How to compare bathroom renovation quotes
Two quotes for the same bathroom can differ by ten thousand dollars, and the difference is almost never that one company is greedy and the other is generous. It is that the two quotes describe different amounts of work. Comparing them properly means forcing both onto the same list and asking the same eight questions of each.
This page gives you that list, and then shows what a five thousand dollar saving actually bought on a job we quoted and lost.
Why two quotes for the same bathroom differ by thousands
Four things account for most of the gap, and none of them is visible in the total at the bottom of the page.
What happens to the floor
One quote assumes the floor is stripped back to structure, inspected and rebuilt where necessary. The other assumes tiling over what is already there. The second is thousands of dollars cheaper and it is how a bathroom ends up built over particleboard or over a subfloor that has already taken water, which is why floor preparation matters more than any other line in a quote.
How the waterproofing is done
A compliant membrane is installed by a licensed waterproofer, taken into every junction, left to cure for the time the product specifies, and certified. Our page on a new bathroom with failed waterproofing shows what happens when it is not. Each of those steps costs time, and drying time in particular costs days that a contractor cannot bill for. It is the easiest place to save money and the most expensive place to have saved it.
What is excluded
A quote that excludes demolition, rubbish removal, making good, painting or the compliance paperwork is not cheaper. It is smaller. Those things still have to happen and you will still pay for them, just later and usually at a worse price.
What happens when something unexpected appears
Every bathroom has something behind the tiles that nobody could see. The question is whether the quote says what happens then. A fixed price that names the exclusions is a different commercial proposition from an estimate that becomes a variation the first time a surprise appears.
The comparison checklist
Put these down the left of a page and mark each quote as included, excluded or unclear. Anything unclear is a question to ask before you sign, not a risk to accept.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| ItemProtection of the path through the house and adjoining rooms | Why it mattersDamage to a hallway floor during demolition is a real and common cost |
| ItemDemolition and removal of all material from the property | Why it mattersSome quotes leave the rubbish in the yard or on the verge |
| ItemInspection of the floor structure and existing plumbing before work is committed | Why it mattersThis is where every hidden cost is either found or missed |
| ItemReplacement of the floor substrate if it is not suitable for a wet area | Why it mattersThe single largest source of a variation |
| ItemScreeding to fall | Why it mattersWater pooling on a bathroom floor is a screed problem and it cannot be fixed afterwards |
| ItemWaterproofing installed to AS 3740 by a licensed waterproofer, and certified | Why it mattersAsk to see the certificate, not just the promise |
| ItemDrying time allowed for the membrane and the screed | Why it mattersIf a quote promises a two week bathroom, ask where the drying time went |
| ItemPlumbing rough in, including any relocation | Why it mattersMoving a fixture is a separate cost that is often assumed away |
| ItemElectrical rough in, exhaust fan ducted to outside, power points | Why it mattersDucting into the roof cavity rather than outside is common and causes mould |
| ItemWall and floor tiling and grouting | Why it mattersCheck whether tile supply is included or only the laying |
| ItemSupply and installation of fixtures, screen, mirror and accessories | Why it mattersThe most common thing to be quoted as supplied by owner without it being obvious |
| ItemPainting and making good | Why it mattersFrequently excluded and always necessary |
| ItemTesting, commissioning and a professional clean | Why it mattersIncluding removal of the site protection |
| ItemCertificate of Compliance, and a Sewer Service Diagram if fixtures move | Why it mattersYour protection, and required by law |
Eight questions to ask before you sign anything
- Is this a fixed price or an estimate? Get the answer in writing.
- What happens if the subfloor turns out to be damaged? A contractor who has done this work knows the answer immediately.
- Who is doing the waterproofing, are they licensed, and will I receive the certificate?
- How many days will the bathroom be unusable, and how long is allowed for the membrane and screed to cure?
- Which trades are included in this price? A bathroom needs a plumber, an electrician, a waterproofer, a tiler, a carpenter and a painter.
- What is your licence number and can I verify it? Every NSW contractor licence can be checked online in under a minute.
- What insurance do you carry, and can I see the certificate of currency?
- What happens if the job runs over the quoted time?
None of these is an unreasonable question and a contractor who is uncomfortable answering them has told you something useful.
What a $5,000 saving actually bought
We quoted a bathroom at $20,000 in labour. Another company quoted $15,000 and won the job. Some time later we were called back to look at the finished room, and the owner was facing the cost of doing it again.
What we found:
- The walls were not level, which shows in every vertical line in the room.
- Fixtures were installed at the wrong heights, including a shower head that sat at face level.
- Copper plumbing was left exposed where the measurements had not worked out.
- PVC pipe was left exposed under the vanity.
- Tiles were cut to uneven lengths, with visible lipping between them.
- The floor gradient did not fall correctly to the waste, so water sat on the floor after a shower.
- The paint finish was patchy.
- The towel rail was not level.
Individually most of these are cosmetic. Together they describe a job done at a speed that did not allow anyone to check their own work, and the parts of that job nobody can see are the parts that matter. Putting the room right meant starting again, at around $20,000.
The owner did not save five thousand dollars. They spent fifteen thousand and then faced twenty thousand more, for a bathroom that a twenty thousand dollar quote would have delivered once. In the end they chose not to have the room redone straight away and set out instead to pursue the original renovator for the defects, which is the position a cheap quote leaves people in: arguing about a bathroom rather than using one.
How to check a contractor is who they say they are
This takes about five minutes and it is worth doing for every quote you receive, including ours.
- Ask for the licence number and check it on the NSW Government licence check. It will show what classes of work the licence covers and whether it is current.
- Check the ABN on the Australian Business Register. Look at how long it has been registered and whether the entity name matches the business you are dealing with.
- Ask for a certificate of currency for public liability insurance and check the date.
- For residential building work over $20,000, ask about home building compensation cover. Our page on whether your renovator has home warranty insurance explains what it is for.
- Read the reviews, and read the negative ones in particular. What matters is not whether a business has had an unhappy client but how it responded.
- Ask to see a completed bathroom, or at least photographs of one, that resembles yours in age and construction rather than a showpiece.
Nu-Trend holds NSW contractor licence 217859C, our ABN is 89 478 782 763, and both can be verified through the links above. We would encourage you to check them.
What a fair quote looks like
A quote worth trusting is specific about what it includes, explicit about what it excludes, honest about what cannot be known until demolition, and clear about what happens when something is found. It names the standards the work will be built to. It says how long the job will take and why. And it comes from someone who has looked at the room rather than priced it from a photograph.
It will usually not be the cheapest quote you receive. It should be the one you can most easily check.
Common questions about bathroom renovation quotes
How many quotes should I get for a bathroom renovation?
Three is enough to see the range and understand what varies. More than that and you are usually comparing documents rather than contractors, and the differences stop being informative.
Why is one quote so much cheaper?
Almost always because it describes less work. Run both through the checklist above and the gap usually explains itself. Where it does not, ask the cheaper contractor the eight questions and the answers will.
Should I choose the cheapest quote if the contractor is licensed?
A licence establishes that someone is permitted to do the work, not that they will do it carefully. The job described on this page was done by a licensed contractor. What the licence gives you is recourse, which matters, and it is not the same as a good outcome.
What is a reasonable price for a bathroom renovation in Sydney?
Our guide to what a bathroom renovation costs in Sydney sets out the ranges. A complete renovation, properly specified in the existing footprint, generally lands between $30,000 and $55,000 in 2026, and a quote well below that for a complete renovation is usually missing items from the checklist above. The same argument applied to packaged offers is covered in what bathroom renovation packages leave out.
What if the work has already been done badly?
Book a bathroom inspection and get a written report with photographs, then raise it with the contractor in writing. Residential building work in New South Wales carries statutory warranties and defective work is covered for a defined period. NSW Fair Trading has a complaint process if that goes nowhere.
Get a written scope you can compare
We will visit, look at the room, and give you a fixed written scope that lists every item on the checklist above and says whether it is included. Take it and compare it against whatever else you have.
Call Rick on 0401 165 779 or request a site visit.
