Breaking Down Your Bathroom Renovation Budget

So you’re planning a bathroom reno? Hooray, you!

Let’s talk budgets. Here are our Tradelink tips for breaking down your bathroom renovation budget so you don’t bust it.

Appoint your bathroom budget boss

Avoid budget blowouts by putting one person in charge. Sure, you can make decisions together, talk things through, but if one spreadsheet-loving, penny-pinching person can take control, you stand a better chance of staying within limits.

The bathroom budget boss is responsible for regularly checking invoices against quotes, paying the bills on time, monitoring the bank balance, and having the final say on purchases to make sure spending sticks to the plan. If one part of the budget goes over, the budget boss must find a way to recoup the funds from another part of the budget.

Okay, if you’re the boss, you must keep reading.

What sort of bathroom are you planning and how much do you have to spend?

At Tradelink, we have a general guide for bathroom renovations:

Bathroom on a budget

$5,000 - $15,000

This would involve a basic upgrade of fittings and materials to give your bathroom a fresh new vibe.

Bathroom with a touch of luxe

$15,000 - $30,000

Rethink the whole space and replace everything to create a premium new look and feel. Generally this involves keeping the existing layout.

Bathroom with the works

$30,000+

Picture your dream bathroom and go get it. Change the whole structure and design and complete your look with luxurious products and finishes.

Last things first – budget for contingencies

How many renovations have you heard of that went smoothly and under budget? It’s rare, but when it does happen, it’s probably because of exceptional planning and budgeting.

The simple fact is, renovating comes with unexpected (and unwelcome) surprises. And, let’s be honest, a little bit of course-adjustment. Are you likely to change your mind? You are? Oh, you’re not? Right…

If you had your heart set on kit kat tiles only to discover a gorgeous terrazzo that you simply must have instead, you might stand a better chance with the budget boss if there’s room in a backup budget. (So long as they’re sure all the major potential issues like pests, rot and plumbing disasters have already been addressed.)

There’s no right or wrong buffer amount. Our advice is to start with a contingency balance of 10% of your total budget . If you’re more likely to come across big issues – say you’re renovating a really old property – you might feel more comfortable reserving up to 15% from the get-go.

The main components of the bathroom budget

Now that you’ve carefully packed up and put aside your contingency funds, let’s see how you can break down the remaining balance.

Industry experts agree that furniture and fittings take up the biggest chunk of bathroom budgets. That’s the major pieces like the bathtub and vanity, and the smaller pieces like bathroom taps and towel rails. Not surprisingly, tiling and plumbing are the next major costs, while an electrician may only be required for small tasks, like upgrading your lighting or installing a heated towel rail, if at all.

This percentage breakdown should get you started:

• 40% - Furniture and fittings.
• 35% - Demo, building and tiling.
• 20% - Plumber.
• 5% - Electrical works and fittings.

Remember, this is from the balance after you’ve put aside your contingency funds.

Itemising your main components

This list is just to get you thinking. You may not need everything on it – especially if your bathroom reno is more of a fixtures refresh – or you may need something extra if you’re going for the top-of-the-range rebuild.

Furniture and fittings

Plumbing

Electrical works and fittings

Shop around collect your bathroom renovation quotes

The fun stuff is coming. Promise.

But first, start by researching the costs for each expense. Price ranges for things like tiles, toilets and vanities can be broad.

For example, our Tradelink toilet range starts around $143 for an Essentials Link Suite with plastic cistern through to $3,000-$4,000 for something like the stylish Novus Smart Wall-hung toilet by Zumi.

Likewise, baths can start around $200 for a simple Raymor drop-in bath to $4,000+, such as this black Bahama freestanding cast stone bath by Fienza . (Don’t you just love it?!)

In fact, at Tradelink we can help you price all your bathroom products. Start by browsing our bathroom range online. You could also visit a Tradelink showroom near you or book a virtual appointment.

Talk to your trades as well. Get them in and discuss ideas onsite so they can explain the work involved and where the costs would add up. Our bathroom guides provide lots of advice and get you thinking about questions to ask your plumber, tiler, electrician and builder.

Only once you have a clear idea of exactly what you need and how it all adds up against your budget can you finally start with the fun stuff. Go shopping!

Enjoy your shopping, but make sure you stick to the budget

It’s so easy to get carried away. However, with patience, you will be able to get the style and functionality you want within your budget. At Tradelink, even our budget and clearance range offers good quality and on-trend designs.

You don’t even have to buy new. There are great buys to be found in the used market – even for things like tiles if someone else ordered surplus for their reno.

Try and make money by selling your existing bathroom products. You might at least be able to save money on demo and disposal by giving them away for free to anyone willing to remove them themselves.

Finally, a word of advice from our Tradelink bathroom, kitchen and laundry specialists is to buy your smaller accessories and fittings last. At that stage you’ll have a better idea of how much is left in the budget and what specifications you need to shop to. You’ll have seen the reno coming together and it will be easier to picture exactly what will be the perfect finish for your fresh new bathroom (which we can’t wait to see, by the way).

If you’ve budgeted right, you might even have some contingency funds left to decorate your shiny new bathroom with lush new towels and candles.