Planning · DIY guide
What a bathroom renovation actually costs in Melbourne
Most quotes arrive without any explanation of what drives the number. Here is where the money in a Melbourne bathroom actually goes, using current 2026 market figures — so you can read a quote instead of just comparing totals.
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Step by step
The market range
A standard Melbourne bathroom renovation runs $21,000 to $37,000, with the average around $27,300. Small bathrooms and ensuites start near $15,000. Premium work with layout changes runs $37,000 to $58,000. Anyone quoting well under $15,000 for a full strip-out is either excluding materials or cutting something that matters.
Labour and compliance are 40–50% of it
This is the part that surprises people. Demolition, plumbing rough-in, certified waterproofing and tiling labour together account for roughly half the budget before a single fixture is bought. The things you can see are the smaller half.
Tiling is the biggest single line
Tiling labour alone runs $420 to $1,250 per square metre depending on tile size and pattern. Large-format tiles cost more to lay, not less. This is why the tiled wall height measurement moves the price so much.
Moving plumbing is the biggest price jump
Keeping fixtures in their existing positions versus moving them is usually a difference of several thousand dollars, and in a concrete slab it can be much more. If budget is tight, this is the first thing to give up.
Where you can genuinely save
Standard-range tiles instead of imported, a semi-frameless screen instead of frameless, keeping the existing layout, and doing your own painting and demolition prep. Where you should not save: waterproofing, and anything that needs a licensed trade.
What blows budgets
Hidden damage in older homes — water damage behind tiles, rotten subfloor, corroded pipework, and asbestos sheeting in anything built between the 1950s and late 1980s. A quote for a house of that era that includes no contingency is not being straight with you.
Common mistakes
- Comparing quote totals without comparing inclusions
- Accepting PC sums and allowances instead of named fixtures
- Not asking whether the price includes GST
- Assuming the cheapest quote is the cheapest job
When to stop and call someone
If you want the numbers for your specific room rather than the market range, that is what a free site inspection is for — measured, itemised and in writing, with nothing hidden behind an allowance.