Published 25 September 2026
Independent guide — not a contractor. Planning information only. Confirm licences, waterproofing, and quotes with qualified trades and the relevant state authority.
process
Same-footprint bathroom renovation
Can you renovate an Australian bathroom without moving plumbing? Yes — keep the wastes, redo the membrane if you must, and design the new room around the stack.
What visitors always ask
Can I renovate a bathroom without moving plumbing?+
Yes. Keeping the toilet, shower waste, and basin in their current positions is the standard cost-control move. You can still replace every fixture, the vanity, the screen, and the tiles. You cannot invent fall to a waste that is in the wrong place — that is when people start opening floors.
How much does a same-footprint bathroom renovation cost in Australia?+
Planning bands only: a mid-range same-footprint gut with a new membrane is commonly discussed around $15,000–$35,000. Cosmetic work without new waterproofing is often $8,000–$18,000. Moving wastes typically $25,000–$50,000+. AUD, typical ensuite or family bathroom, metro or large-regional. Not a quote.
Do I still need waterproofing if the wastes stay put?+
Yes if you are stripping the room. A same-footprint gut redoes the membrane on the existing wastes. Tiles are not waterproofing. Form falls before the membrane, continue upturns, seal penetrations, and do not tile until the system is accepted. Official words live at the NCC and ABCB.
Keep reading
Renovation checklist
The printable order of works.
Cosmetic refresh vs full renovation
How Australians tell a paint-and-tapware job from a strip that redoes joinery or a wet-area membrane — in both kitchens and bathrooms.
Hard water tapware Australia
WELS, WaterMark, serviceable aerators, and finishes that survive Australian hard-water regions — kitchens and bathrooms.
Australia · kitchens & bathrooms
Make a renovation day of it
Whether you have a weekend cosmetic refresh or a full wet-area rebuild, start with the checklist, then read the cost bands with their assumptions still attached.