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A complete bathroom renovation that started with paper-based plans and included a large vanity with dual basins, free-standing bathtub and shower.
The project
We had a very dated bathroom, that despite being a reasonably large space, was very poorly utilised. This was made worse by a two-way door in to a bedroom wasting even more valuable real estate.
On the surface, bathrooms - like kitchens - sound like they are going to be a mammoth task, but they can be relatively straightforward, especially if your house is on stumps with underfloor access and not a concrete slab. This means plumbing pipes can be very easily and economically relocated, enabling you to position the various bathroom fixtures exactly where you want them.
Here's how I went about this bathroom makeover.
Steps
Step 1
I don't usually plan my reno projects on paper. But in this case there are very large fixtures that need to be accommodated. So, here is the original layout and the original design, which was later changed to make the rear wall a feature with wave tiles and a free-standing tub with LED backlighting.
Step 2
The first step was to demolish the entire room. A good tip for new renovators, is to not follow what you see on renovation shows when you see people taking to walls with sledge hammers and getting stuck in with reciprocating saws.
The number one reason is you need to be mindful of what's within the walls like water and waste pipes, electrical cables etc. Even with care you can still cut something accidentally. So, before you start switch off the power and water.
In order to be able to remove tap fittings, you will need a breech plug for each one so when you turn the water back on everything is water tight. These just twist on by hand and are available in both female and male threads.
With power points and light switches, you can cut around them and wrap electrical tape around the connections without disconnecting them which legally you shouldn't do.
But if you are the slightest bit in doubt about doing either of the above, get your plumber and sparky to perform the work. This would be a good time to discuss your plans and to get their advice and ideas on preparations for their 'rough in'.
A 'rough-in' is the term used to describe the electrical cables and plumbing requirements prior to the walls going in to place.
Oh, and the other reason for not making a mess of the demo is you have more to clean up and carry out to the trailer or skip!
Step 3
My next steps were filling the bedroom access door and to move the wall sectioning off the old spa to make the room square. This provided a massive 3m x 3m space to work with. I also replaced the old sliding window with a new awning one. We wanted louvre windows, but the price was nearly triple!
And after finally deciding where the shower and bathtub would go, I built in to the framework a niche for the tub.
Step 4
Now is the time to lock in your floor plan fixtures, and to purchase the bathtub, toilet, shower rose and mixers. As well as decide on your cabinetry and how the basins and taps will be positioned. For example, sunken or raised for the basin, and will the mixers be bench or wall mounted?
These are required at this stage because your plumber will need them in order to rough-in all the back-of-wall pipes and fixtures in the right position and height. They might also need to reposition your ducted heating vent.
Then you will need your sparky to rough-in the cables for light switches, power points, extractor fan, feature lights and under-floor heating.
Consider a power point in a vanity drawer for things like shavers and hair dryers. Or one in a cavity vanity mirror. Something I completely didn't think about.
Step 5
My next step was to drop a section of the floor by 40mm to accomodate a large walk in shower. This required the floorboards to be cut and removed with a circular saw, then the floor joists checked out the remaining depth and the floorboard cut out was replaced. Then I laid the tile underlay and knocked in several hundred brad nails!
And with the rough-ins completed I lined the walls with Aqua-check plasterboard and Villa-board for the shower wall. Then stopped up all the screw and nail holes.
Step 6
Though you can do it yourself, I decided to have the bathroom waterproofed by a certificated waterproofer. As an owner builder I wanted to have the peace of mind that should anything go wrong, they would be called upon to resolve the issue.
I am pretty fussy when it comes to fine detail and finishes and I know my limitations. My thought process is that I do as much as I can myself and the money saved can go towards having a professional perform tasks I don't have that high skill level for. Large scale tiling with a walk in floor is one of them, so I played the labourer and took the opportunity to learn from a master at work.
If you're going to install underfloor heating, now is the time to do that before the tiles go on. And don't do what I did and think about it after its too late!
Step 7
With the tiling complete I ordered the 12mm shower screen (1800mm x 2100mm).
We chose off-the-shelf cabinets. I fitted the floating cabinets myself and the stone top.
I used a Diamond tipped hole saw to make the holes for the basin waste. This is an advanced cut even with the right tools and as there is no room for a mistake, don't tempt fate if in doubt.
Step 8
The last step was to have the shower glass and mirror installed, and get both the plumber and sparky to fit all the fixtures, while I installed the towel rails, toilet roll holder, robe hooks and soap holder.
Step 9
The LED feature light I installed myself by drilling a hole through the tiles to the sub floor space before the tub was installed. A low voltage transformer plugged in to an electrical outlet, switched at the main bathroom light switch.
Tools and materials
Materials used in the project:
- 90mm x 45mm Pine
- Aquachek plasterboard
- Villa board
- Tile underlay
- Skirting and architrave timber
- Internal door
- Gainsborough lever handle
- 300mm x 600mm wave feature back wall tiles
- 300mm x 600mm white gloss wall tiles
- 600mm x 600mm floor tiles.
Tools used in the project:
- Demolition hand tools
- Hammer
- Reciprocating saw
- Demolition blade
- Circular saw
- Drill
- Impact driver
- Levels
- Chisel
- Multitool
- Angle grinder.
More inspiration for your bathroom renovation project
Experienced Bunnings Workshop member Darren undertook this bathroom overhaul from 1950s to modern.
Community member Justlucky2k2 completed this bathroom transformation with an open shower.
Get more inspiration from the Top 10 most popular bathroom projects shared by the Bunnings Workshop community.
