Bathroom renovation cost NZ
There are certain rooms in a house that add value and appeal to a home when it’s up for sale. The bathroom is definitely one of these. If you’ve ever been house hunting, you’ll know that a bathroom can make or break a home purchasing decision.
The bathroom is one of the most important rooms in the house. Everyone uses it, usually several times a day. Even your visitors use it. So, it’s worth it to have your bathroom exactly to your liking. If you’ve been meaning to get around to doing some bathroom renovations, now is the time.
But how much should you spend on a bathroom renovation in Auckland, New Zealand? How do you know what realistic bathroom renovation costs are?
This guide will give you some idea of how much it costs to renovate a bathroom in NZ. Like anything, there are a lot of options and variables that can affect how much you spend on a bathroom renovation. The details below will help you in your planning and budgeting. As always, the team at Sumich Plumbing & Drainage are here to help – feel free to give us a call, even if you’re still at the initial bathroom ideas stage.
Consider the suppliers you need
The first thing to consider when looking at the costs of renovating a bathroom is the fact that there are many parts to a bathroom renovation project. To make things easier to understand, we’re going to assume that you’re doing a full bathroom renovation, removing most or all of your old bathroom and re-doing it all.
If you’re just upgrading parts of the bathroom or replacing just some parts, then some of this information may not apply to your particular bathroom renovation.
A bathroom is the one room of the home, regardless of its size, where you’re likely to hire almost every tradesperson you can think of. You’ll probably need a:
- builder
- waterproofer
- electrician
- plumber
- cabinet maker
- tiler
- plasterer
- painter
- glazier
- flooring expert
- project manager
That is a lot of people with specific skill sets. So, it’s important to ask them all how they charge – hourly or on a project fee basis. And then do everything you can to get out of their way and make their job easier to complete on time.
Break it down into sections
You can look at your bathroom renovation project and the costs associated in distinct sections:
- Appliances, large fittings – these will include the toilet, shower, bath, sink or vanity (single or double), and possibly a bidet
- Furniture, cabinetry – vanity cabinet, under-sink drawers, shelving, other storage units
- Other hardware – doors, windows, skylight, wall mounted mirror(s), vanity cabinets, heated towel rail
- Flooring – timber, tiles, cork, lino, etc
- Walls – plaster, paint, wallpaper, tiles
- Electrical work – lighting, heating, ventilation, fans, heated towel rail
- Plumbing work – toilet, sink, shower, bath, bidet, hot water heater
There is no magic formula to tell you what percentage of your budget to spend in each area. But it’s helpful to think of the project in sections like this and then prepare your budget in sections. This will help when it comes time to decide what is a must-have, a nice-to-have, and a luxury feature.
Figure out what you can do yourself
Depending on your comfort level with DIY projects, are there any tasks that you can do to save some money on your bathroom renovation? We always recommend that you hire professionals, but we also recognise that most people are budget conscious.
There are certain jobs that you must not do yourself, such as electrical and plumbing work (unless you are a licensed practitioner). You should never try to do the waterproofing yourself unless you’re an experienced builder. Even tiling is best left to the experts, as it’s trickier than you may think.
But if you are able to do some of the removals of the old bathroom, that might save you some demolition costs. And if you have experience painting a room (including the fiddly door and window trims, skirting boards, etc), that might be another area you can do yourself. But discuss this with your project manager first. If you work full-time and think you can get around to your DIY tasks in the evenings, you may end up delaying the bathroom project unnecessarily (and annoying your tradies).
Talk to your bathroom renovation company about buying supplies
Before you go out and buy any bathroom fixtures, talk to your tradespeople first about any trade prices they can get for you. At Sumich Plumbing & Drainage, when we work on a bathroom renovation project, we’re often able to buy bathroom components and fixtures for less than retail prices and pass those savings on to our clients, helping you save money on your bathroom renovation.
These might include the toilet, bathtub, sink, basin, tapware, lights, mirrors, cabinets, door handles, window latches, and other hardware.
Make sure you first look at what can be retained or repurposed from your existing bathroom. You may be tempted to gut it and start with a clean slate. But you’ll quickly discover that the costs add up. Something you’ve taken out of your old bathroom may look completely different in a new setting or after a bit of a tidy up or minor repair work.
Have in mind a few options when it comes to buying new bathroom components and fixtures. Wherever possible, we offer clients a few options when it comes to buying new items for a bathroom renovation. If we can, we’ll find a low, mid and higher-priced option to show you. We find this comes in handy when clients need to review their budget and start making choices about what they can save on and what they want to splurge on.
Start with a budget and a plan – and use them
The best way to manage a bathroom renovation cost in NZ is to have a detailed written plan and budget. Before you begin, work with your project manager and your bathroom designer to create an itemised budget for your bathroom project. The lists above will be a good starting point. And then work with them to create a project plan that lists all the suppliers, tradespeople and materials required and when. The more work you do on this upfront, the less chance there will be of unexpected expenses or delays arising.
In the end, the costs of a bathroom renovation depend on the size of your room, the extent of the renovation, and the type of fixtures you want to include. If you’d like to learn more about some of our previous bathroom renovations in Auckland and their approximate bathroom renovation costs, please get in touch to see some of our work and to arrange an initial consult.