What a bathroom renovation actually costs in Melbourne

Step by step

1. What quotes actually look like

   We are not going to publish a Melbourne "average" and ask you to trust it — the figures that get quoted around are rarely sourced and almost never say what scope they cover. What we can tell you is what we see in the quotes homeowners bring to us: a wide spread, and most of the spread explained by what is excluded rather than by the quality of the work. Two quotes for the same bathroom can differ by $10,000 and both be honest, because one includes the tiles and the waterproofing certificate and the other does not. Anyone quoting well under $15,000 for a full strip-out is either excluding materials or cutting something that matters.

2. Labour and compliance are 40–50% of it

   This is the part that surprises people. Demolition, plumbing rough-in, certified waterproofing and tiling labour together account for roughly half the budget before a single fixture is bought. The things you can see are the smaller half.

3. Tiling is the biggest single line

   Tiling labour in Melbourne generally runs somewhere between $55 and $110 per square metre of tiled surface for standard ceramic or porcelain, rising to $100 to $150 for mosaic or a feature pattern. A floor-to-ceiling bathroom has far more tiled surface than people expect, which is why it is the biggest single labour line. Large-format tiles cost more to lay, not less. This is why the tiled wall height measurement moves the price so much.

4. Moving plumbing is the biggest price jump

   Keeping fixtures in their existing positions versus moving them is usually a difference of several thousand dollars, and in a concrete slab it can be much more. If budget is tight, this is the first thing to give up.

5. Where you can genuinely save

   Standard-range tiles instead of imported, a semi-frameless screen instead of frameless, keeping the existing layout, and doing your own painting and demolition prep. Where you should not save: waterproofing, and anything that needs a licensed trade.

6. What blows budgets

   Hidden damage in older homes — water damage behind tiles, rotten subfloor, corroded pipework, and asbestos sheeting in anything built between the 1950s and late 1980s. A quote for a house of that era that includes no contingency is not being straight with you.

The honest range

For a complete bathroom renovation in Melbourne — strip back to frame, new waterproofing, new tiles, new fixtures, rubbish removed, GST included — the realistic range is roughly $18,000 to $35,000, with most standard-sized bathrooms landing in the middle.

Under about $15,000 something is being left out, and it is worth finding out what before you sign. The usual candidates are waterproofing certification, rubbish removal, the cost of moving any fixture, or GST quoted separately so the headline number looks smaller.

Above about $35,000 you are usually paying for size, for a second-storey or structural change, or for finishes well above standard — which is a legitimate choice, just not the same product.

Why two quotes for the same room differ by $10,000

Four things, in order of how much they actually move the number:

1. Whether fixtures move. This is the big one and it is not obvious from the plan. If your house is on a concrete slab, relocating a floor waste or a toilet means cutting or core-drilling the slab and re-bedding the drain — a genuine four-figure item. On a timber subfloor the same change is a fraction of that. Same bathroom, same tiles, very different price.

2. What is behind the wall. Original bathrooms in Melbourne's post-war housing were built with waterproofing that would not pass today, and by the time tiles are lifting there is usually damage in the timber underneath. A quote written without anyone looking is a quote that will be revised.

3. Asbestos. Homes built before roughly 1990 commonly have asbestos-cement sheet behind wall tiles, under the bath and in the eaves. Licensed removal and disposal is a real cost, and it should be in the written price rather than raised on day three.

4. Floor area. Tiling and waterproofing scale with area, so a large bathroom with modest fittings often costs more than a small one with expensive ones. People consistently expect the opposite.

What should be in the price, and usually is not

• Demolition and removal of the rubbish — skip hire and tip fees are a common exclusion
• Certified waterproofing, with the certificate handed to you
• Plumbing compliance certificate for any work over $750
• Making good the plaster and paint where the old room met the rest of the house
• GST — under Australian Consumer Law a price advertised to a consumer must be the total price including GST, so a “plus GST” quote is both a red flag and a 10% surprise
• The shower screen, the mirror and the accessories, which are frequently listed as extras

Where you can genuinely save money

Keep the layout. This is by far the largest lever available to a homeowner. Leaving the toilet, shower and vanity where they are can be the difference between two quotes thousands apart, and almost nobody notices the layout of a finished bathroom — they notice whether it feels clean and finished.

Choose fewer, better materials. One good tile laid well beats three feature tiles and a mosaic strip, and it costs less to lay.

Do the bathroom and ensuite together. Two wet areas in one mobilisation is meaningfully cheaper per room than the same two jobs a year apart.

Don't save on waterproofing. It is a small percentage of the total and it is the only component whose failure costs you the entire room a second time.

Paperwork that should come with the price

In Victoria, domestic building work over $10,000 requires a written major domestic building contract. A complete bathroom usually clears that.

If a quote arrives as a number in a text message with no contract and no mention of certificates, the low price is not efficiency. It is the consumer protection you would need if the job stopped halfway, quietly removed from the deal.

How to compare three quotes without a spreadsheet

Ask all three the same four questions and the differences resolve themselves quickly:

1. Is anything moving?

   And what would it cost if nothing moved.

2. What is excluded?

   Ask for the exclusions in writing. This one question separates quotes faster than any other.

3. What happens if you find damage behind the wall?

   A good answer describes a process and a rate. A bad answer is “we'll sort it out.”

4. What certificates do I get at the end?

   Waterproofing and plumbing compliance, at minimum.

Common mistakes

• Comparing quote totals without comparing inclusions
• Accepting PC sums and allowances instead of named fixtures
• Not asking whether the price includes GST
• Assuming the cheapest quote is the cheapest job

Questions people ask

How long does a bathroom take?

About four weeks on site for a complete renovation, assuming nothing has to be relocated and nothing unexpected turns up behind the walls. Anyone promising ten days is either not doing the waterproofing properly or not counting the drying time it needs.

Is a fixed price actually fixed?

It should be, for everything visible. The honest exception is what is behind the wall, which nobody can price without opening it. A good quote tells you in advance how that will be handled and at what rate, rather than leaving it open.

Do I need a permit for a bathroom renovation?

Usually no planning permit for internal work, usually including inside a heritage overlay, which mostly governs the streetscape — but check the schedule for your property, because some apply internal alteration controls, and a place on the Victorian Heritage Register needs a Heritage Victoria permit that does reach interiors. Apartments are different: the owners corporation generally has to approve wet-area work.

Is it worth doing before selling?

A dated bathroom is one of the most visible things holding a price back at inspection, particularly in areas where most comparable homes have already been updated. The return depends on your market — worth asking a local agent before committing.

Why won't most renovators publish prices?

Because every bathroom differs, which is true, and because a published price can be undercut, which is the larger reason. A starting price with a clear list of what it includes and excludes solves the first problem without pretending the second does not exist.

This guide is general information, not advice for your particular house. Rules change — check the current position with the Building and Plumbing Commission, Energy Safe Victoria and WorkSafe Victoria before you rely on it. Plumbing, gas and electrical work must be done by a licensed practitioner. If your home was built or last renovated before 1990, assume asbestos until it is ruled out — see what a strip-out finds.