Reported Prices by Job Size
The reported totals make more sense when you compare jobs covering similar work.
One bathroom, full renovation: 120 reports, median ~$30,000, middle half ~$25,000–$38,000
A bathroom plus another wet room (ensuite, laundry or separate toilet), priced as one job: 39 reports, median ~$46,000, middle half ~$37,950–$69,000
Plumbing only (the plumber's part of a renovation): 16 reports, median ~$3,700, middle half ~$2,050–$5,250
The headline prices on this page are per bathroom; a job covering two rooms costs more in total, but not necessarily double. These reports mix prices paid and quotes from 2022–2026; the middle half shows where the central reported prices fall, rather than the cheapest and dearest jobs.
For a job covering different rooms, one Canberra homeowner reported paying $40,000 in 2022 for a builder to renovate a main bathroom, a tiny ensuite and a laundry together.
What Real Budgets Bought
These are individual homeowner reports, with different rooms and inclusions. They show what was quoted or paid, not what a contractor will offer for your home.
$15,000 quoted in Sydney, 2025. A homeowner described a unit bathroom of about 3 × 3 m with failing waterproofing and an awkward layout. The contractor's quote covered stripping back to concrete render, full retiling, a new bath, shower and toilet, and a changed layout.
Commenters called the quote cheap.
$30,000 paid in Sydney, 2026. A homeowner reported gutting and redoing a 5 m² bathroom with Caroma taps and toilet, a new vanity and cabinet, and floor-to-ceiling budget tiles.
Read their account of the work.
$45,000 paid for each bathroom, 2023. A homeowner reported having a builder renovate an ensuite and a main bathroom at that price each, with terrazzo Italian tiles, brushed gold hardware and higher-spec finishes.
Read the homeowner's report.
Can I Renovate a Bathroom for $10,000?
One homeowner reported paying $10,000 in 2022 for a 1.8 × 1.8 m bathroom: the old bath came out, all plumbing was redone, including old lead pipes under the floor, and the job included a large shower screen and fittings, cabinet, basin and tiles. It is the smallest reported full renovation here, not a dependable starting budget. The Sydney homeowner who paid $30,000 in 2026 said it was hard to get below about $20,000 without doing work yourself or getting mates' rates.
Finish choices change both the supply bill and the work needed to install them. Moving fixtures can add pipework and floor repairs, so room size alone will not tell you what to budget.
Small Bathrooms and Ensuites
A small room still needs strip-out, plumbing, waterproofing, tiling, electrical work and fittings. Less floor area does not make a full renovation proportionally cheaper: the small-room reports below ran from $10,000 to $60,000, across different years and jobs.
These examples do not establish an average for small rooms. Ask the contractor to price your layout, surface preparation and chosen fittings together.
If You Only Need Part of the Job
If the rest of the bathroom can stay, use the guide for the work you need: a custom bathroom vanity at $1,500–$8,200 per vanity, bathroom tiling at $2,000–$12,200 per bathroom, or bathroom waterproofing at $600–$3,600 per bathroom. For a shower problem, start with the shower repair guide. Have the cause assessed and confirm what needs removing and replacing before treating a repair as a full renovation.
The Renovation Sequence
Agree on the layout, fixtures and deliveries before demolition. The trades then work in this order:
Demolition — 1–2 days. Disconnect services, remove fixtures and strip tiles and linings. Arrange asbestos testing before disturbing suspect material.
Plumbing rough-in — 1–2 days. Install supply and waste pipes in the walls and floor while access is open.
Electrical rough-in — half to 1 day. Run wiring for lights, power points, the fan and any heated towel rail. Your electrician plans their positions to meet the
AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules, including restrictions around baths and showers. For a separate comparison,
lighting with standard fittings is $80–$300 per point; check for overlap with the electrical allowance above.
Wall sheeting and ceiling. Replace the wall sheeting and finish any ceiling work before waterproofing.
Waterproofing — 1 day plus 24–48 hours curing. The waterproofer prepares the surfaces and applies the membrane. Follow the product's curing requirements. The
NCC wet-area provisions distinguish between floor materials; an upstairs location alone does not decide the waterproofing treatment.
Check before tiling. Arrange for the builder or waterproofer to check the membrane before it is covered. This is a practical quality check, not a universal certifier inspection requirement. Where NSW work has development consent or a complying development certificate,
mandatory waterproofing inspections apply. Allow 3–5 days if repairs and further curing are needed.
Tiling — 3–7 days. Lay and grout the wall and floor tiles, with the required drainage falls.
Fit-off — 1–2 days. The plumber connects fixtures and tests the work; the electrician connects and tests the electrical fittings. Coordinate the glazier's screen installation. The painter finishes exposed walls and ceiling; a separate
interior painting allowance is $400–$1,600 per room if it is not already included.
Allow 3–6 weeks on site overall. Custom vanities and stone tops can need 6–8 weeks of lead time before work begins.
Fixtures and Finishes by Tier
Choose the products before comparing quotes so everyone prices the same room. These examples describe product choices, not priced renovation packages; brands can offer products across different finish levels.
The supply allowance for the whole set of fixtures and finishes is $6,800–$10,000 per bathroom. A semi-frameless or frameless shower screen is separate at $750–$2,200 per screen, supplied and installed. Wall-hung toilets need a concealed cistern frame and suitable wall support; a custom vanity replaces the bought vanity allowance rather than being added to it unchanged.
What Affects the Cost
Room size and tiling. More wall and floor area, detailed patterns, niches and extra tile cuts add labour as well as materials.
Layout. Keeping fixtures in place usually reduces pipework. Moving a toilet on a slab can require concrete cutting and reinstatement.
Floors and walls. Accessible timber floors help with pipe runs. Masonry and stone walls take more work to cut and make good.
Existing condition. Ask the plumber to assess older supply and waste pipes while they are accessible. Damaged framing or damp surfaces need attention before new finishes go on.
Fixtures and cabinetry. A bath, custom vanity or concealed cistern changes both supply and installation work.
Walk-in showers. A level entry needs careful floor grading, drainage and waterproofing design.
Electrical choices. More lights, a heated towel rail or underfloor heating add work. Confirm equipment supply and connection separately.
Access and coordination. Stairs, restricted working hours, parking and waste removal affect the time trades need on site.
A small ensuite fully renewed in its existing layout, with easy access and straightforward finishes, may sit toward $10,200. A full bathroom with replacement waterproofing, tiling and standard fixtures is closer to the typical $30,400. Moving the layout in an older masonry home, repairing hidden damage and choosing custom fittings can push the job toward $41,800 or beyond it.
The Plumbing Part of the Job
Allow $3,000–$8,200 per bathroom for the plumber's work. Rough-in installs the hot and cold supply lines, waste pipes and floor waste before waterproofing and tiling. Fit-off connects the toilet, basin, shower, taps and bath after the surfaces are finished.
The quote should include isolation valves so fixtures can be shut off for maintenance, pressure testing of supply lines, and checks of drainage falls and connections. Plan for two main visits, usually 2–4 weeks apart, with 2–4 days of plumbing work overall.
The work must meet the applicable AS/NZS 3500 requirements. Adoption dates differ by state; ask the plumber which edition applies. Have the condition of existing pipes assessed and any recommended replacement described in the quote.
Licensing, Insurance and Approvals by State
A bathroom renovation contractor can coordinate the whole room, or you can arrange the trades yourself subject to your state's owner-builder rules. Plumbing and electrical work need the appropriate specialist licences. The main thresholds for the states covered by this guide are below.
NSW: Contractor licensing applies above $5,000; specialist plumbing, draining and electrical work need licences regardless of value.
Home Building Compensation applies to eligible contracts over $20,000.
Written contracts are required above $5,000, with major-work requirements above $20,000. An
owner-builder permit is needed above $10,000 only where a development consent or complying development certificate is needed; a course applies above $20,000. It is not available for renovating a strata unit.
South Australia: A
building work contractor's licence is needed regardless of value.
Building Indemnity Insurance applies at $20,000 or more where development approval is required.
Written contracts are required at $20,000 or more. There is no owner-builder permit or value threshold, but a renovating owner-builder needs a private building surveyor or registered building work supervisor to oversee the work.
Insurance thresholds relate to the relevant contract, not a simple sum of separate trade contracts; staged contracts between the same parties can be treated together in NSW. Confirm eligibility and cover before signing. Building approval and trade paperwork are separate checks, and apartment work may also need strata or owners corporation approval.
City and Regional Price Comparison
Sydney is the NSW baseline; Melbourne and Brisbane track close to it. For Perth and Adelaide, use the Pricing by City table: smaller trade pools, booking availability and material transport can affect quotes without making every job dearer.
Within a city, the building often matters more than the suburb's name. Narrow terraces in Paddington or Fitzroy can complicate deliveries and waste removal. Stone cottages in Norwood or Prospect take more work to open and repair. High-set Queenslanders can offer useful access beneath the floor, while keeping the layout in a newer slab home avoids much of the concrete work. Regional jobs can add travel and delivery time; ask how these are included.
Getting Quotes You Can Compare
Give each contractor the same list of work and chosen products, and ask them to confirm:
Rooms included: name each bathroom, ensuite, laundry or separate toilet being renovated.
Layout: which fixtures stay in place and which move.
Demolition and disposal: what comes out, who removes it and how waste leaves the property.
Supplies: who buys the tiles, taps, toilet, other fixtures and vanity, and what allowances cover.
Waterproofing: surface preparation, the membrane system, checks before tiling and the product and installation records you will receive.
Access and timing: parking, stairs or lift bookings, permitted working hours and who coordinates trades.
Exclusions: work and supplies outside the price, including any repairs beyond the room.
Unexpected repairs: how extra work will be priced and agreed before it proceeds.
In a homeowner's account spanning 2022–2024, a bathroom under 9 m² attracted a first quote of $29,000 and a highest quote of $45,000; the job finished at about $23,000. In Melbourne in 2024, another homeowner reported five plumbing quotes of $1,097, $2,640, $3,850, $4,950 and $10,057 for the same gutted bathroom with moved fixtures and a new toilet, with the owner supplying taps and fixtures.
Those reports do not establish that every quote included the same work. Ask each tradie to explain inclusions and allowances before comparing totals; the differences alone do not show overcharging or a saving you can expect.
Common Cost Blowouts
Hidden damage. Soft framing, damp walls or damaged flooring can become visible only after strip-out and may need
structural repairs. Ask how repair work will be assessed and agreed before it proceeds.
Asbestos. Arrange testing before disturbing suspect sheeting or adhesives. If removal is needed, the allowance for a bathroom is $1,500–$4,600 per room; have an asbestos professional confirm the work and disposal arrangements.
Unsuitable surfaces or failed waterproofing. The new membrane needs a sound base. Allow time to repair surfaces and check the completed membrane before tiling.
Pipework beyond the room. Poor drainage or deteriorated supply pipes can expand the job. Ask the plumber which repairs are included and which need a separate quote.
Overlapping or missing inclusions. Check whether tiles, a bought vanity, fan connections, painting and waste disposal are already covered before adding separate allowances.
Changes after ordering. Moving a mixer after rough-in or choosing a different vanity after tiling can undo finished work. Confirm measurements and products early.
Ask the contractor to identify provisional items: allowances for work that cannot yet be fully priced. Agree on a variation process that records the repair, its price and any schedule change for your approval before it proceeds. Keep money aside for repairs found after strip-out, separate from the finishes you have chosen.
How We Calculate
The headline range comes from the single-bathroom full renovations counted in the report table. Those reports span 2022–2026; older reports are left out because renovation prices have risen since. They come from Australian homeowner forums and include both quotes and prices paid. Cosmetic refreshes, partial jobs and owner-managed projects are not counted.
The low end starts with the smallest reported job, a small bathroom fully redone. The typical price starts with the median: the middle reported price. The high end starts at the boundary of the upper quarter of reported prices, with a small allowance added above it. State and property-age adjustments then produce the displayed range, so it differs from the rounded report statistics.
The low end therefore rests on a single smallest job, and the high end is not a ceiling. When comparing averages elsewhere, check the year and whether partial renovations are included; both can change the figure.
The individual work allowances use trade price ranges adjusted for location and property age. All prices include GST and are estimates, not a quote for your home. Finish levels are not consistently recorded, so the reports do not support separate budget, mid-range and premium renovation prices.