Full Bathroom Renovations Malvern
Strip-out to handover as one continuous sequence. Every tile format, tap finish and waste position is written down as a specification before demolition begins — so the room that gets built is the room that was agreed.
SELECT · SPECIFY · INSTALL
01 / SCOPE
Everything between the strip-out and the handover
A full renovation means the room comes back to bare structure. Fixtures, cabinetry, screens, tiles and old bedding are removed and carted away, then the floor and walls are checked and made good before anything new goes in.
From there the work runs in a fixed order: plumbing and electrical rough-in to suit the new layout, sheeting to wet-area board, waterproofing with the correct primers, bond breakers and membrane coats, screeding to establish falls to the waste, then wall and floor tiling, grouting and silicone. Fit-off follows — vanity and cabinetry, basin, mixer and tapware, toilet, shower set, screen or hobless walk-in glazing, heated rail, mirror and lighting. The last stage is the honest one: adjust, seal, clean, walk the room together and hand over the finished space with the fixture details recorded.
From there the work runs in a fixed order: plumbing and electrical rough-in to suit the new layout, sheeting to wet-area board, waterproofing with the correct primers, bond breakers and membrane coats, screeding to establish falls to the waste, then wall and floor tiling, grouting and silicone. Fit-off follows — vanity and cabinetry, basin, mixer and tapware, toilet, shower set, screen or hobless walk-in glazing, heated rail, mirror and lighting. The last stage is the honest one: adjust, seal, clean, walk the room together and hand over the finished space with the fixture details recorded.
Working out where to start? The bathroom design page covers plans and selections, and the renovation checklist lists what to settle before demolition.
Illustrative image of demolition and structural rough-in conditions — shown as a general reference to the strip-out stage, not a photograph of a specific project.
02 / SELECTION LEDGER
Eight decisions that shape a full bathroom
Each line below is settled and recorded before the room is stripped. That is what keeps a full renovation running without mid-build substitutions.
01
Tile format
Large-format porcelain, subway or a mosaic shower floor. Format drives grout lines, setting-out and cut waste.
05
Niche
Position between studs, height off the base, and whether the niche is tiled or takes a stone shelf.
02
Stone top
Slab or engineered top, edge profile, thickness, and whether the basin sits above or under the surface.
06
Floor waste
Square grate or linear channel, and the fall pattern the screed has to follow to reach it.
03
Tapware finish
Chrome, brushed brass, matte black or gunmetal — chosen once and carried across mixer, shower set, rail and waste.
07
Lighting
Ceiling, mirror and shower lighting set at rough-in, with switching and exhaust planned at the same time.
04
Screen type
Framed, semi-frameless or frameless glass, and whether the shower keeps a hob or goes flush with the floor.
08
Storage
Vanity width and drawer layout, mirror cabinet or open shelving, and tall storage if the wall allows it. See vanity installation.
03 / SUBSTRATE
A period Malvern home behaves differently to a newer apartment
Period homes and older extensions
Timber floors, older stud walls and existing pipe runs set the constraints. Floors often need levelling and extra bracing before large-format tile can be laid. Stud spacing and old noggings affect where a niche or wall-hung vanity can land, and existing waste positions decide whether a layout change is straightforward or a bigger plumbing exercise. Wall linings frequently come back further than expected once the old bedding is out. Common through Malvern, Armadale and Glen Iris.
Apartments and newer builds
Concrete slabs, limited floor build-up and shared services shape the scope instead. Waste and stack positions are usually fixed, so layouts get refined rather than relocated. Slab height controls whether a hobless shower or linear waste is workable, and building rules on access, work hours and lift bookings affect sequencing. Owners corporation approval may be needed before work starts. Typical of South Yarra and Prahran projects.
04 / SEQUENCE
Twelve stages, always in this order
Each stage is explained further on the renovation process page, and the stage timeline guide explains why some stages must wait on others.
01 Consultation
Scope, condition and what the room has to do.
02 Site assessment
Measure-up, substrate, services and access.
03 Design
Layout options and fixture positions.
04 Quote
Written scope against the agreed selections.
Scope, condition and what the room has to do.
02 Site assessment
Measure-up, substrate, services and access.
03 Design
Layout options and fixture positions.
04 Quote
Written scope against the agreed selections.
05 Materials
Tiles, stone, tapware and cabinetry confirmed.
06 Demolition
Strip-out, waste removal, make good.
07 Plumbing / electrical
Rough-in set out to the new plan.
08 Waterproofing
Primer, bond breakers, membrane, cure.
Tiles, stone, tapware and cabinetry confirmed.
06 Demolition
Strip-out, waste removal, make good.
07 Plumbing / electrical
Rough-in set out to the new plan.
08 Waterproofing
Primer, bond breakers, membrane, cure.
09 Tiling
Screed and falls, walls, floor, grout.
10 Fixtures
Vanity, tapware, toilet, screen, mirror.
11 Finishing
Silicone, adjustments, paint, clean.
12 Handover
Walk-through and fixture details recorded.
Screed and falls, walls, floor, grout.
10 Fixtures
Vanity, tapware, toilet, screen, mirror.
11 Finishing
Silicone, adjustments, paint, clean.
12 Handover
Walk-through and fixture details recorded.
05 / QUESTIONS
Full renovation questions we are asked most
Do I have to move the plumbing to change the layout?
Not always. Shower and vanity positions can often shift within a wall run without relocating the stack. Moving a toilet or floor waste is a bigger change, and on a concrete slab it may not be practical at all. This is settled at site assessment, before quoting.
Can I keep the existing bath or vanity?
Sometimes, though it depends on condition and whether the item can be removed and refitted without damage. In a full renovation the walls and floor are stripped, so anything retained has to be protected and re-set into the new tiling.
What drives the cost of a full bathroom?
Room size, layout changes, substrate condition, tile format and the specification of stone, tapware and glazing. The Malvern cost guide and the broader Melbourne cost guide break down each of those factors.
Is waterproofing part of the renovation or a separate trade?
It is a defined stage inside the renovation, carried out after rough-in and sheeting and before any tiling. The waterproofing guide explains the sequence, the detailing at junctions and where membranes commonly fail.
06 / NEXT
Related work and reading
Related services
Other room types
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