Bathroom Prices

Everyone wonders, how much should I pay for my bathroom? How much for the bathroom vanity unit, how much for the shower and what is the financial damage for the spa? Unfortunately, the answer from the tradesmen is often the same: "Hmmm... lady, it depends on many factors...." It is difficult to predict a proper price as the quality of products and the difficulty of the installation plays an important role. This does not mean that "tradies" can take you on the "free ride".

Bathroom Renovation Prices vs. New Bathroom Prices

If you have an existing bathroom then you are looking at the bathroom prices for renovation. In this case you must decide to replace or to do bathroom resurfacing. The new bath costs around $1300. The installation can add further $2000 or more. To refurbish an old bath you pay $500.

The same applies to resurfacing bathroom shower. On average, we spend between $8000-$21000 on bathroom renovations. The lower end includes tiles, bathroom cabinets and simple installations. The higher end-price applies to works involving re-wiring, re-plumbing and re-tiling. The installment of the new bath can also draw large percentage of that budget.

Thus, the existing bathroom provides some challenges, which the building from the scratch does not have. For example, what happens if you want to install a spa in the place of the old bath? You need to transfer the new spa through the bathroom window or door. This means that the opening to bring the spa needs to be enlarged and then reconstructed to the original shape.

The plumbing also brings more challenges. Spa needs more water and this means more heat. Thus, the mere replacement of the bath will cost $1500-$2000 for the unit plus $2000 or more for the installation. Therefore, if you are building the bathroom from the scratch, you must decide on your fixtures to avoid future high installation expenses.

Prices of Tiling

The tiling was described in another article. However, bathroom tiles are vital material to determine the final bathroom prices. You must add $600-$1000 to tile 6 square meters of the bathroom floor. The walls can be a bit cheaper and add another $400-$800 to the total cost. Unfortunately, not all areas are priced linearly. Places which require a lot of cuts and the material wastage will inflate the costs further. For this reason, larger tiles (20 inches or bigger) are expensive to install.

Bathroom Prices and Legal Issues

You do not need a building permit to renovate your bathroom. The council approval is needed for external changes such as changes to windows. For works above $12000 you need to have home warranty insurance.

The Bitter Truth about Bathroom Prices

On average, the bathroom prices can tip $21000. However, for country-side areas the bathroom prices can exceed $30000. Some home owners who have "know how" choose to DIY some jobs and delegate others to professionals. This is an optimal solution which can safe about 30%-40% of the total cost. However, if you build a bathroom from the scratch you should completely leave the structure to licensed builders.