Home / Bathroom Renovation FAQs
LAYER 00 — QUESTIONS
Bathroom renovation FAQs: quotes, leaks, layers and what to expect
Almost every bathroom question comes back to what sits behind the tiles and what it takes to get that right. These answers follow the build from your first enquiry to handover. They cover quotes and consultations, when a leaking shower can be repaired and when the wet area needs rebuilding, waterproofing and tiling, the suburbs we work in around Moorabbin, and how to get your home ready.
Combed tile adhesive: the bedding layer between the cured membrane and the finished tile.
LAYER 01 — QUOTES & CONSULTATIONS
Starting with an enquiry
Every job follows the same order: Consultation, Assessment, Design, then Quote. The figure is written once the room has been seen properly, not guessed from the front door.
What happens after I send an enquiry?
Your enquiry starts step one of our process, Consultation. We talk through the room, what isn’t working and what you want it to do. Next comes Assessment, where we look at the existing bathroom in person. The condition of the substrate, plumbing and waterproofing shapes the real scope. Design and Quote follow from there. All twelve steps are set out on the bathroom renovation process page.
Should I send photos of my bathroom?
Yes, if you can. Wide shots of the whole room are useful. So are close-ups of the shower base, the grout lines and the vanity, plus any staining or flaking paint on nearby walls and ceilings. Together they give a first read before the assessment. Mention that you have photos when you request a quote. The in-person assessment still confirms what’s behind the tiles.
How much will my bathroom renovation cost?
The price depends on the scope, not just the floor area. Moving plumbing, replacing substrate, the tile format and the fixtures you pick all change the figure. Our bathroom renovation cost guide explains each factor. Your written quote comes at step four, after the room has been assessed and the design agreed.
How long does a renovation take?
Each trade waits for the one before it, so the timeline depends on the build order. Membrane curing, material lead times and anything found once the walls are open can all change the schedule. The guide How Long Does a Bathroom Renovation Take? walks through every stage. Your own schedule is set once the scope and selections are confirmed.
LAYER 02 — REPAIR OR RENOVATE
Fix the leaking shower, or rebuild the wet area?
What are the signs of a leaking shower?
Watch for grout that crumbles or keeps going dark, tiles that sound hollow or shift underfoot, and skirting boards that stain or swell. Flaking paint or mould on the other side of the shower wall is another sign, as is a damp smell that won’t clear. Get any of these checked before the water reaches the subfloor or framing. Our leaking shower repairs page explains how a leak is traced.
Can a leak be repaired without renovating the whole bathroom?
Sometimes. It depends on where the water gets through and how far it has spread. A failed seal or a problem in one spot can sometimes be fixed on its own. If the membrane under the shower has failed or the substrate is damaged, the shower usually has to be opened up and rebuilt from the membrane up. That’s the job of a shower renovation. When the damage reaches most of the room, full bathroom renovations can make more sense. The assessment is where that decision gets made.
Will new grout or silicone stop the leak?
Grout isn’t waterproof. It only fills the joints between tiles. Fresh grout or silicone can tidy the surface and may hide the symptoms for a while. But if water is getting past a failed membrane underneath, the leak carries on out of sight. The Bathroom Waterproofing Guide explains why the membrane decides the outcome.
Drain pipe, supply lines and shutoff valves: what a wall reveals once the wet area is opened up.
LAYER 03 — WATERPROOFING & TILING
The layers you won't see once it's tiled
Membrane, bedding and tile go down in that order, and each one depends on the layer below. Read more on our waterproofing and bathroom tiling pages.
Why is waterproofing done before tiling?
The membrane sits under the tile bed. After the tiles go down, you can’t inspect or fix it without lifting them. That’s why Waterproofing is step eight in our process, right before Tiling at step nine. The membrane goes onto a clean, sound substrate and must cure fully before any adhesive is applied. Our waterproofing service covers that stage.
Which parts of a bathroom get waterproofed?
The shower gets the most attention: the floor, the walls, the corners and junctions, and around the floor waste and any pipes coming through the wall. Floors outside the shower, the area around a bath and laundry floors need treatment too. Exactly what’s needed depends on the layout. The waterproofing guide goes through each zone.
Does my tile choice affect what happens underneath?
Yes. Large-format tiles need a very flat substrate and full adhesive coverage. Small tiles and mosaics follow a shower floor that falls toward the waste more easily. The finish affects slip resistance and cleaning. Grout width changes how the joints look and wear. See Bathroom Tile Ideas before you choose.
What makes a walk-in shower floor work?
Without a hob, the floor has to fall to a floor waste or linear drain so water stays in the shower zone. The membrane also has to run past the line where the glass sits. All of this is planned at the design stage, before demolition. Explore walk-in showers or browse walk-in shower ideas.
LAYER 04 — AREAS & PREPARATION
Where we work, and getting your home ready
Which suburbs do you cover?
We focus on Moorabbin and renovate bathrooms in nearby suburbs, including Highett, Hampton East, Bentleigh, Bentleigh East, Cheltenham, Mentone and Heatherton. Tell us your suburb when you get in touch. See service areas for more.
Do you renovate ensuites and laundries as well?
Yes. Ensuite renovations, small bathroom renovations and laundry renovations use the same wet-area trades in the same order: strip-out, services, membrane, tile, then fixtures.
What should I decide before the consultation?
You don’t need final selections yet. Think about who uses the room and how, what frustrates you about it now, whether the bath stays, and whether the layout could change. Save a few images of finishes you like. The renovation checklist and layout ideas will help. Bathroom design turns those ideas into a plan.
Can we stay at home during the works?
You can, but plan for the room to be out of use from Demolition until the Fixtures are connected. If it’s your only bathroom, arrange another option before work starts. Demolition, Plumbing/Electrical and Tiling bring dust, noise and trades moving through the house. Clear the room and the path to it before day one.
What happens at handover?
At Finishing, the final sealing, silicone joints, clean-up and details are done. At Handover, we walk through the finished room with you. That includes the tapware, drainage, shower screen and vanity, and how to look after the surfaces. Raise anything you’d like to check while we’re walking through it together.
NEXT LAYER
Ready to have the room assessed?
Tell us about the bathroom, ensuite or laundry and the problem you want solved. For a general question, use the contact page.