Bathroom renovation ideas wanted

Its time to renovate! I originally had a figure of $10k budget in my head but after lots of research it seems the average full bathroom reno these days (new tiles, fixtures and fittings) is more like $20k eeeek! This bathroom is 3.6 x 2.1, not including a laundry cupboard behind the brown concertina door, which is approx 1600 x 870. I would love a freestanding bath in place of the corner spa under the window, with a frameless glass shower wet area. Close off the white door which leads into the kitchen. There is hall way door access which opens onto the shower, so a cavity sliding door or barn door would be a much better idea. Cheaper alternatives would be leave all the plumbing where it is, replace the bath, replace the vanity and upgrade the 900x900 corner shower to a walk in 900 x 1200 if there is ensure space? Any suggestions from you clever people would be greatly appreciated!

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elly1

As this is our only bathroom some storage ideas would be great too 🙂

MitchellMc

How exciting, @elly1!

It certainly looks like you'll have enough room to accommodate your desired layout. I've popped a quick rendering below. The sink could go on the other wall, but it would be nice to open up the path into the bathroom.

If you haven't already read through it, @Adam_W's article on How to plan a bathroom renovation will be useful. I'd also recommend checking out our Top 10 most popular bathroom projects for inspiration. I'll be keen to hear how our innovative members address your storage issue. It would be great to incorporate the laundry cupboard in the bathroom design. Are there necessities in there at the moment, and would you be willing to open up the area? 1600 x 870 is a large area that could be used effectively. My first thought when you mentioned it was that it would make an excellent place for a walk-in shower.

Is there a toilet in this bathroom, or do you have a separate WC for that? What type of items will you need storage for, just miscellaneous toiletries?

Let me mention a few of our knowledgeable members, @diy_hausdesigns, @tom_builds, @craftyhopper, @jaga and @project_pete, that have completed bathroom makeovers/renovations to see if they had any thoughts.

This looks like it will be a fantastic renovation, and I trust our members will be thrilled to follow along. Please let us know if you have any questions before you get started.

Mitchell

elly1

Thanks Mitchell! The articles you mentioned have been very helpful. I was also thinking that the laundry cupboard could potentially house a walk in shower, but then I would need to relocate the laundry into the bathroom design. All the necessities are in the laundry cupboard, basically just a laundry trough and power. There is a separate WC. The storage is more for laundry items (broom/mop) and bathroom towels. General toiletries will fit in the vanity and mirror storage. If there was room I would consider also putting in another toilet into the bathroom design, but not a deal breaker. The picture below is my inspiration for the freestanding bath and wet area shower which appears to fit into a compact space? Thanks again for your input.

Jason

Glad to see you have received some fantastic assistance from Mitch @elly1. We are looking forward to seeing how you can transform your bathroom.

Let me tag our wonderful new member @redbournreno to see if she might like to join in the discussion and share her thoughts on your bathroom renovation project.

All the best,

Jason

redbournreno

Hey @elly1, You are lucky to have such good bathroom space available. That is a classic style and colour scheme that a lot of homes are still 'enjoying' after many years. You have 2 key decisions around budget and only after you make that choice, can you move forward with a plan of action.

Key decision 1: Must you move the plumbing and do you need a new floor layout?

Key decision 2: Do you need to retile the walls/floors/splashback? If you change the bath at all then this will need to be done

These 2 decisions will have the greatest influence on cost.

If you do neither, then you should get a sparkly beautiful refreshed bathroom for about $8-9k that includes having a professional in to respray the tiles and bath, new shower screen, vanities, toilet, fittings, shaving cabinet/mirror, wall paint, lighting/exhaust, bits and pieces. Even new tiles over the existing floor. You would do most yourself, but get the plumber in, electrician in, tiler in, and tile resurfacing done.

If you say YES to decision 2, then it is likely to cost you about $17k now days to have good trades in (a rise recently due to high trades demand). But leaving the plumbing in the same position will save you money.

If you answered YES to decision 1, then you are looking at around $20k or more if demand is high.

Think about your budget, time without a functional bathroom, and you future intentions for the house. Best of luck with it!

Belinda

Adam_W

Hi @elly1 couple of quick comments... the best way to save some money is to leave all the fixtures in the same places or at most just swap them around.
Messing around with the plumbing can really quickly blow the cost out.

Doing the tiling yourself can be a real cost saver but it can be a tricky job if you've never tiled before. Remember too that you cannot legally do the waterproofing and this must be done prior to tiling & be certified. Water proofing alone you would be looking at between $1,000 to $2,000 for a bathroom of that size so yes... 20k isn't far off the mark...

EricL

Hello @elly1

It's great that you've received excellent advice from @MitchellMc, @Adam_W and @redbournreno. Having a budget of 10k is not bad, however, you'll have to be very specific on what you want to put into your bathroom. One way to prepare for your renovation is to gather all the parts that you'll need. You'll need a vanity, shower, bath, tiles and all the other necessary items that need to go with them for installation. Put it on the list and see how much you've spent so far.

One of the best ways to really get a grip on the budget is to go to your local store and ask the In-Store kitchen specialist for a bathroom design appointment. Make sure to include a bathroom installation quote if it's offered at the store. Now you have in your hand a really good ballpark figure of how much it will cost to renovate your bathroom. Say for example you were quoted 17k now you know you're short 7K. You've got a choice, you can either wait to save up for that 7k or you can apply for finance at the store.

The steps I've outlined will at least remove a lot of guessing on your part and give you a solid goal to shoot for. I've drawn up your bathroom and kept the appliances in the same place to save money on plumbing. I've used EasyVJ panels to reduce the cost of tiling. I've smartened up your laundry doors to bi-folds and have removed the double doors you requested. If you wish to see it in another configuration, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to redraw it for you.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

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elly1

Excellent advice, very much appreciated 👍

elly1

Wow thank you Eric. This makes it so much easier for me to visualize the space. The laundry is exactly as I envisioned.

Could I ask you to please do a drawing with the bath running along the window wall and shower made to a 1200 x 100? Also the vanity as large as will fit... thank you 😊

MitchellMc

Hi @elly1,

@EricL will be back on the site this evening, and I trust he would be delighted to make those alterations to his design for you.

Mitchell

EricL

Hi @elly1

Here are your revised bathroom drawings. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing your appliances for the bathroom. If you choose to get a bigger bath keep in mind that it will start to encroach onto the space of the laundry area. I don't recommend going any bigger than 1200mm for the size of the vanity because it will start to get in the way of the bathroom door. I'm afraid you can only make the shower deeper but not wider as it will start to push into the space of the vanity.

Please have a good look and tell me what you think. If you wish to see it in another configuration, please let me know. The appliances I've used in your sketch are all from Bunnings. make sure to bring this sketch to the store if you wish to have your bathroom quoted.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

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elly1

Thanks again Eric! The only change I am thinking is moving the vanity to the shower wall so the room is more streamlined visually, but again it will be tight on space so not sure that will work. Great that you pointed out that the bath under the window will not allow for the laundry doors, your assistance is very much appreciated.

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