Should you renovate your bathroom yourself, or could a DIY bathroom renovation cause you more pain than its worth?
At WA Assett, we often get enquiries about the cost of renovating bathrooms. Depending on which route you choose – with a professional Perth bathroom renovations company, an independent contractor, or completely DIY, the answer will vary greatly.
When it comes to ‘do-it-yourself’ bathroom renovation projects, however, there are some potential risks and costs that you should be aware of.
Pros and cons of DIY bathroom renovations
Cost savings, or costly repairs?
Doing a bathroom renovation yourself could certainly save you a lot on labour and project management costs in the short term.
But it could also cost you much more, if you make mistakes that you’ll need to pay a professional to fix.
Surely you can do the easy jobs yourself and outsource the more ‘technical’ steps like plumbing and electric, right?
Unfortunately, what seems easy to the amateur renovator only appears so, thanks to the skill and know-how of a professional.
Knocking down your own bathroom walls before consulting a professional could have dangerous consequences for your home’s structural integrity – let alone exposing yourself to hazardous materials like fibreglass dust or asbestos.
There are also other small savings and benefits you would be missing out on, such as product warranties and trade discounts on building materials and bathroom fixtures.
Unless you are confident in your ability to direct and manage a DIY bathroom renovation project, you may want to speak to our team of Perth bathroom renovators first to explore your options.
Are you willing to make the effort and time commitment?
Before you decide to embark on your DIY project, you should be aware of how long a bathroom renovation usually takes.
If you have the qualifications and experience required to do the job properly yourself or with a self-appointed team of contractors, the time and effort required for a bathroom renovation should come as no surprise.
But for first-time DIYers, it can be a long slog if you’re not really sure what you’re doing and don’t have a reliable team of trades at your disposal.
You’ll need to spend time planning, buying, and transporting all the necessary building equipment, materials, fixtures and fittings, seeking building permits and approvals, and figuring out your bathroom design – and this is all before the ‘real’ work even starts!
Aside from the time you spend doing the work, there’s the extra inconvenience of having to adjust the rest of your schedule around this project.
While your bathroom is out of action, will you and your family be comfortable forgoing the comfort and convenience of your typical bathroom routine?
This can be particularly challenging if you have just one bathroom, or no obliging relatives or friends nearby to offer up their own bathroom.
Before you choose to DIY your bathroom, you’ll need to decide how realistic it will be to dedicate your time to the project while juggling a day job and other commitments.
Do you have an eye for bathroom design?
A great bathroom design is much more than just the fittings and paint colours you choose. It’s also about creating a bathroom that is timeless, easy to use, and if you’re looking at a small bathroom renovation, maximises the space you have.
If you’re going to the trouble of renovating your bathroom, you will want a result that you can enjoy for many years to come.
A professional bathroom renovator will be able to come up with a solution that is functional, beautiful, and cleverly designed to make cleaning your bathroom a breeze and even keep you warm in winter.
Proper care must also be taken at steps like waterproofing, tiling, and grouting, which can be a pain to fix if done shoddily.
Australian Standard requirements are also outdated, and extra precautions should be taken as most of the houses in Perth are built in double brick, unlike the rest of Australia. So, following the standard may not actually suit your home, and may cause you no end of problems down the track.
Hire a professional Perth bathroom renovations team to get the job done right
When it comes down to it, the cost of a DIY renovation mainly comes down to quality. Unless you have the skills required, you may see more bathroom repairs and renovations much sooner down the line than you expect.
At WA Assett, we’re here to guide you through this process so you can avoid the time and stress of doing it all yourself, and ensure you get your money’s worth with a quality bathroom design you love. The process will be faster and much more efficient, and a lot less stressful when you know you have Perth’s most long standing renovation experts taking care of everything for you.
Need more advice or information on how much your bathroom renovation could cost? Get a free consultation and estimate today.
