Master Plumbers Association

BSA Licence No.

73472

Showers in bathrooms are the biggest cause of water damage to properties

Some Bathroom Do's and Don'ts

• Use only LICENSED BATHROOM TRADES PEOPLE, a lot of so called tradesman are out there renovating bathrooms when in fact they are not licensed to do so. Bathroom renovaters require a Builders License, all reputable renovators only use licensed tradesman on their jobs. If your builder is not using licensed tradesman then your project will not be covered by BSA (BUILDING SERVICES AUTHORITY) and they will not be able to act on your behalf to remedy any issues which may occur in the future with your bathroom renovation.

• Get invaluable building/construction advice
• Don't rush out and buy cheap or fancy fittings that will fail or can't be maintained 
• Avoid fixtures and fittings from Aucton houses, the reason fixtures go to auction is because they are either damagaed or missing parts. We often come accross fixtures that customers have purchased from auction houses that are missing vital parts. A basin for example, the customer says "i picked it up half price", when we go to fit the basin we discover it has no fixing brackets and also has no Plug and Waste fitting. Also these items have no warranty. 
• Our advice is to buy Australian made fixtures and fittings, why?
  • Australian made products are stamped with a WaterMark (this is a guarantee that the product has a quality which meets the standards of local and state authorities. If your fixtures and fittings do not have the WaterMark, your plumbing installation will not be certified by your local authority. This can create issues with insurance claims, for example, water damage that may occur from leaking fixtures & fittings. Also, there may be issues when trying to sell your property, if there is no Plumbing Clearance Certificate.) 
  • Local products have spare parts that are readily available. Imported fixtures can sometimes be very difficult to source spare parts for.
  • Competitive in price

Costs associated with renovating a bathroom:-

A lot of enquiries for bathrooms are from people who want a cheap bathroom makeover, we try to explain to these people that all the following steps (listed below) in a bathroom renovation are required whether you do a $15,000 bathroom or a $45,000 bathroom, you can't do a cheap bathroom makeover without compromising the quality of the bathroom. The only items that affect the end price of a bathroom is the quality of the fittings an fixtures (eg, tiles, toilet, basin, tapware, electrical fittings etc) that are installed in the bathroom.

A common enquiry is, "Its a rental property" or "I'm selling the property, I just need a good cheap job done on my bathroom". The reality is as mentioned above there are basic steps which are involved in the renovation process that cost the same amount of money whether it be a rental property or a home owners pride and joy. 

We as the bathroom installer are responsible for that bathroom for a period of time, if we do a less then satisfactory job we are responsible for that job, even if the owners of the property whom we did the bathroom for have on sold the the property.

Basic Costs associated with your bathroom renovation:

• Demolition (costs are significant if asbestos is present in bathroom).
• Repairing existing wall framing or brick walls after existing wall linings are removed.
• Installation of relevant noggins for proposed fixtures and fittings (eg) towel rails, toilet cisterns, basins, toilet roll holders, etc. 
• Installation of plumbing, drainage and electrical for new fittings.
• Installation of a proven shower recess safetray, (illustrated below) made of stainless steel which will not fail in the short term. This technique has been around for years, however does not seem to be used anymore, due to the modern technolgy of so called water proofing membrane. Please read note below on waterproofing membrane.

• Lining walls with villaboard or solid render to brick walls and re-sheeting of ceiling if required.
• Waterproofing of wet areas, walls and bathroom floor, excluding shower floor, where a stainlees steel safetray is used. (critical stage).
• Tiling.
• Fitting off of all bathroom plumbing, electrical fittings & fixtures.
• Fitting of shower screens and mirrors.
• Painting.
• BCC approval and inspection fees associated with installation of extra plumbing fixtures in bathroom. BCC fee for minor works up to 3 x extra fixtures is $357.40.

WATER PROOFING MEMBRANE:

Water proofing membrane has revolutionised the building industry in the past 20 years. It is a very good product when used within its capabilities, we use the waterproofing membrane ourselves for waterproofing shower recess walls and bathroom floors, excluding shower recess floors, where we use the stainless steel safetray as mentioned above.

A large amount of our work is replacing shower recess floors where the water proofing membrane has failed. The reason these membranes fail is because of slight movement in a building, which in turn can crack / tear the membrane, or the membrane has been installed incorrectly. When the shower is in use the shower recess is like a mini swimmimg pool, it's holding approx. 40mm in depth of water under the tiles, you can't see this while you are showering. If there is a hole in the shower recess membrane or safetray waterproofing system, the water will escape from the shower recess and track to the point of least resistance which is generally under a wall to the next room or to the downstairs ceiling.

If you have any questions, just try the following:-

• The Search box (top right) if you haven't already
• Phone us (numbers above)
• Contact us by other means