The bands, as a rough guide
These are deliberately broad. They cover bathrooms in Bowral and the Southern Highlands taken back to frame and finished properly, with trade travel included. They are a starting point for planning, not a quote.
- A powder room, laundry or simple refresh — roughly $10,000 to $20,000. A toilet and basin, or a laundry with tub, cabinetry and a waterproofed floor, with minimal changes to the layout.
- A full renovation of a standard bathroom or ensuite — roughly $20,000 to $40,000. Full strip-out, waterproofing, tiling and fit-off in a room of typical size, with the shower, bath and toilet staying about where they are.
- A larger, character or reconfigured bathroom — from around $40,000, and up to about $65,000 for the biggest or best-specified rooms. Subfloor or framing work, a new ensuite where there was none, a moved layout, or a premium specification.
Asbestos removal is not included in any band. Where it applies, it is priced separately after testing.
What moves a Highlands quote
Tile selection moves a quote, but less than people expect. These four move it by more.
The age of the house. A 2005 house on a sound slab is predictable. A 1920 cottage on a timber floor is predictable only once the room is open. That is why older-house quotes carry a stated repair allowance.
The floor. Joist and bearer repairs under a leaking shower are common in older houses, and a more extensive subfloor replacement costs more again. Where there is access, we assess it at the measure.
Asbestos. Many pre-1990 wet areas were lined with fibre cement that may contain asbestos. Testing a sample first is inexpensive and removes the surprise.
Layout changes. On a timber floor, moving a shower or toilet is mainly a plumbing job. On a slab, it involves cutting concrete and costs considerably more.
Room size, the specification of tile, tapware and joinery, and full-height versus part-height tiling then fine-tune where a job lands within its band.
What travel adds
Trades travelling from the coast or from Sydney charge for their time on the road, per trip. Across a four-to-five-week job with several trades attending several times, that adds up. It is built into the bands above.
It is also why grouping work matters more here than in the city. A laundry or ensuite done in the same program as the main bathroom shares every one of those trips.
Climate items worth budgeting
- Underfloor heating — an electric mat and thermostat under the new tiles.
- A heated towel rail on a timer.
- A ducted exhaust fan, vented outside rather than into the roof space.
- Pipe lagging in the subfloor on rural properties.
None of these is large against the total. All of them are much harder to add later, and the measure is the time to decide on them. Our guide to bathroom heating options compares the choices.
What not to cut
Waterproofing, framing and subfloor repairs, and ventilation. A lower quote almost always saves in one of those three places, and they are the three that decide whether the room lasts.
Where to save instead
- A standard-format porcelain tile rather than mosaic or natural stone.
- A quality off-the-shelf wall-hung vanity rather than custom joinery, in a room with standard dimensions.
- Reliable mid-range tapware rather than designer ranges.
- Keeping waste positions where they are, especially on a slab.
Every job is different
Two bathrooms of the same size in the same street can be priced a long way apart once the floor, framing, services and selections are known. That is why the bands above are only a guide, and why we do not quote a firm figure from a phone call or a photo.
A proper on-site measure resolves the house era, floor construction, likely asbestos, services and room size. From that, you get an itemised, fixed written quote customised to your room, with a stated allowance for anything genuinely unknowable before strip-out.
Call 02 4210 5289 or book your free measure and quote.
Questions people ask before they commit
Why do Highlands renovations cost more than Sydney suburbs?
Mainly three reasons: trade travel, which is charged per trip; older housing stock, which more often needs framing, subfloor or pipework repairs once the room is open; and the climate, which makes heating and better ventilation close to essential rather than optional.
Can you give me a price over the phone?
Only a broad one. As a rough guide, a powder room, laundry or simple refresh sits around $10,000 to $20,000, a full renovation of a standard bathroom or ensuite around $20,000 to $40,000, and a larger, character or reconfigured bathroom from around $40,000 and up. A customised price needs an on-site measure.
What is a repair allowance?
A stated sum in the quote for work that cannot be fully assessed until the room is opened, such as joist repairs under an old shower. If less is needed, you pay less. It is more honest than a low fixed price that is later varied, and more honest than a high price that hides contingency.
Is asbestos removal included?
No. Where wet-area sheeting contains asbestos, licensed removal with air monitoring and clearance is priced separately, because it depends on the quantity, the type of material and access. Testing a sample beforehand is inexpensive and means the cost is known before the contract is signed.
What is the deposit?
Under the NSW Home Building Act, the deposit on residential building work in NSW is capped at 10 per cent, and progress payments are made against completed stages. A request for a large upfront payment is a reason to walk away.