@ Tilly, others and nexusone... I live in rural Queensland... As far as tradies go, there are not many and they are all vying for the work, so their reputations are very important to them and people do talk Have no idea where you two Houzzers live..must be somewhere expensive because $3-$4,000 for labour for a tiling sounds exorbitant...unless every wall was entirely tiled to the ceiling with tiles that were also priced to impress. @ nexusone... It doesn't have to be like that...unless there's the "keeping up with the Jones's" to factor in. What's a "top quality" product anyway? One that costs more? It all comes from CHINA if you trace it back! The Chinese are a very large part of our economy and despite what many think they know, based on some of the negative things that have been publicised..... about Asian "sweat shops" etc.... when it comes to maunfacturing hard items (like plumbing ware, tiles etc...) the standard is mostly excellent and the cost is extremely reasonable. Where do you think our resellers of "top quality" hardware get their product from? Greece? Italy? Apologies for disagreeing and no offence meant, but we need to get our thinking caps on here. How is it that I could buy a magnificently crafted 8inch chrome plated retro styled brass shower rose for $79 ( including insurance and shipping)? Why is it that when I finally sourced the "Shepherd's Crook"...( a 1.2m long curved piece of chrome plated brass pipe) from an Australian reseller...that it cost me X3.5 times more than the actual shower rose? Where was this pipe made? Guess. I'm no advocate for trade with anywhere but hardware does not have to be exorbitantly expensive, and "top quality" is not necessarily associated with Brand or price. It pays to do your research before you do your shopping and to gain any technical information you can fathom to help you to understand what you are being expected to pay for! @ Tilly.... You mention that you supplied ( ? purchased) your own tiles, and on top of that you paid $3,800 for the "top quality" tiler's labour. In my experience of hiring tradies of all kinds over a 30 year period, off and on, and of having to keep abreast of costs of materials and hardware and of workmanship standards and methods, I found that there's a limit to the quality that can go into any product and into any labour, including putting tiles on a wall...(without getting ridiculous and grinding up diamonds in the glue!) So the amount of $3,800 tiler's labour alone doesn't make sense to me, especially since you had already paid for the tiles. So tiling alone in one bathroom cost about $4-5,000? not including anything else? I may have easily misunderstood...its easy in writing, but everything sounds very inflated based on "quality". I'm glad it was not I who shelled out all that hard earnt money. The comparison costs of your bathroom to your daughter's using DIY labour is about the same...did you leave something out? If one can find the right outlet, items and labourers...things should not and need not and, in my experience, do not cost that much, not even for "quality"...and that word needs defining. Nevertheless, Tilly, extremely interesting reading about your costs and experiences. Thanks! I'll add the info to my "experience" diary! @nexusone... Courage, again! Do your homework well, become informed, shop around and, may I suggest, based on what I perceive from the information kindly supplied by everyone here...When you go shopping, go outside your city, town or usual haunts where you are not known, keep it impersonal. Online shopping is not as scary as it seems either. An Idea about plumbing You say your bathroom is 1930's...that's the Art Deco era...external plumbing was the rage. Could you maybe consider fixing your plumbing TO the wall rather than having it IN the wall? You could just about have any design tapware you wanted today..Art Deco products are available in many styles. Retro Plumbing is IN and would go with the style of your bathroom. Just something to consider. All I think all you would need to do, (bear in mind I am not a plumber) is bring a fitting for HW and CW to the outside of your wall and you could then have, attached to those, any kind assembly/combo of taps and shower head you wanted, I wish you every tiny bit of good luck with this. It WILL work out! .

You were fortunate Donnae68, did you get it tested? I believe that you can get a sample tested for about $100 or so. Here is an excerpt on it's history: In Australia, asbestos cement materials were first manufactured in the 1920s and were commonly used in the manufacture of residential building materials from the mid-1940s until the late 1980s. During the 1980s asbestos cement materials were phased out in favour of asbestos-free products. From 31 December 2003, the total ban on manufacture, use, reuse, import, transport, storage or sale of all forms of asbestos came into force. Many houses built before 1990 therefore contain asbestos cement materials, especially in the eaves, internal and external wall cladding, ceilings (particularly in wet areas such as bathrooms and laundries) and fences.

This is indeed drab to fab! The space appears to be well utilised. We especially like the bath tub! Thanks, The Clipsal Team

Sounds like a very stressful situation! If there is absolutely no way the builder will allow you to change things (even if they did, I imagine they would ask you to foot the entire bill of pulling the tiles down and replacing all water proofing in addition to new tiles), I can make a few suggestions for improvement. Firstly I would suggest replacing the tiles above the vanity with a white mosaic, a patterned or a textured feature tile/strip. You could also use this same tile to replace the vertical feature in the shower. There are some beautiful shapes and sizes available to choose from. Secondly I would address the grout situation in this way: Floor - dark colour grout & Walls - Light colour grout. Lastly if it does not prove too difficult or expensive, maybe replace the tiles below the vanity with a plain white tile (could be similar size). Good luck and I am sure once you have a lovely mirror up and some crisp white towels, it will look just wonderful.