Thanks once again oklouise for your comments. I have already been told by the draughtsman that I cannot put in skylights. No idea if this is true but he seemed quite sure and it was he who 'designed' the layout of said ensuite with what I consider a too small window because of ease of plumbing and drainage. He says that can be changed...............Supposedly only put like that to get the oversize plan in fir consent. This department is only interested in the outside view and the effect on the neighbours, which I actually dont have any. The positioning of the ensuite and WiR has changed too from the first plan as I had to come 'out' of my bedroom into a corridor past the WiR door and then into the ensuite. Technically they were both in my bedroom as had not entered the hallway but did not seem like it. So the wall you have now suggested for the door is a small lobby to the bedroom and I had planned to put furniture on it and a full length mirror. I will now look again at the whole space with three zones to see what can be done. I used the word solar tube as I thought that was the generic name for the 'tube' installed which reflected light into a room. Do they cause draughts? Have had no experience of them but will probably want to install one in my scullery (or Butler's kitchen) but am going to work in it a few months before deciding that. I am really quite a novice about function of installations and of building code.

As Eco Building Services has suggested, your going to have to rip the tiles off to get the bath out which will most likely compromise the waterproof seal. This will mean you would need to redo the waterproofing which needs to be applied in all the 'wet areas" in one go. Raising tap ware means your going to have to rip open a section in the wall again breaking the seal in order for the plumber to go in and raise it. If the building was done before the 80's chances are 50/50 you have asbestos. It really isn't cost effective if all you want to do is change a bathtub. If your heart is set on changing the bathtub I would strongly suggest redoing the whole bathroom to make it worth the cost.

Hi Austere. Thanks for your comments. I guess it depends on your scope really. This renovation combines three rooms into one, so a fair bit of reframing, and moving plumbing around to achieve the clients desired layout. The laundry is behind sliders, behind from where the pictures are taken from, so this is a very large room. $15k is achievable, but you would need to be working on a more regular sized bathroom, stick closer to the original layout to save on plumbing & electrical, probably scale back a bit on tiling and fittings, and go to a standard sized cabinet shower rather than a large customized walk-in shower with glass to the ceiling. There are certainly more modest options available to meet budget. Please let me know if we can be of any assistance 🙂

I just think if everything is jammed in tight it won't seem relaxing and you won't use it. When you consider what you use every day (vanities and shower) I wouldn't compromise them for a maybe-once-a-week-if-most dust catcher like a bath unless you had heaps of space.