Bathroom renovations · Oakleigh & south-east Melbourne
Reference plate — white ceramic tile, dark grout line
Home / Bathroom Guides
Ten guides to the decisions behind a good bathroom, from budget and sequencing to layout, tile and waterproofing. Each one explains the choices clearly, then points you to the service it relates to, so you can go from reading to planning your own bathroom, ensuite or laundry.
Reading order
The guides are grouped the way a schedule of finishes is built. Planning comes first, because budget, timing and priorities shape everything after them. Design follows: how the room is laid out and what it needs to hold. Technical guides come last, covering the work that sits behind the tiles and decides whether a bathroom lasts.
If you already know the kind of work you need, start with our bathroom renovation services or read how a job runs from first visit to handover in our renovation process.
I
Four guides for the weeks before any work starts: what shapes the price, what to settle first, how long the stages take and where renovations commonly go wrong.
Room size matters less than scope. This guide explains how layout changes, plumbing moves, tile format, fixtures and the condition of the existing floor affect a budget, and how to set priorities before asking for a quote.
Read the guide → · Related: Complete Bathroom Renovations
A practical list of what to decide before demolition: who uses the room, whether to keep the bath, storage needs, tapware finish and the selections that must be on site before tiling can begin.
Read the guide → · Related: Bathroom Design
Strip-out, rough-in, waterproofing, tiling and fit-off each depend on the one before. This guide sets out the sequence, the curing and inspection points in between, and what tends to extend a job.
Read the guide → · Related: Complete Bathroom Renovations
Poor floor falls, a niche on the wrong wall, a vanity too deep for the doorway, late selections. The avoidable errors, and the planning step that prevents each one.
Read the guide → · Related: Leaking Shower Repairs
II
Three guides on fitting the right fixtures into the room you have, whether that is a narrow bathroom in an older Oakleigh unit or an ensuite off the main bedroom.
II.1 — Compact rooms
Wall-hung fixtures, recessed niches, frameless glass and larger tiles with fewer grout lines. Space-saving choices that make a tight footprint easier to use and clean.
II.2 — Beside the bedroom
An ensuite shares air and noise with a bedroom. This guide covers ventilation, door types, twin or single basins, storage for two people and finishes that suit the adjoining room.
Read the guide →
Related: Ensuite Renovations
II.3 — Floor plans
Common layout patterns for post-war houses, units and townhouses, where fixtures usually sit and when relocating a toilet or shower is worth the extra plumbing work.
Read the guide →
Related: Bathroom Design
III
Why waterproofing fails, what substrate preparation involves, and how membranes are carried through junctions, penetrations and hobless shower floors.
Read the guide → · Related: Bathroom Waterproofing, Leaking Shower Repairs
Porcelain against ceramic, large format against mosaic, slip resistance on wet floors and how grout colour changes the look and upkeep of a wall.
Read the guide → · Related: Bathroom Tiling
Linear or centre drains, fixed panels and splash zones, floor falls and what it takes to build a shower with nothing to step over.
Read the guide → · Related: Walk-In Showers, Shower Renovations
Reference plate — large-format floor tile, levelling clips
Tell us about your bathroom in Oakleigh, Hughesdale, Carnegie, Clayton or nearby suburbs and we will talk through scope, layout and finishes. Questions first? Browse the FAQ or contact us.