The Plumbing Service Handbook: Budgeting for Your Bathroom Renovations

As Sydney’s bidding war phases a lot of potential buyers out of the property market, residents are turning to home improvements? The bathroom is one place in your home that can truly make or break the value of your house significantly. But before you get started with the renovations, keep in mind that the labour of plumbers and plumbing contractors is expensive, so you’ll need to have a budget ready.

The basics of budgeting are all about knowing how much you’re willing to spend, as well as how much you have to spend, and it’s no different when you come to planning a budget for a bathroom makeover. When it comes to your bathroom, there are five main areas that your budget needs to take into account:

1. Tiling: Tiling is extremely important in a bathroom to prevent rot and mould. An average tiler will cost you $40 per square metre, but this can increase if the job is quite fiddly, for instance if you intend to have a mosaic design. It will be the cost of the tiles themselves as well as the extra necessities like sealing and waterproofing that will really add up. For a standard bathroom, you’re looking at $1,500 to $3,000 in this category alone.

2. Plumbing: You can’t have a bathroom without plumbing, and your average plumber will set you back $70 an hour. Add to that installing a bath, shower, and toilet, and you’ll need to budget at least $1,000.

3. Electrical: A good bathroom will have some form of fan to remove steam, as well as safety switches. Add to that some new lights, and there’s plenty to keep an electrician busy. The average rate for an electrician is $65 an hour, but this doesn’t include the cost of parts, or additional costs for complex wiring jobs.

4. Fixtures and Fittings: This is the category that most renovators blow their budget on. Unless you’ve got wads of cash to spare, you may need to ignore your urges and settle for something a little less out there, and a lot more affordable. A standard budget for this category is $5,000.

5. Cabinetry: Finally, you’ll need somewhere to store all sorts of hygiene and beauty products so don’t forget about getting a cabinetmaker. For a simple custom vanity, you’re looking at $40 an hour, or roughly $1,000.