How to Choose the Right Bathroom Renovator: A Homeowner's Checklist

A bathroom renovation is one of the more disruptive projects you'll take on at home, and it's also one of the most expensive per square metre. Get the right renovator and the process feels calm and predictable, even with tradespeople in and out of your house for a few weeks. Get the wrong one and you're chasing phone calls, absorbing surprise costs, and living with a bathroom that doesn't quite work. Before you sign anything, run every renovator you're considering through this checklist.

Confirm Licensing and Registration

In Victoria, any domestic building work over $10,000 (including most bathroom renovations once you factor in waterproofing, tiling, plumbing and electrical) legally requires a registered building practitioner. Ask directly for the renovator's Victorian Building Authority (VBA) registration number and check it on the public register. A renovator who hesitates, changes the subject, or tells you registration "isn't necessary for a job this size" is telling you everything you need to know.

What to ask for

• VBA registration number, checked against the public register
• Licensed plumber details for any wet-area or waste work
• Licensed electrician details if power points or lighting are being altered

Check Insurance, Not Just Promises

Two types of cover matter here. Public liability insurance protects you if something goes wrong on-site — a tradesperson damaging a neighbouring wall, for example. Domestic building insurance (required by law in Victoria on residential projects over $16,000) protects you if the builder can't complete the job due to insolvency, death, or disappearance. Ask for copies of current certificates, not just a verbal assurance. A trustworthy renovator will produce these without fuss.

Fixed-Price Quotes vs "Estimates"

This is where a lot of budgets quietly blow out. An estimate is a ballpark figure that can move once work begins. A fixed-price quote is a locked-in number tied to a detailed scope of works — the tiles, the fixtures, the labour, the waterproofing, all itemised. Once you sign, that price shouldn't move unless you request changes.

For context, a typical small bathroom renovation in Melbourne runs roughly $12,000–$22,000, a standard-sized bathroom or ensuite $14,000–$25,000, and a luxury renovation with premium finishes, freestanding baths and custom joinery $35,000–$70,000 or more. If a quote comes in dramatically below these ranges, ask what's been left out — undersized budgets are one of the most common causes of mid-project disputes.

• Ask whether the price is fixed or an estimate, in writing
• Get an itemised breakdown of materials, labour and fixtures
• Clarify what triggers a variation and how it's priced
• Confirm whether waterproofing and demolition are included, not add-ons

A Genuine Workmanship Warranty

Waterproofing failures and tiling defects are the two most common — and most expensive — bathroom problems, and they often don't show up until years after the job is finished. A renovator who stands behind their work should offer a solid workmanship warranty, ideally ten years, covering tiling, waterproofing and installation. Ask to see the warranty terms in writing before you commit, not after you've paid a deposit.

Look Past the Highlight Reel

Every renovator's website shows their best work. Dig a little deeper before you decide.

Where to look

• Recent, independently verifiable reviews (Google, not just testimonials on their own site)
• Photos of completed jobs similar in size and style to yours
• Whether you can speak to a past client directly
• How long they've been trading under the same business name

How They Communicate Before You've Even Signed

The way a renovator handles your enquiry is a preview of how they'll handle your project. Do they turn up on time to the on-site consultation? Do they measure properly and ask about how you use the space, or just glance around and quote a number? Do they explain the process — design, selections, approvals, build timeline — clearly, or leave you guessing? A renovator worth hiring should offer a free, no-obligation on-site consultation as standard, so there's no reason to settle for a rushed phone quote.

Red Flags Worth Walking Away From

• Reluctance to provide licensing or insurance details
• Pressure to sign on the spot or "lock in today's price"
• Large upfront deposits before any work has been scoped
• Vague, one-line quotes with no breakdown
• No fixed contract, or a contract that leaves the price open-ended
• No warranty, or a warranty shorter than a few years

Bringing It Together

None of these checks take long, but together they separate a renovator who'll deliver a bathroom you're happy with for the next decade from one who'll leave you fielding problems six months after handover. Take your time, ask the direct questions, and trust the renovator who answers them plainly.

At Elevate Bathrooms, we're a licensed and insured Melbourne renovation team offering fixed-price quotes, a ten-year workmanship warranty, and a free on-site consultation with no pressure to commit — so you can compare us against this checklist yourself. Get in touch to book a time that suits you.