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QUESTIONS — BEFORE THE FIRST TILE COMES OFF
If you’re thinking about renovating a bathroom in Caulfield or nearby, you’ll want to know who turns up, how the regulated parts of the job are handled and why nobody can price a bathroom properly from a photo. These are straight answers to those questions.
By Ivan Bodnar, Independent Home Renovation Specialist, Melbourne
QUESTIONS ON THIS PAGE
Q01 Who actually does the work?
Q02 How is plumbing, electrical and other licensed work handled?
Q03 What affects the cost of a bathroom renovation?
Q04 Why can the scope change once work starts?
Q05 Can new tiles go over my existing surface?
Q06 Which suburbs do you cover?
Reference photo: new wall tiles meeting a stained, marked wall, with a level line and rough floor below.
WORKING WITH IVAN
Q01
Ivan Bodnar. He’s an independent renovation specialist working as a sole trader in Melbourne, with about 15 years of residential renovation experience. You talk directly with the person who assesses your bathroom and carries out the work, so there’s no sales layer between your questions and the answers. His hands-on work covers bathroom renovations, wall and floor tiling, flooring, surface preparation, plasterboard and plastering. You can read more about Ivan.
Q02
Ivan doesn’t personally carry out plumbing, electrical or other regulated work. Where those parts form part of your renovation, appropriately licensed specialists do that work, and Ivan may coordinate their involvement so it fits around the rest of the job. See Licensed Specialist Coordination for how that usually works.
COST AND SCOPE
Further reading: Bathroom Renovation Costs and Update or Full Renovation?
Q03
The biggest factor is scope. Updating an existing bathroom is a different job from a more extensive renovation. After that, cost depends on the condition of the walls and floor, how much preparation the surfaces need, whether licensed plumbing or electrical work is involved, and the materials you choose. That’s why an on-site look matters before any figure is given.
Q04
Some things only show up once old tiles and linings come off. Existing conditions and concealed issues behind a wall or under a floor can affect what’s needed after work begins. We explain what can be assessed beforehand and what stays uncertain until the strip-out. More on that in On-site Assessment and Existing Conditions.
Reference photo: a wall tile pressed into notched adhesive.
TILING AND SURFACES
Q05
Sometimes, but it isn’t a yes-or-no question you can answer from the doorway. Whether tiling is suitable, and how much preparation is needed first, depends on the existing substrate and the system proposed for the new finish. Cracked tiles and failing grout are often a sign to look at what’s underneath before deciding anything.
The visible finish is only one part of a sound bathroom. The wall and floor behind it carry the job, so preparation gets as much attention as the tiles.
Read Preparation Before Tile, or see the services for Wall and Floor Tiling and Surface Preparation, Plasterboard and Plastering.
SERVICE AREA
Q06
We’re based in Melbourne, Victoria, and work on residential renovations across Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs, including Caulfield. If you’re not sure whether your suburb is covered, mention it when you get in touch. See Service Areas and Bathroom Renovations in Caulfield.
TIMING
Q07
No. There’s no 24-hour emergency repair service and no promise of immediate attendance. The work here is planned bathroom renovation. If you have an active leak or an electrical fault, contact a licensed plumber or electrician directly.
Q08
AFTER YOU ENQUIRE
Once you send the form, you’ll see a confirmation on screen that your enquiry has been received. Your details come straight to Ivan, not to a call centre, and he uses them to follow up about your bathroom. Nothing is sold or booked through the website. It’s simply the start of a conversation about what your bathroom needs.
A few notes on where the bathroom is, what condition it’s in and what you’d like to change make that first conversation more useful. What to have ready before you request a quote.
Prefer email? [email protected]. See Privacy Information for how enquiry details are handled.
