Renovating Your Bathroom? Watch Out for These Hidden Costs
Bathroom renovations are already expensive – don't let unexpected extra costs sour your project
Adam Hobill
28 June 2016
Read more about conquering the building process in my new book, 'Nail it! Take control of your building project & save thousands'. When I decided to write the book I set out with a simple goal; to educate and empower homeowners to help them complete a building project with less stress and with less risk of budget blow outs. It's all about getting homeowners on a level playing field with their builder.
Read more about conquering the building process in my new book, 'Nail it! Take control... More
As the bathrooms in new homes get bigger and more luxurious, the smaller bathrooms typically found in older homes are becoming claustrophobic and dated by comparison; it’s not surprising, therefore, that bathroom renovations are high on many peoples’ hit lists.
When it comes to colour, bathrooms allow us to really have some fun; a quick visit to a bathroom showroom will reveal just how much choice is available in terms of style, colour and materials. But renovating a bathroom does present its challenges and controlling your budget is crucial. These tips will give you some understanding of a few areas where costs can blow out, as well as a little guidance on how to avoid them.
When it comes to colour, bathrooms allow us to really have some fun; a quick visit to a bathroom showroom will reveal just how much choice is available in terms of style, colour and materials. But renovating a bathroom does present its challenges and controlling your budget is crucial. These tips will give you some understanding of a few areas where costs can blow out, as well as a little guidance on how to avoid them.
Demolition and building costs
One of the more popular approaches to renovating a bathroom is to remove the wall that often separates the bathroom and the adjacent toilet to create a larger open space. Before doing so, be sure you know what you’re dealing with in terms of structural walls.
Non-load-bearing walls aren’t likely to cause any great concerns, however, the removal of a load-bearing wall will need to be very carefully considered – you’ll need the advice of an engineer to ensure that the roof’s structural integrity is maintained. Additional costs may come in the way of more hours of labour, building materials and professional advice, though an experienced team of tradespeople will help you to minimise these costs.
One of the more popular approaches to renovating a bathroom is to remove the wall that often separates the bathroom and the adjacent toilet to create a larger open space. Before doing so, be sure you know what you’re dealing with in terms of structural walls.
Non-load-bearing walls aren’t likely to cause any great concerns, however, the removal of a load-bearing wall will need to be very carefully considered – you’ll need the advice of an engineer to ensure that the roof’s structural integrity is maintained. Additional costs may come in the way of more hours of labour, building materials and professional advice, though an experienced team of tradespeople will help you to minimise these costs.
Waterproofing blunders
Waterproofing is probably the most important thing in your bathroom, yet you will never see it. This may be one of the reasons that it’s sometimes not completed with the care and patience required.
The waterproofing membrane is applied to the floor and walls of the bathroom before it gets tiled, and, depending on which state you live in, there are certain warranties and certificates that need to be provided to ensure the work has been done correctly. Fixing failed waterproofing can be very expensive and disruptive to your new bathroom, given that there may need to be a lot of tiles removed to locate and correct the problem area.
Waterproofing is probably the most important thing in your bathroom, yet you will never see it. This may be one of the reasons that it’s sometimes not completed with the care and patience required.
The waterproofing membrane is applied to the floor and walls of the bathroom before it gets tiled, and, depending on which state you live in, there are certain warranties and certificates that need to be provided to ensure the work has been done correctly. Fixing failed waterproofing can be very expensive and disruptive to your new bathroom, given that there may need to be a lot of tiles removed to locate and correct the problem area.
One of the more common errors made when waterproofing a bathroom is a lack of care and understanding of what happens after the waterproofing is applied. As the membrane cures it cannot be interfered with and even when it does cure, great care must be taken to ensure that it is not punctured or split by other tradespeople. For example, a misplaced ladder by the electrician in a waterproofed bathroom can easily compromise the waterproofing membrane. It only takes a tiny, near-invisible split to cause a big problem.
Adding or relocating a bath
To add or relocate a bath into a renovated bathroom may seem simple enough, but careful consideration needs to be given to its location in terms of allowing drainage from the bath. If you’re renovating a space that has a concrete floor it will be trickier and more expensive to add a new drainage line, as the concrete will need to be cut and jack-hammered to create a cavity where new drainage pipes can be located.
One important consideration when selecting your bath is the location of the drain within the bath. Some baths drain from the middle, while others drain from the end; getting that selection right may result in a big cost saving if it means the bath drain is located close enough to an existing drainage point that it can be connected directly into it. The same principle also applies to relocating toilets.
Browse bathrooms with baths
To add or relocate a bath into a renovated bathroom may seem simple enough, but careful consideration needs to be given to its location in terms of allowing drainage from the bath. If you’re renovating a space that has a concrete floor it will be trickier and more expensive to add a new drainage line, as the concrete will need to be cut and jack-hammered to create a cavity where new drainage pipes can be located.
One important consideration when selecting your bath is the location of the drain within the bath. Some baths drain from the middle, while others drain from the end; getting that selection right may result in a big cost saving if it means the bath drain is located close enough to an existing drainage point that it can be connected directly into it. The same principle also applies to relocating toilets.
Browse bathrooms with baths
Trip hazards
Is there anything more annoying than stubbing your toe on the little step up into a tiled bathroom? The creation of the step itself can often be avoided, but there is some planning and cost involved. The key is to set down the bathroom floor so that by the time the tiles are laid in the bathroom, the tiled floor is level with the adjacent floor. Whether your floor structure is timber or concrete, it can be a tricky job either way.
One way to simplify the task is to eliminate the floor waste (or drain), if you have one; this may mean you can avoid creating additional height in the floor to achieve fall into a floor waste.
Is there anything more annoying than stubbing your toe on the little step up into a tiled bathroom? The creation of the step itself can often be avoided, but there is some planning and cost involved. The key is to set down the bathroom floor so that by the time the tiles are laid in the bathroom, the tiled floor is level with the adjacent floor. Whether your floor structure is timber or concrete, it can be a tricky job either way.
One way to simplify the task is to eliminate the floor waste (or drain), if you have one; this may mean you can avoid creating additional height in the floor to achieve fall into a floor waste.
Be aware that in some instances floor wastes are mandatory, so ask a reputable certifier to make sure you can legally do away with your floor waste before you eliminate it from your design. If you do remove your floor waste, it’s still obviously important that adequate allowance is made for drainage in the bathroom. This is a little easier if there’s no bath in the bathroom, and the shower is the main area that requires drainage. In this case, the set-down in the floor may be easier to achieve due to the smaller footprint of the shower as compared to the whole bathroom.
If setting down the shower floor still proves too tricky then a small step up into the shower only, or a hob, may be more acceptable than raising the entire bathroom floor. Another way to limit the risk of water damage if you choose to remove the floor waste is to select basins and baths that have built-in overflow controls.
If setting down the shower floor still proves too tricky then a small step up into the shower only, or a hob, may be more acceptable than raising the entire bathroom floor. Another way to limit the risk of water damage if you choose to remove the floor waste is to select basins and baths that have built-in overflow controls.
Reinforcing towel rails
Installing towels rails in a family bathroom that small children will be using requires some additional thought. Quite simply, imagine you are installing climbing rails rather than towel rails. If my children are anything to go by, kids see towel rails and playground equipment as the same thing, and love nothing more than to hang off them; a poorly installed towel rail won’t last more than a week.
If that sounds familiar, you should be thinking about the type of towel rails you install and how they are fixed to the wall. Ideally your towel rails will have more than one fixing point at each end, as this will make the rail much more stable on the wall.
8 ways to update an older bathroom
Installing towels rails in a family bathroom that small children will be using requires some additional thought. Quite simply, imagine you are installing climbing rails rather than towel rails. If my children are anything to go by, kids see towel rails and playground equipment as the same thing, and love nothing more than to hang off them; a poorly installed towel rail won’t last more than a week.
If that sounds familiar, you should be thinking about the type of towel rails you install and how they are fixed to the wall. Ideally your towel rails will have more than one fixing point at each end, as this will make the rail much more stable on the wall.
8 ways to update an older bathroom
With a little forward planning you should also add fixing blocks or rails into the wall frame where you plan to locate the towel rails (if I had my time again I would also do the same for the toilet roll holders). These are hidden by the wall sheeting and tiling, but serve as strong anchor points for the towel rails to be fixed into. This consideration is even more important if your wall tiles are not full height, meaning that you would otherwise only be fixing the towel rails to the plasterboard or fibre cement sheeting, neither of which are strong enough to hold towel rails on their own.
Concealing cistern toilets
Toilets are one item that we often try to hide in a bathroom, so it’s no surprise that toilets with concealed cisterns can be popular. However, while a concealed cistern does take up a little less space as well as being more pleasing to the eye, they are also likely to add extra cost to your bathroom renovation. Firstly, they are more complex – they have several components and are therefore generally more expensive to buy. In addition to the higher purchase price, they are also more expensive to install, as all of those components need to be assembled on-site to create a working toilet.
Costs often missing from builders’ quotes
Toilets are one item that we often try to hide in a bathroom, so it’s no surprise that toilets with concealed cisterns can be popular. However, while a concealed cistern does take up a little less space as well as being more pleasing to the eye, they are also likely to add extra cost to your bathroom renovation. Firstly, they are more complex – they have several components and are therefore generally more expensive to buy. In addition to the higher purchase price, they are also more expensive to install, as all of those components need to be assembled on-site to create a working toilet.
Costs often missing from builders’ quotes
Additional preparation is also required in where and how to hide the cistern in the wall cavity, as the width required can vary from one model to the next. This can be made even more difficult if you are trying to install it into an older home with internal brick walls where there is no cavity. Ongoing access to the concealed cistern for maintenance also needs to be planned for, so that carrying out repairs can be done as easily as possible.
Accessing natural light
Bathrooms are often internal spaces, which can make it tricky to provide natural light and ventilation. Skylights are a popular choice for bringing light into the middle of homes and can be very effective, but there are a couple of issues to consider.
Firstly, the roof structure may limit your options in terms of what type of skylight you can use. Velux has a lovely range of skylights and roof windows that allow sunlight to stream into a room, and are often installed with a shafted ceiling detail to maximise the light, accentuate the space and add interest to the interior.
Bathrooms are often internal spaces, which can make it tricky to provide natural light and ventilation. Skylights are a popular choice for bringing light into the middle of homes and can be very effective, but there are a couple of issues to consider.
Firstly, the roof structure may limit your options in terms of what type of skylight you can use. Velux has a lovely range of skylights and roof windows that allow sunlight to stream into a room, and are often installed with a shafted ceiling detail to maximise the light, accentuate the space and add interest to the interior.
If the roof structure within your roof cavity is complex, with lots of structural timbers, you won’t be able to achieve that result unless you spend some extra money to relocate some of those timbers, and that should only be done with the assistance of qualified professionals.
The alternative is to consider ducted skylights or sky-tube products, which use a flexible duct to direct the sunlight captured at the roof to a diffuser in the ceiling. These are a lot cheaper to buy and are relatively easy to install in most situations.
YOUR SAY
Which other hidden costs have your encountered whilst renovating your bathroom? Share your experiences in the Comments below.
MORE
Browse more beautiful bathrooms
The alternative is to consider ducted skylights or sky-tube products, which use a flexible duct to direct the sunlight captured at the roof to a diffuser in the ceiling. These are a lot cheaper to buy and are relatively easy to install in most situations.
YOUR SAY
Which other hidden costs have your encountered whilst renovating your bathroom? Share your experiences in the Comments below.
MORE
Browse more beautiful bathrooms
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Bathrooms are one of the more costly areas to renovate and are usually the areas that have the most problems with deterioration water leaks etc. Having a professional building inspector inspect any house you are looking at buying is a great idea as it can save you having to spend money on a renovation you probably haven't planed for. They can also tell you if walls are load bearing this can help you to budget for any new renovations. This photo of a leaking bath is a classic example where floor timber, joists and bearers will have to be replaced.