New Bathroom for a Brick Veneer Home in Melbourne’s East – 10 Hot Tips

1: Don’t worry too much about changing the layout
Many of my clients worry that changing the layout of their bathroom will blow the budget. These days its easy enough to run new pipes in the walls of a brick veneer home. They are now plastic and easier to work with. Being plasterboard, there is now expensive chasing of bricks to worry about. If you have a wooden floor and plenty of room under the home, then changing waste pipes is easy too.

2: To bath or not to bath.
Again we are all fixed on this needing a bath for resale. If you are planning on staying in your home for more than 10 years, it’s a lot of real estate to take up with something you’re not planning on using. Only keep it if you like to use it yourself.

3: Use big tiles.
There is not a grout lover amongst us. Big tiles will minimise the grout that we have to clean and also help the make the room look bigger and cleaner.

4: Install a tiled walk in shower.
This will make the room look bigger and be easier to get in and out of.

5: Consider an off the shelf vanity.
Quality off the shelf vanities are easier to come by. A while ago there was a trend towards imported cheaper vanities. These did not last and swelled up with moisture. Buy a nice Australian made unit with good board and good hinges that will last.

6: Keep your tiling to a minimum to save cost.
We only have to tile the wet areas, so if you’re on a tight budget, keep your tiling to a minimum. Shower, bath splashback and also above the vanity.

7: Separate toilet.
Removing the wall between the toilet and the bathroom will cost quite a bit more. It’s a nice feature having the toilet separate, so why not keep it that way. If you do remove the wall, also keep in mind that you will probably need to alter he toilet window so it fits in with the new expanded bathroom. This may mean building and planning permits as well as the cost of the window and the associated brickwork.

8: Consider the laundry.
While you are doing the bathroom, it might be a good time to retile the laundry and get some nice cabinetry to store those excess bits and pieces.

9: Renew the window glass.
Its inexpensive to change the old frosted glass or louvres over to fixed pane translucent glass for that modern clean look.

10: Use a company to project-manage the whole renovation.
Choose a reputable bathroom company with good after sales service and a strong focus on project management to get a good result. There are upwards of 10 trades who are in the bathroom and they all need to come back multiple times. No-one has the time or mental fortitude to manage this as well as a busy life. Treat yourself to this, and at the end of the project you will be congratulating yourself on how clever you were! Don’t and you could end up needing valium so you can enjoy the end result.

Looking for more advices? Get advice guide from our award winning designers now or call us on 1300 662 838. You can also arrange free in-home consultation, where we can come to you and discuss your dream bathroom.