Small Bathroom Makeovers Maitland
- 8 listed service areas
- Referral service
- ABN 47 632 426 549
What a makeover usually covers
A makeover keeps the layout and the main plumbing and changes what you see: a vanity, a toilet, tapware, a mirror, paint, lighting and sometimes new floor tiles. It is the right size of job for a bathroom that works but looks tired, and it suits a tight budget.
Published costs
A design website gives a cosmetic refresh at $5,000 to $15,000 and a budget full renovation at $12,000 to $20,000. A powder room of 2 to 3 m² is $6,000 to $14,000. These figures are national, come from a site that also lists designers, and are not Maitland quotes.
The $5,000 line
The NSW Government says residential building work above $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST, needs a licensed contractor and a written contract. A modest makeover can fall under the line, but a package of fittings, tiling and plumbing can reach it quickly. Ask how each business has counted the total.
Tapware and toilets
The guide lists a tap at about $300 and a toilet install at about $1,200, plus a plumber's rate of $70 to $150 an hour with a call-out of $60 to $100. Plumbing at any value is the kind of work where you should ask for a licence details.
When tiles stay
Keeping the tiles saves money, but only if the waterproofing behind them is sound. If grout is failing, tiles are drummy or there are stains on an adjoining wall, ask each business how it would find out before covering anything.
Makeover or full renovation
If the vanity, toilet and shower are all being replaced and the floor is lifting, a makeover can drift into a full renovation. Ask each business to price both so you can compare the extra cost with the extra result.
Painting and finishes
The guide's worked example allows $1,000 for painting in a 6 m² room. Ask which paint is used in a wet room and whether the price includes preparation, since paint failing in a bathroom is usually a ventilation problem rather than a paint problem.
Older houses
The NSW asbestos page says one in three houses built or renovated from 1945 to 1990 are estimated to contain asbestos, and warns that even drilling can expose it. Tell the business if your home is of that age before it starts, and do not drill or cut anything you are unsure about.
Written scope
List what stays and what goes. Ask for every item to be named, with the model or allowance for the vanity, toilet and tapware, so the price on each quote refers to the same things.
Contracts under $20,000
For $5,000 to $20,000 the NSW Government describes a small-job contract, which still needs to be written and still carries the licence details. The deposit is capped at 10 percent, and variations should be written and signed.
Humid weather
Wikipedia describes Maitland as humid subtropical with hot summers. Ask whether the job includes a better fan, since a refresh with the old fan still fitted will not fix steam and mould.
What a quote should list
A makeover quote should name each item and say whether it is supplied by you or the business. Without that, a price can look low because it leaves out the vanity, the mirror or the removal of the old fittings, and the gap appears only on the day.
Budget for surprises
The guide recommends a contingency of 10 to 15 percent for houses over 20 years old. Even on a light job, ask what happens if the old vanity or toilet is fixed to a damaged wall, and agree the price of the repair before it is done.
Comparing quotes fairly
Give each business the same written list and ask for a price on that list. Then compare the totals, the licence numbers, the start dates and the warranties. A price far below the others may be leaving something out, and the NSW contracts page lists an extremely low quote as a warning sign to check.
Next step
Send your suburb and a few lines about what you want changed. Independent Maitland renovators may reply, and you compare written scopes, licence numbers and prices at your own pace.
What does a makeover cost?
A design-website guide gives $5,000 to $15,000 for a cosmetic refresh nationally. It is not a Maitland quote.
Is a licence needed for a small job?
The NSW Government says work above $5,000 including GST needs one. Plumbing and electrical work have their own licensing.
Can tiles stay?
Sometimes, if the waterproofing behind them is sound. Ask each business how it would check.
Does a small job need a written contract?
Over $5,000, yes, according to the NSW contracts page.