The Complete Bathroom Renovation Guide

Renovating a bathroom is no easy task, especially if you take on the job yourself. Even if you choose to hire tilers, plumbers and electricians to do the bulk of the work, you still need to manage the project and know how to conduct a bathroom renovation to ensure you have everything organised and that your tradies come in at the right time to ensure they are not working on top of another.

This all takes a lot of time and money. Therefore, you must be organised and realistic about the budget and timeframe for the competition. I cannot stress enough how important it is to plan your complete bathroom renovation before you start.

With Houzz.com.au reporting that the bathroom (master) was the top interior room having been renovated in their Overview of Home Renovation in 2017 and 2018, we thoughts we’d offer some assistance to help you transform your bathroom. And although Ross’s Discount Home Centre is only in the business of selling products for a bathroom renovation, we know a lot about the process. We’re only too happy to offer advice on how you can plan, manage and execute a bathroom renovation on your own.  So, today, I’d like to offer you my complete bathroom renovation guide.

By following this guide, you will know:

• The reason for your renovation
• Your renovation budget
• Your complete bathroom design
• The importance of waterproofing
• What fixtures to fit and when
• When to tile
• When to call the plumber
• Your lighting and electrical requirements
• When to paint and accessorise

Before You Start

Before you even start thinking about your bathroom renovation, there are many things you need to give consideration to and decide on.

Reason to renovation

Firstly, think about why you want to renovate your bathroom. Is your bathroom outdated, and you’re simply looking to renovate it to make it modern? Is your bathroom poorly designed or not meeting your requirements? Are you looking to sell your home and know that a new bathroom will add value?

These are all questions to ask yourself to determine the scope of work needed for your renovation. For example, additional plumbing work will be required if your layout is poorly designed and you want to move the position of the basin, shower or toilet.

Also, give thought to your family and future. What are your family needs, and will your family grow in size? The answer to these questions may also change how you approach the planning of your bathroom renovation.

Set a budget

The biggest pitfall in starting a bathroom renovation is going into it without a set budget. As my example above shows, additional costs can pile up very easily. Therefore, it’s very important to set a realistic budget for your renovation. Houzz.com.au’s latest report states that the average spend for a bathroom renovation between 2016 and 2017 was $13,000 for larger rooms and $8,000 for smaller size rooms – use these as a starting point to set your budget.

If you are unsure of costs, ask a few bathroom renovators to provide quotes. This will allow you to understand better costs based on your specific needs. Just provide them with all the information you can to ensure they provide a quote rather than an “estimate”. You do not want to get caught out on any hidden costs. You can also check out our article, How Much Do Kitchen Renovations Cost, to get a good idea of what you can expect to pay for tradespeople and all other components of a kitchen renovation.

It’s a good idea to look at our range of bathroom products and use our wishlist feature to send the list of items to a contractor so they can include the exact cost of the products you wish to include. Otherwise, they will only include an “allowed costing” for each item and you won’t get a fixed quote.

The design

A bathrooms design won’t come together instantly. There are many factors to consider. Aside from the aesthetics, you need to ensure the design is functional. Today, bathrooms are more luxurious and elaborate than ever before, and with unlimited design directions, deciding on just one can be daunting.

Go back to your reasons for a renovation and consider your lifestyle and what you want to get out of your bathroom. Will it act as your own private retreat? Will it be a functional area to bathe the kids? Consider how many people will be using the bathroom and its core functionality. In doing this, you will be better equipped to decide if an ultra-modern bathroom design is suitable or a more family-friendly traditional design is better suited.

The overall design and functionality can add significant value to a home. Therefore, you must give this step ample consideration. If you’re unsure of where to start, I find that Pinterest is a great place to start. Search ‘Bathroom Design’, and start pinning designs you like to a board. Once you have a collection of pins, you should see a design style take shape that you can emulate.

To create the style, head to our website and take a look at our extensive range of tiles. Choosing tiles first will help create a good base to layer other design elements. You can then look at tapware and fixtures to complete your design.

Starting your renovation

Once you have removed your existing bathroom, you are ready to start your new bathroom.

Waterproofing

However, before you do, one essential element that I see being overlooked repeatedly is waterproofing. Failing to waterproof a bathroom is my biggest problem in bathroom renovations today. You want to get an excellent waterproofing membrane like Morgan’s Waterproof Membrane and follow the instructions to a tee. Ensuring you have a water-sealed bathroom will prevent water leakage, which can lead to dampness, structural issues and even attract termites.

Fixtures

Once the bathroom has been waterproofed, you can start fitting it with your new fittings. Fittings that can be installed at this stage include the bathroom vanity and bath (if you have an inset bath). Our bathroom vanities come preassembled, which makes this process a little easier.  Once the tiling is complete, the remaining fittings should be installed later in the renovation.

Tiles and tiling

You can now move on to the tiling. You will likely want to hire an experienced tiler to tile a small space, like a bathroom, as this can require some skill and knowledge. However, if you are looking to take the job on yourself, plenty of online resources will guide you, including one of my earlier posts – How to Lay Mosaic Tiles in a Shower. You can also find grouts and tile adhesives from our store.

Plumbing

With the tiling complete, you can then fix other fixtures in place ready for the plumber. This will include the shower screen, freestanding bath, and other fixtures including your bathroom waste and bathroom tapware. Have your toilet suite on hand for your plumber to install.

Lighting and electrical

With the plumbing work complete, you can now call in an electrician to install the lighting. Consider any other elements you may want in your bathroom that require electrical work – this includes power points and accessories such as a heated towel rail. Remember, a functional bathroom will increase the value of your home!

Painting and accessorising

The final stage of a bathroom renovation is to paint the ceiling and any exposed walls. You can then complete your design with the addition of functional bathroom accessories. Some accessories to consider include toilet paper holders, towel rails and hooks, shower shelving, soap holders and robe hooks.

Take home message

Taking on a bathroom renovation is no easy task. It requires a great deal of planning and management to ensure everything runs smoothly and goes to plan.

To complete, a bathroom renovation, first consider the reason for the renovation and what you want to get out of your new bathroom. Work out a budget that you can afford and base a design around that budget. With the planning done, you can then start the renovation.

First, it’s very important that the room is completely waterproof. When the room is waterproof, the fixtures that need to be tiled in can be installed the fixtures can be installed – this generally includes the vanity and inset baths.  Next, the tiler can lay the tiles and apply the grout. With the tiles laid, the remaining fixtures can be installed, ready for the plumber. The plumber can then connect all the fixtures to the water supply. All that is then left to do is to pain and accessories your brand new bathroom.

While planning and executing a bathroom renovation may sound like a long and complex progress, it can be made a lot simpler by buying all your bathroom products from the one supplier. This is the Ross’s Discount Home Centre advantage. From tiles to floor wastes and toilets to bathroom vanities, we have everything you need under the one roof. And, if you buy online, you’ll receive free delivery anywhere in Peth Metro – this is a huge bonus for heavy items like freestanding baths.

Visit our online store or come and see us in person at our Guilford warehouse today.