What a Sydney bathroom renovation costs, and how to read the quote
Real cost ranges for a Sydney bathroom, what drives the number up, and why PC sums turn a low quote into a high invoice. How to compare two proposals line for line.
Short answer: Two Sydney bathroom quotes for the same job can differ by $15,000 or more. One has fixed prices on named brands. The other hides PC sums and allowances. Read every line before you sign.
What a fixed-price proposal contains
A real proposal names every tile, tap, vanity, screen and drain. Brand and model, in writing. The waterproof membrane is its own line, with the AS 3740 certificate written in. The builder licence is on page one. Any change is quoted in writing first, never hidden.
Where the money actually goes
The labour to strip out, rough in and tile a bathroom is fairly consistent between good builders. The big swings are the fixtures you choose, how much tiled area you have, and whether the plumbing or walls move. A full-height tile job costs more than a half-height one. Moving the toilet costs more than keeping it. None of that is hidden in an honest quote.
$25k to $40k
typical Sydney range for a full strip-back renovation of a standard main bathroom
Typical Sydney range
5x
how far a low PC-sum quote can drift once real selections are priced as variations
Bathline
7 yr
Bathline workmanship warranty in writing on every renovation
Standard terms
The number on a fixed-price contract is the number you pay. The number on a PC-sum quote is a guess.
Why PC sums drive the bill up
The cheap quote uses PC sums for tiles, stone, taps, sometimes even the vanity. The number looks low. But the builder has not yet priced what you chose. When your real picks cost more, you pay the gap as a variation. There can be five or six on one job.
✕Red flag
A quote with PC sums for tiles or tapware, no waterproofer named, no AS 3740 certificate line, and a cash-only deposit is the pattern behind most of the Sydney bathroom horror stories. Walk away.
How to compare two quotes
Lay them side by side. Every line should match. Same tile brand. Same vanity. Same tap. Same waterproof scope. If one quote names fewer lines, that gap will land on you as a variation.
The cheap quote
The honest proposal
A single round number with no breakdown.
Every line itemised, so you can compare like for like.
"Soft close" hardware, no brand named.
Named brands and models, written into the scope.
PC sum for tiles, allowance for tapware.
A fixed price built from a measured plan and a named selections schedule.
Waterproofing rolled into a labour line.
AS 3740 membrane priced separately, certificate of compliance signed on completion.
Before you sign anything
Replace every PC sum with a named brand and model, then ask for the price to be fixed.
Confirm the waterproofing is a separate line with the certificate of compliance included.
Get start and handover dates, and how variations are quoted, written into the contract.
Common questions
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Sydney?
As a guide, a budget refresh that keeps the layout runs about $15,000 to $25,000. A full strip-back renovation of a standard main bathroom runs about $25,000 to $40,000. A premium bathroom with stone, custom joinery and a moved layout runs $40,000 and up. The range is wide because most of the money is in the fixtures you choose, the tiled area, and whether the plumbing moves. Treat these as orientation, not a quote.
What is a PC sum and why does it matter on a bathroom quote?
A Prime Cost sum is an allowance, not a price. The builder drops in a figure for tiles, tapware or stone and writes it on the quote. If the real cost lands above the allowance, the difference is a variation you pay on top. PC sums are the single biggest reason a $35,000 quote becomes a $48,000 invoice. Ask for named brands and named models before you sign.
Why are two quotes for the same bathroom so different?
Lay them side by side and the gap is almost always in what each one leaves out. The cheap quote uses PC sums and a single round number. The honest proposal names every tile, tap and vanity, prices the waterproofing as its own line, and writes the certificate in. Same bathroom, but one price is real and one is a starting point.
Bathline