Steps for planning a bathroom renovation...

Bathrooms use 30% of the water used in the house. This means the bathroom is a great place to start renovations if you want to save water.

• Water saving taps and mixers

Mixers are better water savers as you don't need to waste water getting the temperature correct. It is easy to fit flow restrictors to taps to limit the flow. Some taps now come as flow restrictors allowing only 9 litres per minute to flow. To fit water saving taps during your bathroom renovation costs almost nothing.

• Hot water priming pump.

This intelligent device removes all the cold water in the pipe when you turn on the hot tap, recycling it into the cold water pipe until it reaches a certain temperature. It then shuts off waiting for you to turn on the hot tap. The result.....Instant Hot Water.....clever stuff. Our bathroom renovator can fit a sensor or a hand switch so it doesn't run all the time to gain further efficiency.

• Rain Water Tanks

Fit a rain water tank with a mains water top up to flush your toilet, run your washing machine and water your garden to get real efficiency. You can get a $300 rebate from the government for this, and get a payback of approximately 7 years.

Stage 1: Design Consultation

Detailed one hour in home design consultation with one of our Award Winning Bathroom Designers culminating in a custom bathroom design, detailed building work & recommended product quotation.

Stage 2: Building Inspection

On receipt of your deposit, a Comprehensive Building inspection (by your qualified Smarter Bathroom Building Supervisor who will be your point of contact during the renovation) is carried out before any works are started or contracts signed.

Stage 3: Product and Finishes Selection

Meet at our one stop show room to further refine product selection and design, at this stage we can also schedule a Guaranteed start date taking into account all critical supplier delivery dates to guarantee that once works start there are no hold ups.

Stage 4: Hand Over

Before works commence a meeting between yourself, your Designer and your Building Supervisor will insure that all details of the renovation and any special considerations you have are discussed and understood in a calm and methodical manner.

Stage 5 Building works

Once your property has been prepared for building works the construction process will commence. You will be kept up to date on a daily basis on the progress of the three milestone events in your bathroom renovation: Waterproofing, Tiling and Completion.

Stage 6 Sign Off

You and your supervisor will complete a Smarter Bathroom standard checklist of our building works. This coupled with our seven year guarantee and HIA award winning status can assure you that the pride you have in your new bathroom will last for many years to come.

This is an important consideration. Bathrooms are an important part of the home, and a good bathroom renovation can make the difference to a living space. Careful planning of your bathroom renovation can add value to your house that will never be lost.

Bathroom renovations fall into two categories:

• Remodelling

Utilising the existing layout and renewing the fittings, fixtures and tiling. This can be completed for as little as $15,000 if you are very careful with the products you use. Most renovations like this end up costing around $17,000.

• Changing the Layout

The bathroom has become a more important piece of the home, and a well thought out layout can really add to the value of your home as well as being better to use. Often as your needs change the existing layout of your bathroom will not fit your lifestyle any longer.

Changing the layout is easily achieved during the bathroom renovation process but usually costs a bit more due to the extra complexity. These bathroom renovations usually start from $19,000. Solid brick homes, or homes with slab floors tend to cost a little more as there is more work involved for the bathroom renovator regarding electrics, plastering and plumbing

Choosing the fixtures, fittings and tiles for your bathroom can be quite daunting. Work with someone who has relevant bathroom renovation experience so they can guide you in your choices. Things to consider when choosing fittings: Is this a family room that will require hard working, low maintenance fixtures that can withstand the wear and tear that only a family can deal out, or is it a sleeker architectural look you are after.

• Toilets, Baths Vanities and Basins

Where to start when choosing a toilet for your bathroom renovation? Choose one that you like the look of that fits your budget. These days all are dual flush and some will be "Smart Flush" and use even less water than standard dual flush toilets. I usually recommend a close coupled suite as they are good value for money, easy to clean, and pleasing on the eye. You should be able to find one of these for under $500.

Baths generally fit into two categories. Acrylic and Pressed metal. Some people feel that the metal baths are superior as they are not plastic. Keep in mind that they are easy to chip, and if you are putting a shower over it, can be very slippery. For the family bath I usually recommend and acrylic bath as they are more forgiving in the family bathroom, and less likely to wear and cause injury.

Basins have become something of a fashion item recently, with vanities becoming more freestanding. I often get asked if counter top vessels are a passing fad. Of course they are, but if you like them, then why not?

The choices are endless but in general Vessels, Recessed, Semi Recessed, and under counter. Semi Recessed basins are best when you are in a confined space, as the bench takes up less space. Talk to your bathroom renovator about which is the best for your situation.

• Showers

Try to come up with a bathroom layout that will allow you to have at least a 900 x 900mm shower base. This is quite workable. Showers with walk through tiled bases are becoming more common. These look great, but of course are difficult to construct and waterproof. Make sure if you choose this type of shower base that your bathroom renovator is well qualified and prepared to give you a guarantee on the waterproofing. If you are like me and prefer to be safe than sorry, you cant go past a polymarble shower base for practicality and watertightness in your bathroom renovation.

Shower screens are also a consideration. They come in three major categories. Framed, Semi Frameless and Frameless. They are priced in that order and roughly cost, $400, $1200, and then upwards of $2000 for the frameless. We tend to recommend semi frameless as a base, as they are a more modern look and are cleaned much more easily than the framed screens. Frameless is obviously the pinnacle, but sometimes can be a little cost prohibitive.

• Ezicleen

Save time cleaning with Ezicleen™, the revolutionary permanent non-stick coating ideal for all glass shower screens. The once only application makes grime, dirt and soap scum easier to clean by up to 90% Makes cleaning a breeze - An occasional wipe down is all it takes, no more scrubbing Ezicleen™ surface treatment is a non-stick protective coating. This coating is only two molecules thick, and is invisible to the human eye. It does not change or alter the look and feel of the surface. It acts as a permanent shield to prevent contaminants from soaking into the surface, allowing this to sit on the outside of the coating instead. This creates an easy to clean surface, just like a non-stick fry pan. Ezicleen™ surface treatment is non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Ezicleen™ surface treatment for glass can be used on all glass and ceramic surfaces such as shower screens, windows, balustrades, coloured glass splash backs, mirrors, glass roofs and commercial buildings.

Ezicleen™ surface treatment has a 10 year manufactures warranty.

Most bathroom renovations take 3-4 weeks. Certain things make the process take longer. For example if you have a solid brick home, you decide to incorporate custom made vanities or a stone top. Tiled walk through showers will also add a few days to the process.

Your professional bathroom renovator will make this process as easy as possible by providing a temporary shower and or toilet if you require it.

Here's a quick checklist to go through when choosing your renovator.
1: Is the renovator a Registered Building Practitioner?
2: Does the renovator have the correct registration to build a bathroom?
3: Does the contract include warranty and insurance details?
4: Do you understand if the price can be varied and how?
5: Is there a start date on the contract and an estimated finish date?

• Registered Builders and Qualified tradespeople.

The only time a builder does not have to be qualified or registered is for work valued below $5000. Call 1300 36 03 20 to check if your builder is registered. All Plumbers and Gasfitters and Drainers must be registered with the Plumbing Industry Commission All Electricians must be licensed by the Office of the Chief Electrical Inspector. They should carry cards to verify this while on site. Tilers, painters and plasterers do not require registration.

• Check your builder's references from previous work

Any renovator who has a good track record will be happy to provide references.

Find out how long your builder has been in business

• Scope of the bathroom renovation.

Make sure that the quote and contract clearly cover the work that is to be carried out. If you have any questions at all then ask for them to be clarified.

If you want to find out how we can help with your bathroom design or bathroom renovation then phone 1300 66 28 38 for your FREE in home consultation.