacity around how much it could cost (do I need an architect, a designer, a builder? Do I source all the materials myself, which tradies do I even need to complete a renovation) and potential stumbling blocks around unreliable tradies, asbestos removal, project management dramas and construction mess. While every renovation is different and should be costed by properly qualified tradespeople, there are some tips and tricks to managing cost and ensuring your reno goes to plan*.

To help take away some of the mystery involved in wet area renovations and to give you an idea of what key decisions will have big impacts on your budget, we’ve put together a series of posts mapping out the process and steps involved in renovating each major wet area – bathrooms, kitchens and laundries.

First off is my favourite - bathrooms!

Bathroom

Price range: Depending on the size and scale of your bathroom and your personal tastes, the cost can range from a few thousand for a facelift (new vanity and taps) to more than $60,000 for a high-end renovation.

Cost factors: Your imagination is the limit when it comes to what you can do to transform this space. This largely depends on whether you have champagne taste and opt for specialty or handmade fixtures, fittings and tiles or are willing to make sacrifices. In saying that, it is not impossible to find quality vanities, taps, tiles, baths etc for a reasonable price. Word to the wise, ask your tradies for advice on quality (particularly taps) before you bid on that $10 eBay product.

Handy tips to manage costs:

Tiling will a big portion of the bathroom reno budget, so save on tiling costs by limiting tiles to shower walls or by only tiling half high for the rest of the room.

Asbestos. If it’s present (which it often is for houses built between 1960s and 1980s) you’ll need a professional to come and test and remove it. This can cost a few thousand dollars so factor it in to avoid unexpectedly blowing out a budget and delaying the project.
Are you planning to move all of the existing pipework? As I said, let your imagination run wild, but if you’re trying to keep costs low, also try and imagine how your space can work with the shower / bath / toilet / vanity staying in the same or similar location to where they are now. Moving pipework will add significantly to your plumbing costs, but sometimes it’s totally worth it to achieve a modern and seamless look. You’ll probably not want to do this again anytime soon, so you may as well do it right the first time.
Tiling will a big portion of the bathroom reno budget, so save on tiling costs by limiting tiles to shower walls or by only tiling half high for the rest of the room.

Alternatively, you can opt for floor to ceiling handmade Palazzo tiles shipped from Italy (the dream), just make sure you account for the extra time and cost.

Project and time management – herding the cats and who comes in when?

Licenced Plumber – this is the tradie to engage first as they will be the first and last to work on the bathroom. If you’re lucky enough to find an experienced and design savvy plumber (like us) they are worth their weight in gold as they can help you design your dream bathroom and source quality tap, shower and toilet fittings to match your budget.

An experienced and design savvy plumber will source quality taps, shower and toilet fittings to match your budget and style.

Speak to your plumber early about your layout ideas as there are a raft of code requirements which dictate distance between toilet and vanity, for example. They should also be able to recommend and even project manage other tradies that they trust and work with regularly to complete other elements of the renovation. The plumber will be required at a number of stages throughout the process, initially to disconnect the existing pipes, then to rough in (put in the new pipework) before the tiler, and finally to fit-off (put in all the finishing touches such as taps, showers and toilets) and have the bathroom certified with the local planning authority.

Electrician – you’ll need a good electrician to disconnect before demolition begins and also to install any new light fittings, power points or speciality electrical details you might require, such as under floor heating or niche lighting. As with the plumber, check with your sparky before buying light fittings to get their advice on quality and cost.

Certified Asbestos Removal (if required) – get that stuff out before demolition stage and leave it to the professionals to manage removal and disposal.

Carpenter and/or Plasterer – If you’ve had the old walls removed, you’ll need someone to come in and replace the frame and gyprock and get it ready for tiling. A plasterer will also replace the mouldings such as ceiling cornice and window trim toward the end of the renovation.

Tiler – after the plumber and electrician have completed the rough-in and any new walls have been completed, the tiler can get to work.

Cabinet Maker (if you opt for a custom vanity or storage) – source these early as your plumber and tiler will need to know exact dimensions of the vanity before selecting and installing fittings and it will also influence your choice of taps and powerpoints.

Glazier - if you need glass shower doors installed, you’ll need to speak to a glazier about the correct size and design and to make sure its installed and sealed properly to avoid issues with leaking and mould in the future.

Painter – you’re almost there. A lick of paint on the ceiling and any exposed walls will finish off your bathroom beautifully. This can also happen while the plumber is fitting-off.

Builder - are you moving structural walls? You will need a qualified and licensed builder to coordinate some or all of the process. Like a good plumber, these guys are critical to a successful end product so get some personal referrals and do your research.

If you’re considering renovating a wet area in your property, don’t hyperventilate, speak to some experts and get honest advice and a transparent and itemised quote from tradies that you can trust.

If you’re planning a reno of your kitchen or laundry, stay tuned for future posts where we will share more handy tips for renovating these areas.

*But not really because no matter what you do there will always be hiccups. When they inevitably occur, take a deep breath (have a gin and tonic), avoid the blame game and work toward a solution.

Sally O’Donnell – AKA Mrs Action Plumber

Getting prepared for your bathroom renovation

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