If you’re thinking about adding a bathroom to your home, you’re probably knee-deep in questions about costs, practicality and value. After all, there’s little point in splashing out a small fortune if it works out cheaper to move to a place with the bathrooms you need. Adding a new bathroom can make life easier for your family, improve your home’s appearance and boost its sale price. But before you start dreaming, let’s look at some practical matters:
5 Things to Consider Before Adding a New Bathroom:
- How much space is available?
- What is the purpose of the bathroom?
- Where will the bathroom be located?
- How much will it cost?
- What permits do you need?
What to consider when adding a bathroom
Before you go ahead and add a new bathroom to your house, there are several things you will need to think about. At the beginning of the process, the focus tends to be on the style, colour, fixtures and fittings. While these are important considerations, practical realities must take priority.
Function: What sort of bathroom do you want? For example, a full bathroom complete with his and hers vanity units, a walk-in shower room or a convenient space with a sink and a toilet.
Ventilation: By default, bathrooms are damp, humid places. The room has to be well-ventilated to prevent moisture build-up that can lead to mould and mildew. Ideally, your new bathroom will have an exterior wall where you can add a window, but if not, you can install an extractor fan or dehumidifier to prevent bathroom mould.
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Space: Whether your home is large or small, a burning issue will be if it can accommodate an additional bathroom or if you will have to extend your property.
Location: Where will you put your new bathroom? Does it have access to sufficient electrical outlets? Can you connect to existing hot and cold water supplies and waste pipes easily?
Cost: This can vary widely depending on the size of the room, the quality of materials and other factors. Your choice of design, space and materials will affect the cost of your bathroom renovation or new bathroom addition.
Permits: You will need to ensure you have the right permits.
Once you have considered the practicalities, you can move on to exciting and fun things like choosing the tiles, paint colours and lighting options.
Best locations for a new bathroom
You can install a new bathroom almost anywhere in your home, depending on your plumbing and electrical setup and the kind of bathroom you want. Adding a bathroom to your home does not require a lot of room. A compact 2.5 square metre space can handle a shower, sink and toilet. Finding this area may be easier than you think and can often be done without major changes to your home’s footprint. Spaces you can replace with a bathroom include:
- An over-sized closet or walk-in wardrobe not being effectively used
- Dividing a large bathroom
- Converting a spare bedroom or study
- Garage
- Hallway
If you don’t have any space to spare, you may need to extend your home to accommodate an additional bathroom.
Permissions, Permits and Licences
Before you get stuck into your bathroom addition, you need to understand your obligations when it comes to permits and licences. This will ensure your new bathroom design complies with minimum legal requirements.
Normally, you do not require planning permission to add a new bathroom unless it will change the structure of your home or is part of an extension.
In New South Wales, if the addition is going to cost more than $5,000 in labour and materials, which it almost certainly will, you will have to engage the services of a licensed contractor.
Many aspects of a new bathroom have regulations attached to them:
- Electrical regulations – regarding zoning and placement of electrical outlets, appliances and fixtures such as heated towel rails.
- Waterproofing regulations – the bathroom has to be waterproofed to protect the rest of your home from moisture. The work must comply with the Building Code of Australia and Australian Standards (AS 3740-1994) and can only be performed by a licensed waterproofer.
- Ventilation regulations – covering minimum requirements for window sizes and extractor fans.
- Floor waste regulations – floor waste is required if you live in an apartment. In a home, it is a requirement if the shower space is unenclosed.
- Strata approval – the owner’s corporation for a strata property must vote to approve changes to waterproofing under NSW law, as a result, most bathroom renovations will require strata approval.
How much does a new bathroom cost?
No matter where you are adding a new bathroom in the home, the cost will depend on many factors. These include how big the room is, electrical and plumbing work, where it is located and whether you’re adding onto an existing space or building onto the house.
The average cost to add a bathroom to an existing space where no bathroom currently exists is typically $20,000 and up since new hot and cold water pipes will need to be installed and new wastewater will need to be added beneath the floor. A luxurious new bathroom with top-of-the-line features may cost more.
The cost is a substantial investment for a homeowner, but that can be more than offset by the enjoyment it brings and the value it adds to the house especially when completed by experienced bathroom renovators in Sydney.
The importance of good bathroom design and planning
You dream of a fully functional and beautiful extra bathroom that perfectly matches your family’s needs. But if it turns out not to your liking or unforeseen issues such as antiquated wiring, insufficient water pressure and inefficient use of space crop up, it could be expensive and difficult to change.
Good bathroom design and planning by an experienced bathroom designer for Sydney homes are essential. A well-designed layout ensures you get the bathroom you want, one that reflects your personality and lifestyle and performs to the best of its ability.
Over to you
5 Rules to Keep Bathroom Renovations on Budget
If you are thinking of adding a new bathroom where there wasn’t one before, get in touch with DCON Group for a completely obligation-free quote. Take a look at our services for a glimpse of how we can create a bathroom you’ll love, and that meets all your needs. Call us on 02 8999 7683, and we’ll take you through what’s involved.
