Bathroom renovations in Canberra
A bathroom's the job most people get wrong when they ask for a price. "A new bathroom" can mean six weeks and a wall coming out, or two weeks and new tiles. Describe it properly once here and the quotes that come back are actually comparable.
Three quite different jobs, all called "a bathroom reno"
A refresh
Layout stays put. New vanity, tapware, toilet, shower screen, maybe paint and a mirror. Nothing behind the walls moves, the waterproofing isn't touched, and you've got the room back quickly.
A full rebuild, same layout
Stripped back to the frame. New waterproofing membrane, new floor and wall tiles, new everything. Plumbing and electrical stay roughly where they are. This is what most people actually mean.
A rebuild with the layout changed
Shifting the toilet or shower, losing the bath, knocking through to the linen cupboard. Drainage has to move, so you've got a plumber, maybe a builder, and the longest run of the three.
Tell us which of the three you're picturing when you post the job. It's the most useful sentence you'll write.
What to tell us
- Photos of the whole room from the doorway and from each corner, plus the ceiling if there's an exhaust fan up there.
- Rough dimensions. Pacing the floor out beats nothing.
- Whether anything moves. Toilet, shower, bath, vanity — staying put or shifting?
- Whether you've got another bathroom to use while this one's gutted. It changes how a builder schedules the whole thing.
- The age of the house. Older Canberra bathrooms can have asbestos sheeting behind the tiles. That has to be handled properly, and it's not something anyone wants to find halfway through.
- Whether you've picked fittings or you want an allowance in the quote for them.
- Unit or townhouse? Body corporate approval, lift bookings and access rules all land in the price. A third-floor unit in Braddo isn't the same job as a house with a driveway.
Two things worth knowing before you sign anything
Waterproofing is the part you can't see
Waterproofing a wet area is regulated work and it must be done to the Australian Standard. It's also the most expensive thing to get wrong — a failed shower membrane means the new tiles come straight back off. Ask exactly who does the waterproofing, what standard it's done to, and what warranty comes with it. A quote that doesn't mention waterproofing at all isn't a complete quote.
Licensing and insurance in the ACT
Bathroom work at this scale is licensed construction work, and above certain thresholds the builder must hold particular licences and insurance. Ask to see them, and check the licence on the ACT register yourself. A verified badge on this site means we've looked at documents supplied to us — it's not a substitute for your own check.
Related work often quoted at the same time
If the room's coming apart anyway, these are the things people wish they'd done then instead of a year later.