PROCESS · SIX STAGES
A bathroom renovation moves through the wall in order: what is there now, what has to be prepared, then the finish. This page follows that order, from your first enquiry to the completed room, and shows who does each part.
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Regulated plumbing and electrical work is carried out by appropriately licensed specialists.
ONE POINT OF CONTACT
Bathroom Renovation Caulfield is the service of Ivan Bodnar, an independent renovation specialist and sole trader with about 15 years of residential renovation experience. There is no sales team or project office between you and the work. The person who looks at your existing bathroom is the person who explains the scope, prepares the surfaces and sets the tiles.
Every bathroom is different, so the stages below describe the order of work rather than a timetable. How long each one takes depends on your bathroom and on what the assessment finds.
01
You get in touch through the enquiry form or by email and tell us about your bathroom: what is wrong with it, what you would like to change and where you are. Nothing is booked or paid for online. This first conversation is simply to work out whether an on-site look makes sense.
02
Ivan looks at the existing conditions in person: tiles, grout, wall and floor surfaces, signs of movement or moisture, and the layout. He tells you what he can assess from the surface, what stays uncertain until the old finishes come off, and why. Read about the assessment.
03
The quote is based on what the assessment showed and the scope you agreed on, whether that is updating the existing room or a more extensive renovation. It also shows which parts need licensed specialists. To see what shapes the figure, read Understanding Bathroom Renovation Costs.
04
Old finishes come off as the scope requires. While the wall and floor are open, any licensed rough-in is completed first, before any sheeting goes up. Then the surfaces are made ready: floor preparation, plasterboard fixed straight, plaster set cleanly. This is the layer you will never see, and it decides how the finish holds up. More on surface preparation.
05
Once licensed rough-in is done and the substrate has been prepared, the wall and floor tiles go on. Whether a surface suits a particular tile depends on the substrate and the tiling system you choose. Licensed fit-off of fixtures comes after tiling as a separate step. Read about wall and floor tiling.
06
Finishing work is done and the room is cleaned up. You go through the finished bathroom with Ivan, the same person who stood in it with you at the assessment, so any questions go straight to the person who did the work.
LICENSED TRADES LAYER
Many bathroom renovations include work that has to be done by a licensed tradesperson: plumbing and electrical work, and other regulated parts of the job. Ivan does not carry out that work himself. Appropriately licensed specialists do it, in two separate steps in the stage sequence.
Ivan may coordinate when those specialists come in, so the order on site makes sense and you still have one person to ask about how the job is going. Read how this works.
BEFORE STAGE 04
Once old finishes are off and the wall and floor are open, licensed specialists carry out the regulated work inside them. Sheeting, plastering and tiling only follow once this is done.
AFTER STAGE 05
After the tiles are set, licensed specialists return to fit off the fixtures that need a licensed trade. This is a separate step from the rough-in, and it comes before completion.
BEHIND THE TILES
An assessment can only see the surface. Once old tiles and sheets come off, existing conditions behind them can turn out to be different from what the finish suggested: a substrate that is not sound, earlier repairs, or deterioration that was hidden. Concealed issues like these can change the scope.
When that happens, the job does not just carry on. Ivan shows you what has been found, explains what it means for the next layer and talks through the options before the work goes further. Seeing a hidden problem early is part of why the visible finish is only one part of a good renovation.
Not sure whether your bathroom needs a full renovation? Start with Signs Your Bathroom Needs Renovating or Is a Retile Enough?
BEFORE YOU ENQUIRE
— What no longer works in the bathroom, practically
— Visible signs: cracked tiles, failing grout, lifting floors
— Whether you want to update the room or change it more extensively
— Your suburb, so we can confirm it is within our Caulfield and Melbourne service area
— Any questions about who does which part of the work
We do not offer a 24-hour emergency service or same-day attendance.
