Your most frequently asked bathroom reno questions, answered!

Are you ready to renovate, but have many important questions that need to be answered first? Our expert designer Russell Henderson works alongside countless clients daily and has found many of his clients asking the same questions about bathroom renovations.

Russell lets us in on the most frequently asked questions that arise during a new bathroom renovation journey to ensure that you are fully informed and enter your new renovation project with no questions left unanswered.

How much is it going to cost?

“The first question that comes up is around cost, and whether the clients are over capitalizing” says Russell. A bathroom renovation can start from $25,000+ if you’re not making any major changes and just giving the space a simple refresh. Expect to pay $35,000+ if your bathroom renovation involves a simple refresh as well as some design or layout changes such as relocating plumbing points, and a bathroom renovation costing $45,000+ would result in your dream bathroom with some structural work involved.

Russell says when asked by his clients if they are over capitalizing or not, he always reminds his clients that the bathroom is one of the busiest zones in a home and will always be a smart investment – not only can your family enjoy living in a well-thought out, functional space but it can improve your home’s value in the long run.

Another question that comes up around cost is “What items in the bathroom should I be investing in?” adds Russell. Whilst this will depend on the home and the bathrooms users – a vanity with adequate storage, a large mirror and timeless, good quality tapware are items you should consider splurging on rather than saving on.

Do I need a bath?

“So many of my clients frequently ask whether or not they need a bath and the answer to this question is that it depends…” says Russell. “A lot of people feel like they need a bath even though in reality they don’t even use one!” he adds. When you are weighing up including a bath or not there a few factors to consider such as the space available in the bathroom, the age of the clients, the style of the house and whether or not you plan on selling the home in the near future.

For example, if you know you are never going to use the bath and you don’t have any little kids that are using it, why do you need a bath? “Why not use the space for a bigger, luxurious shower instead?” says Russell.

Can my new bathroom have twin vanities?

Russell says that a lot of his clients ask for twin vanities in their new bathroom, however for no real reason other than simple because they believe it looks better. From Russell’s experience in most households there isn’t multiple people brushing their teeth at one time for example, in most circumstances there is usually one person in the bathroom doing their thing and, then once they are finished the next person uses the bathroom – a lot of people do like their personal space in the bathroom after all.  “If you’ve got a big bathroom and heaps of space then perfect – two vanities are a great option especially when it comes to storage potential, however for most clients the size of their bathrooms does not allow for twin vanities” says Russell. “Twin vanities are not necessarily better than one” he adds.

How high should I tile in my bathroom?

Tiling is a big part of your bathroom reno in both terms of cost and the overall look and feel of the space. One question around tiling that frequently comes up is “Should we tile up to the ceiling” says Russell. And again, the answer to this question is that it depends.

Whether or not you tile up the ceiling will take into consideration the cost to do so, how tall the ceilings are in the bathroom, what kind of tiles you have chosen, how the tiles are laid and for the effect you are trying to achieve in the bathroom – is tiling everywhere really necessary? Keeping in mind not all walls in your bathroom have to be tiled to the same height.

Do you need more sound advice before embarking on your bathroom renovation? Book your FREE in-home consultation with one of our award-winning bathroom designers and start planning your renovation today.