Stage 1 — Measure and brief
A site visit, tape measure and camera. What gets recorded:
- Floor construction — slab with a mortar bed, or a suspended timber floor
- Wall construction — solid brick, rendered brick, stud, or a mix
- Where the stack, the waste branches and the supply pipes actually run, and which of them are shared
- Access — stairs or lift, the tightest landing, where a truck can park, where a bin can sit
- The age of the building, and therefore whether a pre-1990 asbestos test applies
- Ventilation — the existing fan, where it discharges, and where it could discharge
- Whether it is strata, and who the strata manager is
That last one shapes the program more than anything else on the list.
Stage 2 — Drawing and quote
A scaled layout of the room with the fittings placed and clearances marked, drawn against the measured pipe positions rather than against a wish. With it comes a written, itemised quote: fittings named by brand and model, the tile allowance stated, site costs shown, asbestos testing listed where it applies, and the basis on which a variation would be priced.
If the drawing shows that what you want is not available — the toilet cannot move, the double vanity does not fit — you find out here, on paper, for nothing.
Stage 3 — Selections
Tiles, tapware, toilet, vanity, glass, mirror, lighting and accessories confirmed. This is the stage that most often delays a job, because it is the stage owners can defer indefinitely. Tile in particular can carry a long lead time if it is coming from overseas.
Vanity tops are porcelain slab, natural stone, solid surface or timber. Engineered stone has been banned in Australia since 1 July 2024.
Stage 4 — Owners corporation approval
For a strata bathroom, this is the long pole in the program, and it is controlled by your building's meeting schedule rather than by us.
Waterproofing work in a strata scheme generally needs the owners corporation's consent, because the membrane and the slab are usually common property, and many schemes also require a by-law recording who maintains the new waterproofing afterwards. Your by-laws govern; your strata manager is the authority on your building.
What we put in the application pack: the written scope, the waterproofing method and product, trade licence and insurance details, proposed working hours, how common areas will be protected, the waste route, and the undertaking to provide documentation on completion.
A complete pack usually clears a meeting first time. An incomplete one usually comes back with questions and waits for the next meeting, which is how a month becomes three. The strata renovation rules guide explains the general framework.
For a house, internal bathroom work with no structural change is commonly exempt development, and no approval is needed. Where a new window, a visible vent or a skylight is proposed, that is checked with the City of Ryde or a certifier first.
Stage 5 — Contract, insurance and deposit
A written contract with the builder, with the scope, the price, the payment stages and the program in it. Where the contract price is over the NSW threshold, home building compensation cover is in place before a deposit is requested, and you get the certificate. The deposit is no more than the NSW maximum of 10 per cent.
Stage 6 — Asbestos testing, where it applies
For any building from before 1990, sampling and testing before demolition. If asbestos is confirmed, licensed removal is programmed before the main demolition, with containment and a clearance before other trades return. This is separately licensed work in NSW and is not done under a builder's licence.
Stage 7 — Protection and set-up
Floor and wall protection along the route from the front door — or from the stairwell, in a block — to the bathroom. Dust screens at the doorway. In a unit, the stairwell or lift is protected as the building requires, and the bin or bags are positioned where the strata manager has agreed. Neighbours above and below get notice of the noisy days.
Stage 8 — Demolition
Fittings, glass, joinery, tiles, mortar bed, hob and usually the ceiling lining, out to the structure. In a walk-up this is the loudest and dustiest part of the whole job and it happens strictly within the building's permitted hours.
The slab or the floor framing is then inspected, and anything that needs repair is shown to you and priced before it is done.
Stage 9 — Rough-in
Plumbing and electrical roughed in to the drawing: new supply lines, the waste set where the design puts it, the shower mixer body, the in-wall cistern frame if there is one, cabling for lighting, the fan and its ducting, heated towel rail circuits and any underfloor heating. Blocking for grab rails goes in here if the design calls for it, because after lining it is too late.
Stage 10 — Screed, membrane and cure
New falls screeded to the drain. Junctions, corners and penetrations detailed. The membrane applied to the manufacturer's specification, then left alone for the full cure time — no tiling, no traffic. This is the stage that cannot be hurried, and the stage the owners corporation cares most about.
Stage 11 — Tiling
Set-out marked on the walls first, whole tiles landing where they are most visible, cuts pushed out of sight. Floor, then walls, then niche. Grout, then silicone at every internal corner and floor-to-wall junction.
Stage 12 — Fit-off
Vanity and joinery, basin, tapware, toilet, shower screen, mirror, lighting, fan, towel rails and accessories. Then the small things: the door adjusted to the new floor level, the skirting or set made good, touch-up painting, and the ceiling below checked if the work was upstairs.
Stage 13 — Handover and documents
A walk through the room together and a defects list if there is one. You receive the waterproofing documentation, the electrical certificate, the asbestos test result where one applied, and the fittings' warranty paperwork. Keep them all: your owners corporation will want copies, and a future buyer's inspector may ask.
Then what
The cost tiers for budget, the FAQ for the questions this page did not answer, and the full renovation page for scope.
Renovation work is carried out in partnership with Coastal Renovation Group, a licensed NSW builder. Licence and insurance details are provided on request.
Call 02 5563 0307 or start with a measure.
| Bathroom Renovation Cost | Read next |
|---|---|
| FAQ | Read next |
| Strata Bathroom Renovation Rules | Read next |
| Wall-Hung Toilets & In-Wall Cisterns | Read next |
| Contact | Measure and quote |
Questions people ask before they commit
What is the total elapsed time, realistically?
For a unit, take the four to six weeks of site work and add the time your owners corporation needs, which depends entirely on when it meets and how complete your application is. For a house needing no approval, the limiting factors are selections and tile lead times. The build cannot start until the approval is in hand and the materials are on site.
When should I contact my strata manager?
As soon as you are serious, and before you spend money on selections. Ask for the by-laws, any renovation guidelines the building has, and when the next general meeting or committee meeting is. Those three answers tell you what your realistic start date is.
Can I live there during the work?
If it is the only bathroom, it is difficult for the four to six weeks the room is out of action. You will be given the dates it is unusable before anything is booked, so you can arrange to stay elsewhere for the worst of it or for the whole period.
What do the neighbours need to know?
In a walk-up, more than you might think. Your floor is somebody's ceiling and your stack is shared, so the units above and below are affected by noise, by short water shutdowns and by anything that happens in the riser. A note under the door before demolition week saves a great deal of friction.
What happens when something unexpected turns up?
Work on that item stops, you are shown the problem, and a written variation with a price is issued before it proceeds. The recurring finds in this area are cracked waste pipes, no membrane at all, thicker bedding than expected, and rotted framing under an old shower in a timber-floored house.