Choosing a renovator on price alone is how bathrooms end up costing more than the expensive quote you turned down. These are the questions worth asking at the site visit, along with what a good answer actually sounds like.
Licensing and insurance
1. What is your contractor licence number, and what class is it? Good answer: they give it without hesitating and you can check it on the NSW public register. Bathroom work over the trade threshold requires a licensed contractor.
2. Do you carry public liability insurance, and can I see the certificate of currency? Good answer: yes, and it arrives by email the same day.
3. Will this job require home building compensation cover? Good answer: they know the contract value threshold in NSW and tell you plainly whether it applies.
4. Who does the waterproofing, and will I get a certificate? Good answer: a named licensed waterproofer, work to AS 3740, and a certificate issued in your name at completion. Anything vaguer is a problem.
Scope and quoting
5. Is your quote itemised? Good answer: yes, with separate lines for demolition, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, screeding, tiling labour, tile supply, fixtures and make-good.
6. What provisional sum have you allowed for tiles? Good answer: a specific dollar figure per square metre. "We'll sort it out later" means the number on the front page is not the number you will pay.
7. What is excluded? Good answer: a clear list. Painting beyond the wet area, asbestos removal, structural repair and fixtures you are supplying are the usual ones.
8. Who supplies the fixtures, and what happens if I supply my own? Good answer: they will tell you honestly that supplying your own shifts delivery and damage risk to you, and adjust the quote accordingly.
Program and disruption
9. When can you start, and how long will it take? Good answer: a start date and a program in weeks, with the caveat that it depends on long-lead fixtures being on site.
10. How many other jobs will you be running at the same time? Good answer: an honest number. One renovator running six bathrooms is why trades vanish for four days at a time.
11. What hours will trades be on site, and where will they park? Good answer: specifics, particularly for apartments where strata rules apply.
12. Will I be able to use the bathroom at any point? Good answer: no, if it is a full renovation, and they say so rather than implying otherwise.
Money and risk
13. What is the payment schedule? Good answer: a deposit within the NSW legal cap, then progress payments tied to real stages such as rough-in, waterproofing, tiling and completion. Be cautious about large payments before work starts.
14. What happens if you find something unexpected? Good answer: a written variation process with a stated hourly or item rate, agreed before the work is done. Water damage, rot and asbestos are common enough that a renovator who has not thought about this has not done many bathrooms.
15. What warranty do you offer, and what does it cover? Good answer: statutory warranty periods under NSW law, plus their own position on workmanship and how they handle defects after handover.
Three answers that should end the conversation
- "We can do it cash and skip the paperwork." No licence trail, no insurance, no warranty, and no recourse.
- "Don't worry about the asbestos, we'll just take it out." Illegal, and dangerous.
- "I need 50 percent up front to order materials." Deposits on residential building work in NSW are capped for a reason.
The easy way to run this
Ask all fifteen questions of all three renovators, at the site visit, before any quote is written. The answers will separate them faster than the totals will, and the renovator who answers them comfortably is usually the one whose quote turns out to be complete.
Ready to get numbers on your own bathroom? Send one brief and up to three licensed Sydney renovators will quote the same scope, free and with no obligation. Start your brief.
