What a bathroom renovation costs in Sydney
Real Sydney ranges, a line-by-line breakdown, and an honest account of what makes the number move. Then get three actual quotes, because a guide is not a price.
Same layout, same plumbing points. New tiling over sound substrate, new vanity, screen, tapware, lighting and paint.
Strip to studs, new certified waterproofing, full retile, some plumbing relocation, mid to upper range fixtures, frameless screen.
Moving walls or windows, wet room build, stone benchtops and slabs, underfloor heating, custom joinery, large format porcelain.
Indicative Sydney figures for 2026. Not a quote. Excludes approvals, asbestos removal and unforeseen structural repair.
Typical ranges by job: full bathroom renovation $18k to $30k, ensuite $15k to $25k, small bathroom $12k to $20k, walk-in shower conversion $4k to $9k, laundry $4k to $16k, and accessible modifications from $3k.
Where the money actually goes.
A rough allocation for a standard Sydney bathroom of about 6 square metres. Labour is roughly 55 to 65 percent of most bathroom quotes, which is why fixture shopping rarely saves as much as people expect.
| Item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition, strip-out and disposal | $1,500 to $3,500 | Includes skip hire and site protection. More for tiled-over-tiled or a concrete hob. |
| Plumbing rough-in and fit-off | $3,000 to $7,000 | Lower end if plumbing points stay put. Relocation is the biggest single swing factor. |
| Electrical | $900 to $2,500 | Lighting, exhaust or 3-in-1, new circuits, safety switch compliance. |
| Waterproofing (certified) | $700 to $1,800 | Must be a named line item with a certificate. Larger for a wet room. |
| Screed and floor preparation | $600 to $2,000 | Falls to waste, levelling for large format tiles, subfloor repair if found. |
| Tiling labour | $2,500 to $6,500 | Large formats, mosaics, herringbone and full-height walls all increase this. |
| Tiles (supply) | $35 to $150 per sqm | Check the provisional sum in the quote, not just the total. |
| Vanity, basin and mirror | $900 to $5,000 | Off the shelf to custom joinery with a stone top. |
| Toilet suite | $400 to $2,000 | Close-coupled to wall-hung with an in-wall cistern. |
| Bath | $500 to $4,000 | Drop-in acrylic to freestanding stone composite. |
| Tapware and fittings | $700 to $3,500 | Finish matters: matte black and brushed brass carry a premium over chrome. |
| Shower screen | $700 to $2,800 | Framed, semi-frameless, frameless, or a single fixed panel. |
| Painting and make-good | $500 to $1,500 | Frequently excluded. Check whether it covers the adjoining rooms. |
| Project management and margin | 10% to 20% | The cost of somebody else coordinating eight trades in a 6 square metre room. |
Indicative only. Ranges are typical Sydney figures and will differ by suburb, access and building age.
What pushes the number up.
In rough order of impact. If your quotes come back higher than the ranges above, one of these is usually why, and a good renovator will point to it.
- Moving plumbing. New waste runs mean opening floors and often the ceiling below. Add $3,000 to $8,000.
- Structural change. Removing or moving a wall brings in engineering, approvals and framing.
- Apartment access. Lift bookings, restricted work hours, common property protection and strata approval all add time, and time is cost.
- Asbestos. Common in pre-1990 wet areas. Licensed removal and clearance is a separate, non-negotiable cost.
- Hidden water damage. Rotten joists or bearers behind a leaking shower. The most common variation on any bathroom.
- Large format tiles. Beautiful, and they demand a flatter substrate, more preparation and two people to lay.
- Late changes. Changing your mind after rough-in is the most expensive thing a homeowner can do.
- Long-lead fixtures. An imported vanity on a 14 week lead time can hold an entire trade schedule hostage.
The cheapest quote is often the most expensive bathroom
A quote that is $6,000 below the others is telling you something. Sometimes it is a genuinely lean operator with low overheads. More often it is a thin tiling allowance, no make-good, no waterproofing certificate, or a variation schedule that recovers the difference at week three. Read the inclusions first, then the total.
Bathroom costs, answered.
01How much is a bathroom renovation in Sydney in 2026?
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Most full bathroom renovations in Sydney land between $18,000 and $30,000. A cosmetic refresh on the same layout can be done from around $8,000, and a premium or structural job with moved walls, stone and custom joinery commonly runs $35,000 to $60,000 or more.
02Why do quotes for the same bathroom vary so much?
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Almost always because the inclusions differ. Provisional sums for tiles and fixtures, whether make-good and painting are included, who supplies what, and how much preparation is allowed for can easily account for a $10,000 gap between two quotes for the same room.
03What is the cheapest way to renovate a bathroom?
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Keep the plumbing where it is. Relocating the toilet, shower or vanity is the single biggest avoidable cost, and can add $3,000 to $8,000. After that, choose one tile for floor and wall, keep the vanity a standard size, and finalise every selection before demolition starts.
04How much should I hold back for surprises?
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Ten to fifteen percent of the contract value is a sensible contingency. Water damage behind a forty-year-old shower, rotten joists, old wiring and non-standard framing are common enough that most bathrooms find at least one of them.
05Does a bathroom renovation add value to a house?
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A dated bathroom is one of the first things buyers price down, so a well-executed renovation usually protects value rather than creating it outright. Over-capitalising is a real risk: spending $60,000 on a bathroom in a house where $25,000 is the norm rarely returns the difference.
06Is it cheaper to renovate two bathrooms at once?
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Yes, typically 10 to 15 percent cheaper per bathroom. Demolition, deliveries, waterproofing, tiling and fit-off all happen in one mobilisation instead of two, and you only lose the use of the house once.
Turn the range into a number.
Ranges are useful for planning and useless for deciding. Send one brief and get up to three real quotes on your actual bathroom.
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