Questions People Ask Before Renovating a Kiama Bathroom

Money and contracts

Why will nobody price it over the phone?

Because the things that move the price most cannot be seen down a phone line: what the linings are made of, whether the floor under the shower is sound, how old the pipework is, whether the property is on tank water, and how far it is from the street to the door. The measure takes half an hour and produces a number you can rely on. The cost page has the guide tiers in the meantime.

Is a refresh ever enough?

Often, if the room is post-nineties, the shower is not leaking and the tiles are sound. Tapware, vanity, lighting, a regrout and a decent fan go a long way. If water is getting out of the shower, no amount of cosmetic work fixes it.

What should be in the contract?

Scope, fittings by brand and model, a tile allowance, an allowance for concealed repairs with a stated variation method, the waterproofing method, the fan model and where it discharges, the program in working days, and the payment schedule tied to completed stages.

Do I pay for the quote?

No. The measure and the written quote are free, and there is no obligation after it.

Coastal conditions

Why has my tapware gone pitted and blotchy?

Salt. Airborne salt settles on surfaces and sits there, and bathroom heat and humidity accelerate what it does to thin electroplated finishes. It also gets into screen rollers, hinges and the fixings holding towel rails to the wall. Choosing better base metals and stainless fixings at selection time is what fixes it, and it costs very little extra at that point.

Is it worth paying more for fittings this close to the beach?

Yes, and it is one of the few places where the extra spend is unambiguous. A screen with fewer metal parts, a fan with a coated or plastic grille, stainless fixings and quality tapware will outlast the cheap version several times over in this air.

Why does mould keep coming back on the ceiling?

Almost always ventilation. Plenty of older bathrooms here have a fan that vents into the roof cavity, or no fan at all and a window that stays shut in winter. The escarpment sits close behind this coastline and keeps the air humid, so a room that cannot clear its steam will not dry out between showers. A correctly sized fan ducted to outside, on a run-on timer, fixes more mould than any product.

Does salt affect the tiling or just the fittings?

The tiles themselves are fine. What salt attacks is metal: screen hardware, fixings, fan grilles, tapware, floor waste grates, and the fasteners behind a towel rail. Specify those with the coast in mind and the tiles will outlive all of it.

Older houses

How do I know if there is asbestos in my bathroom?

You do not, until it is tested. Fibro sheeting was used heavily in cottages and post-war houses through this area, in bathroom and laundry walls and ceilings, and sometimes under vinyl. Anything from before about 1990 gets sampled before it is disturbed. Testing is inexpensive and the answer changes the whole plan.

The floor feels spongy near the shower. What does that mean?

Usually that water has been getting past the old shower for years and the joists or bearers underneath have suffered. On a timber floor with subfloor access, it can be assessed before work starts. It is the most common concealed cost in a cottage renovation and it is what the repair allowance in a quote exists for.

Do old galvanised pipes have to come out?

If the walls are open and the pipe is original, replacing it is cheap insurance and it usually fixes pressure and rust marks in the basin at the same time. Leaving sixty-year-old pipe behind a brand-new tiled wall is a decision you only get to make once.

My house is in an older street near the harbour. Does heritage apply?

It might. Kiama Municipal Council maps heritage items and conservation areas, and being in one changes what needs approval, particularly anything visible from the street. Internal bathroom work in a room that already exists is generally still exempt, but check the address before you plan a new window or an external door.

Water, waste and rural blocks

We are on tank water. Will the shower be any good?

That depends on the pressure pump more than the tapware. A pump that was adequate for an old shower rose can struggle with a modern rain-style head, and some heads are simply not designed for low pressure. It is a selection conversation, not a plumbing surprise, as long as it happens before you buy.

We have a septic or onsite wastewater system. Does that limit anything?

It can. These systems are designed for a set load, so adding fixtures is worth checking before you commit. The safe order is: confirm what the system is rated for, then design the room.

Can a bathroom be added where there was not one?

Usually, though it is a bigger job than renovating an existing room: new drainage, possibly a new vent, and on a slab, cutting concrete. On tank and onsite wastewater properties it needs the checks above first.

Rentals and holiday houses

How fast can a short-stay bathroom be turned around?

Faster than a full renovation if the scope is kept tight, but the membrane cure and the grout cure are not negotiable. The realistic answer is to program the work into the quiet months and build in spare days. The rental and holiday-let page sets out the approach.

What holds up best in a house that sleeps ten?

A fixed glass panel rather than a hinged door, mid-tone floor tiles with a grout colour that forgives, a wall-hung vanity with a solid top, lever tapware, a strong fan wired to the light, and hooks instead of rails. Fewer moving parts is the whole strategy.

Accessibility

Can a step-free shower go into an existing cottage bathroom?

Usually. On a timber floor there is often room to drop the framing and set the screed level. On a slab it means grinding or setting a recess, which is more work but still routine. Details are on the accessible bathrooms page.

Should we put in grab rails now or later?

Put the solid backing in now, while the walls are open. It is almost free at that stage and it means a rail or a fold-down seat can be fitted later, in the right position, without opening a finished wall.

Still unanswered?

Ring 02 4214 4021 and ask. Renovation work is carried out in partnership with Coastal Renovation Group, a licensed NSW builder. Licence and insurance details are provided on request.

Or send the room details through and we will come and look at it.