You’ll likely be thinking about a bathroom makeover if you want to improve your home, boost the rental income from an investment property, or even increase the value of a property before you sell. But first, you need to know how much it would cost to renovate a bathroom in Australia before you start any work.
The bathroom can be one of the most expensive rooms to renovate in a house, especially if you choose a more opulent fit-out. What factors affect the cost of a bathroom renovation in Australia on average, and how much does it usually cost?
Factors in Renovating Your Bathroom
It’s crucial to think about the potential costs before making any changes to your bathroom, especially in the wake of COVID-19, which may have disrupted supply chains and work schedules, leading to project delays and additional costs.
You might decide to remodel your bathroom for a variety of reasons. You could replace a few old fixtures and fittings, or you might want to go all out and give the space a thorough cosmetic makeover to give it a more opulent appearance. Some factors to consider include:
- Whether or not you need to perform structural work
- High-end or low-cost flooring, wall tiles, fixtures, and other materials
- New construction with skylights or windows
- The size of the bathroom—is it a large family bathroom or an ensuite?
- Whether you’re shifting fixtures and plumbing
- Whether you’re building an entirely new bathroom
- Luxurious features such as underfloor heating
- Upgrades to bathroom lighting and required electrical work
Related post: What Can Wall and Floor Tiling Contractors Do for You?
Cost of the Three Tiers of Bathroom Renovation
In general, there are three options for bathroom renovations; you can select any of these options based on your requirements and financial situation. You may go for a straightforward, low-cost refurbishment, take things a step further with a conventional one, or go all out with a high-end, opulent alternative. According to Hipages, basic renovations can start at just $5,000, while more high-end ones can cost you $30,000 or more. Costs rise with each of these three tiers.
Budget Bathroom Renovation: $5,000 to $15,000
A smaller area may undergo a straightforward restoration employing inexpensive fittings and fixtures on the budget tier. This type of remodelling typically entails maintaining all your plumbing and electrical systems in place and selecting cost-effective materials like big, sturdy tiles, a framed shower screen, a back-to-wall toilet, and a floor-mounted vanity.
Standard Bathroom Renovation: $15,000 to $30,000.
The remodelling of a room of medium size utilising mid-range equipment and fixtures may fall under the standard tier. You might be able to make some minor changes to the location of the plumbing and electrical systems with this type of modification. Also, you might be able to select more opulent alternatives like free-standing vanities, bathtubs, and shower screens.
Premium Bathroom Renovation: $30,000.
The premium category could include a total renovation of a bathroom, with considerable changes to the placements of plumbing and electricals, and high-quality or opulent furnishings and fixtures. Wall-hung vanities, frameless shower screens, in-wall cisterns, and more luxurious and pricey tile options are possible options here.
Budgeting the Cost of a Bathroom Renovation in Australia
Starting with a budget and doing an extensive upfront study on all your costs can help you plan your bathroom renovation. This covers supplies, craftspeople, and licenses. If you don’t carefully plan your project, you can end up spending more money than you can afford, or your project might take longer than you anticipated.
Based on the size and complexity of your bathroom renovation, it also makes sense to include a buffer of 10% to 20% for unforeseen costs.
The following are the primary costs to budget for when remodelling a bathroom:
- Plumbing, particularly if you’re changing pipes or adding new components
- Tile work, which may involve both wall and floor tiles
- Frameless, semi-frameless, or regular shower screens are available.
- Bath, which could be freestanding or integrated
- Toilet, either a normal model or one with an in-wall cistern
- Standard or wall-mounted vanities and basins are more aesthetically pleasing and provide you with more floor space.
- Tapware for your shower, bathtub, and sink
- Lighting that may be task, general, or mood lighting
- Waterproofing will prevent leaks in your bathroom.
Breakdown of the Cost of Bathroom Renovations in Australia
So that you may better plan your bathroom makeover on a budget, let’s look at some of these tasks and how much they might cost, either per hour of labour or per square metre of materials like tiles.
Cost of bathroom plumbing
A call-out fee of $60 to $100 is charged by plumbers, and their hourly charges can range from $100 to $150. The price your plumber charges will depend on where you reside and could change based on their level of expertise. Ask a plumber for an itemised quote that lists all the components they are billing for if they give a quote for a significant project, like remodelling your bathroom.
Cost of bathroom tiling
Since so much of a bathroom is tiled, you need to be aware of how much you would have to spend. The size of your bathroom will have a significant impact on the cost of your remodelling. Bathroom tilers will likely give you a quote in square metres, which might be anywhere from $35 and $120. The average cost to install bathroom tiles is $60 per square metre. You will need to set aside money specifically for the cost of the tiles, which is not included in this.
Standard white ceramic wall tiles (600 x 300 mm) cost $20 to $28 per square metre, while steel grey polished porcelain wall tiles cost $68 per square metre (150mm x 600mm). For handcrafted Spanish white gloss ceramic subway tiles (150mm x 75mm), expect to pay about $86 per square metre, and for artisan-made ceramic wall tiles, expect to pay about $159 per square metre (200mm x 200mm).
For high quality ceramic or porcelain floor tiles, you may expect to pay $35 to $50 per square metre, $50 to $100 for high quality porcelain, and $80 to $130 for high quality natural stone tiles.
Cost of a bathroom bathtub
Bathrooms come in a variety of pricing points, from versatile and cost-effective acrylic to strong cast iron and flexible fiberglass to luxurious natural stone. A plumber will cost between $350 and $500 to replace and install a bath. The cost of a new bath can range from $400 to thousands of dollars, with stone freestanding models costing the most.
Cost of a shower screen
Shower screens can be more expensive or less expensive depending on their size and whether they are framed, semi-framed, or frameless, with frameless being the most expensive. For the installation of a simple framed shower screen, budget around $400. Due to the heavier glass used in frameless shower screens, the price can exceed $600, depending on the size and quantity of panels.
Cost of Toilet
Depending on the toilet you select, they might cost anywhere from $150 to $750 or more for a wall-hung toilet or floor-mounted hidden cistern. A floor-mounted vitreous China toilet of decent quality typically costs between $275 and $450.
Vanity prices
- The cost of bathroom vanities varies from:
- A 900 mm wall-hung vanity with hidden handles costs $467.
- A 750 mm floor standing console vanity costs $849.
- A 1500 mm double bowl vanity costs $999.
- $1360 for a 1200 mm wall hanging vanity with integrated ceramic basin
Cost of waterproofing
For a bathroom of average size, budget between $500 and $750 for waterproofing.
Council permissions and remodelling in a strata building must also be taken into account because they will affect the timeline for your renovation.
How can a bathroom be renovated on a tight budget?
There are a few things you can do to keep the prices down if your bathroom begs for an improvement but you’re on a limited budget.
Consider how much you can get away with not changing in the beginning. With the straightforward additions of a new shower screen, new faucets, and a fresh coat of paint, some bathrooms will look extremely wonderful. Complete renovations will be necessary for other bathrooms.
Get Professionals for the Best Bathroom Renovations in Australia
Yet, the above-mentioned average bathroom renovation cost may be seriously misleading. The exact cost of a bathroom renovation will vary depending on your style, demands, and circumstances.
Still, the best way to get the best but not with the hefty cost of bathroom renovations in Australia is to get some experts to do it for you. In that way, not only do you get your dream bathroom, but you won’t be wasting a penny. You can always count on Abbott Bros to assist you with your bathroom remodelling needs. Aside from doing bathroom renovations in Sunshine Coast, we also do carpentry in Sunshine Coast, Queensland bathroom renovations, and waterproofing in Sunshine Coast.