How to work out the costs to renovate an old bathroom
So many homes in Sydney were built prior to 1960 so the bathrooms have quite dated designs that feel old, lack modern functionality & make it hard to get the maximum value when trying to sell a house. Nu-Trend have lots of experience renovating old bathrooms in Sydney.
What is considered an 'old bathroom'?
There are lots of older homes in Sydney that were built between 1920 and 1960 with many of these having old, dated bathroom styles. The 1950’s was a time of exciting and monumental change. Around the world soldiers were returning from WWII and money that was being generated by the war created income that was being spent on the latest and greatest gadgets for the home. It was a time for people to try and erase the memories of the previous 20 years and look to the future.
So Sydney home owners were getting rid of the cold, dreary colours of war in favour of bright colours whether that was clothing, cars or home renovations. So many 1950’s bathrooms began to take on a number of bright coloured hues with yellow, pink, purple and teal getting splashed around. Pastel was in and was also being used for appliances in the kitchen, wall tiles, toilets and more. So as television began to rise in popularity culture, art, music, food and more began to reach the masses and so these design ideas began to spread quickly & the bathroom renovation became very popular.
Getting an old bathroom renovated is easy
Even things like the materials used in a 1950’s bathroom changed dramatically. For example, bath tubs in older homes from the 1950s usually had an enamelled iron bath in white. Bathrooms undergoing a post-war renovation, however, usually featured a ceramic (or the porcelain by product) bath tub in a wide array of colours. In comparison modern bathrooms feature bath tubs that can be made of stone or other materials.
It might seem like a big task to renovate an older bathroom but Nu Trend is a Sydney renovation company that can make the whole process simple and easy. Home owners use our expertise to do complete bathroom renovations in older homes in Sydney where we demolish the existing room & strip everything back to the bare walls and flooring. This enables you to create anything you like, any style, any products & any fixtures you desire.
Taking this approach is more expensive than doing a makeover or a remodel but you typically get a better-finished result & have more control over how it will look. Instead of making compromises, you can change anything you like from moving a toilet or converting the room to having a shower & bath.
How much does a 1950's bathroom cost to renovate in Sydney?
You can spend as little as $200 to renovate a 1950’s bathroom. Just buy a tin of tile paint to apply a couple of coats over the brightly coloured tiles & a fresh coat of white ceiling paint. This will give the room a fresh look by hiding the old colours and covering over the existing walls and tiles.
Of course that is quite a short term view on renovating an old bathroom.
What has to be considered is that a bathroom built and designed more than 50 years ago won’t really satisfy today’s style or even safety standards. So while they may be quant when visiting an old Airbnb they can be tricky to live with day in day out. You need to keep in mind that after 50 years things like moisture problems can occur due to peeling paint, wear and tear on things like grout, fixtures or other hardware as well as poor ventilation.
So depending on your goals for the property you may be looking at a renovation that;
1. Giving the bathroom a remodel with new tiles and paint.
2. Doing a mini renovation to replace the old vanity, toilet, shower & fittings.
3. Doing a complete renovation of the whole room, starting from a bare room frame.
8 things to consider to budget for an old bathroom renovation
1.Electrical and plumbing
On the surface, everything may seem like it is functioning properly, although a lot has changed in the last 50 years. So inspecting or assessing all the electrical and existing plumbing services is a critical first step to understanding what condition everything is at. Many older homes in Sydney are also heritage-listed so there could be some of those requirements to consider as well.
2. Tiled surfaces
A professional tiler should be used to determine the best course of action when dealing with the existing tiles. In many cases trying to renovate and matching the old tiles could be quite expensive or maybe not even possible if the tiles aren’t available any more.
So if it isn’t a restoration project then removing and replacing the tiles together with new waterproofing is the ideal way to go. A lot will obviously depend if you are trying to retain the historical look from that period or giving it a modern makeover.
3.Vanity drawers and doors
Most 1950’s bathrooms had a single sink and small storage cabinet above it. For today’s busy household many people are after twin vanity units, lots of storage, multiple power points and great lighting.
More modern designs could include stone sinks, mood or makeup lighting and even a TV.
4.Fixtures and fittings
Handles, taps, mixers, shower head and other elements should be changed to use the latest materials and water saving products.
5.Lighting
Most 1950’s bathrooms had very modest, small windows to maximise privacy. Although these days there are a number of products available that can fill a room with light while still being completely private. In most situations the lighting till need to be replaced & typically we will use modern LED downlights or even combined exhaust fans with lighting.
6.Ventilation
Along with poor lighting, most of these older style rooms suffered from ventilation issues. This makes it harder to use the room as it steams up, but more importantly, it takes longer to dry it or reduce mildew build-up. This is a big area of concern because you don’t want to have mould issues in the home, especially if kids live there.
7.Shower or bath tub
Quite a few of these older bathrooms will have either a combination bathtub/shower or a very tiny shower cubicle. This can be changed to be a walk in shower and stand alone bath if there is enough space
8.Floor plan changes
When renovating a 1950’s bathroom consideration can be given to re-arrange the set out to maximise the usable space available with clever design techniques or hardware. For some properties the bathroom might have a common wall with the laundry, so these can be combined to create a single, larger room.
Here are some of our recent bathroom renovations in Sydney that Nu-Trend has completed. The majority of the projects we are contracted for are complete bathroom renovations where the room is completely stripped so that the flooring, walls, tiling and waterproofing is installed brand new.
Local | Licensed | Insured
Local Sydney contractors.
FULLY LICENCED 217859C
A qualified and licensed renovator.
INSURED $20,000,000
Public liability insurance for peace of mind.
Drainer | gas fitter | plumber | renovator
Nu-Trend is a Sydney company with more than 15 years experience completing bathroom renovations & solving plumbing problems. he Directors Rob and Rick are hands-on, and provide a personalised service.
STANDARDS AUSTRALIA AS/NZS3500:2018 Compliant
All the work carried out by Nu-Trend is AS/NZ3500:2018 compliant. It is the Australian Standard for Plumbing and Drainage in NSW as set down by Standards Australia and the Australian Building Codes Board. They give the plumbing industry technical direction to enable compliance with required regulatory frameworks.
15 years experience with a written commitment.
Rick and Rob are the hands-on directors for Nu-Trend. Rather than hire sub-contractors and manage their business from a distant office, they are on the tools, at your site & working towards delivering your bathroom renovation or plumbing service. It means you are talking directly to the owners of the business, the guys who are accountable and responsible rather than via email or through customer service teams.
It is why they are able to provide a written guarantee that demonstrates their confidence in standing by the quality of their workmanship and the service they deliver to every single client.
They have a very single minded commitment to deliver a high level of professionalism and quality, they’ve been doing renovation contracting in Sydney for 15+ years.
