Full bathroom renovations in Cranbourne
Full bathroom renovations in Cranbourne 3977, from strip out to final silicone. What the job involves, the order it runs in and the band it lands in.
A full bathroom renovation takes the room back to frame and slab, then rebuilds drainage, sheeting, membrane, tiling and fitout over about 15 to 20 working days on site. Postcode 3977 runs from an 1860s township to estates still being titled, so the same brief can produce two very different jobs.
The order the work runs in
A bathroom is a sequence of trades where each one waits on the last. Compressing the order is where most of the damage gets done.
- Site visit, measure, and a check of what is behind the existing linings.
- Written fixed price quote, with the asbestos and drainage allowances stated separately so you can see them.
- Contract signed and the deposit taken, within the cap that applies to the contract price.
- Strip out and rubbish removal. If the house pre dates 1990, sampling happens before anything is broken up.
- Rough in: drainage relocated, water lines run, wiring pulled through for lighting, heating and the fan.
- Carpentry: new wet area sheeting, noggings behind anything that will be fixed to a wall, hobs or a set down formed for the shower.
- Screed laid to the falls, then the waterproof membrane, then the mandatory cure time.
- Wall and floor tiling, followed by grouting and the joints that are meant to move.
- Fit off: vanity, tapware, toilet suite, screen, mirror, heating and the exhaust fan.
- Silicone, clean, paperwork handed over, then a walk through with you.
The single most common request is to shorten step 7. The membrane needs its full cure before tiles go on it, and a membrane that is tiled over early fails at the floor to wall junction within a few years. Day by day durations for each of these steps are on how long a bathroom renovation takes.
What is in the quote and what is not
| Included as standard | Not included unless quoted |
|---|---|
| Strip out, rubbish removal and protection of the rest of the house | Asbestos testing and licensed removal |
| Drainage and water rough in by a licensed plumber | Relocating the soil stack or cutting a new drain across the slab |
| Wet area sheeting and noggings | Structural work, such as removing or altering a loadbearing wall |
| Waterproofing to AS 3740 with the certificate | Rectifying rot or termite damage found behind old linings |
| Wall and floor tiling, grout and movement joints | Tiles themselves, unless you take the quoted allowance |
| Electrical rough in and fit off with the safety certificate | Switchboard upgrades where the existing board cannot take the load |
| Fitout installation | Tapware, vanity, toilet and screen above the quoted allowance |
Anything found once the walls are open is priced as a variation and put to you in writing before it proceeds. No variation is done on a verbal nod.
Decisions, and the point they are actually needed
| Decision | Needed by |
|---|---|
| Layout, and whether the bath stays | Before the quote is finalised |
| Shower type: hobbed, set down or a level entry | Before the quote, because it changes the floor framing |
| Tile size and format | Before screeding, because large format tiles need flatter substrates |
| Tapware brand and whether it is wall mounted | Before rough in, since the body goes in the wall |
| Vanity and basin | Before rough in, because the waste position depends on it |
| Heating, lighting and fan positions | Before rough in |
| Grout colour and screen style | During tiling |
Buying tapware after rough in is the most expensive change of mind available, because the wall has to be opened again and the sheeting and membrane repaired.
What Cranbourne houses throw up
Four things come up here more than anywhere else in the City of Casey.
Old sheeting in the pre 1990 pockets. A township, Junction Village or Devon Meadows house from before 1990 has its wet area linings sampled before the strip out rather than during it. A positive result brings in a licensed removalist, adds roughly a week, and shows on the quote as its own line. It is a cost we would rather price than discover.
Ground that moves. The clay under the older half of the suburb swells in winter and shrinks in summer, and the frame moves with it. That shearing splits grout and tears silicone on a yearly cycle. A shower already regrouted twice will not hold on the third attempt, and what fixes it is a rebuild with joints built to take the movement. The detail is on shower rebuilds and waterproofing.
Age clusters. The 1990s streets on the western side are 28 to 35 years old now and their sand and cement bases are spent. Cranbourne North went in roughly a decade later and sits at about 20 years, which is the point where a builder grade membrane stops being reliable. Two large groups of near identical houses reach the same job in the same few years.
A single bathroom and no second wet area. A lot of township houses still have one bathroom and no ensuite. In that case the real brief is usually to find a second wet area somewhere in the existing floor plan, which is covered under ensuite renovations.
What to check before you sign
The registration class held by whoever signs the contract decides whether they can lawfully take on a full wet area rebuild, so ask to see it in writing before you ask for a price. Deposit caps, contract thresholds and the warranty scheme that sits behind the job are set out on what the law requires.
What it costs
A small or budget full bathroom, typically a compact township or western side layout with standard tiles and a prefabricated base, usually lands at $10,500 to $21,000. A standard mid range rebuild with a custom base, better tapware and larger tiles sits at $21,000 to $36,750. A large or high end bathroom, which is what Botanic Ridge, Settlers Run and Sandhurst briefs generally become once a freestanding bath and large format tiling are in the scope, sits at $36,750 to $57,750.
The band widens or narrows once the house is inspected. Tell us the room dimensions and the year the house went up and you will have a written fixed price. Start at the quote form, or read the full breakdown on bathroom renovation cost in Cranbourne.