How much would you budget to spend on ...

An IP bathroom reno?

It's been so long since I've done anything like this I have no idea what these sorts of things cost.

Probably on a per item basis as I don't know the dimensions (apart from 'small'), and I realise labour costs vary a bit & will need to research that. Not planning on moving any plumbing or walls, but there obviously will be some plumber work involved, and there's an oddity (see below)

We have:
- bath (room is length of bath)
- shower is over bath
- vanity
- tiled to lowish (but hopefully legal) ceiling
- window is above bath, length of bath ... this might need replacing too.
- sliding door (not into cavity)
Separately:
- toilet
- painted walls, single tile up the walls
- room has bi- or tri-fold door
-window could do with replacement as well.
- the oddity ... behind the toilet in a cupboard is an old (not in use) HWS, which should be removed so there would be more room in the toilet. If we moved the toilet then there's a problem with the waste/sewer connection which I think is an s-bend into a concrete slab ... to keep costs down I guess we would just leave it. The current HWS is in the yard, outside immediately behind the old one.
Both of these rooms flow off a laundry area which would need new floor tiling as these rooms are together, and just has a single tile up the wall. This area also goes to outside and could do with a new external door.

Do tilers still work on a sq metre basis? Can plumbing costs be estimated?

I suppose I am wondering what people would spend on:
- floor tiles per sq metre
- wall tiles (ditto)
- vanity 60cm wide
- vanity tap/spout
- vanity mirror (cupboard?)
- bath (metal)
- shower/bath tap/head set
- light x 2
- exhaust fan x 2
- toilet suite
- bathroom window (highlight style prob 1.8m x 40cm high, needs an opening panel)
- toilet window (highlight style prob 0.9m x 40cm high, needs an opening panel)
- sliding door
- bi-fold door
- electrical

Or do you just look at it as a total budget and try to fit in that?

Old bathroom still 'works' but is 80's style blue squiggly wall tiles and blue floor - looks very dated.

 

If the house was last wired in the 80s it's well overdue for a total rewire (10-20k plus) and dangerous to leave so long. Sounds like the bathroom needs gutting and waterproofing as well. This guide should give you a good idea on current prices: https://www.homeimprovementpages.com.au/article/how_much_does_bathroom_renovation_cost

 

I'm doing something similar soon to a small bathroom (maybe 1.5x size of yours) and am factoring in total budget of 10k. I'm going to install a shower in there though as it has a shower over bath now, and replace bath so am factoring plumbing to be a bit more expansive. i'll do what I can myself, including demo and removal of old tiles. You should be able to get accurate plumbing quotes no problems, likewise electrical and tiling.

 

I've never heard this before ... just assumed that if everything works OK then it was fine?

How do I tell when it was last rewired?

There have been minor electrical works (fitting/replacing lights), should the electricians have said something if there was rewiring required?

How often do houses need rewiring???

 

I don't how to tell you how to tell when it was last rewired although a modern switchboard is a good sign it's been done recently (with up/down switches).

It needs to be rewired every 25 years to ensure safety. Old wires can, and do, cause major building electrical fires and usually the entire building goes by the time it's realized there's a fire.
Last time I checked the professional electrical body NECA recommended 25 years minimum.

Yes, the electrician should have recommended a total rewire if needed. You can always get a second opinion with a NECA member.
National Homepage | NECA

 

Yeh, I'd like to see an electrician make the case to someone who owns a house built in 1993 that the thing needs an entire re-wire.

 

Well, when your house burns down you can explain to the insurer why an unmaintained property should be paid out in full if the cause is old wiring.

 

Unless there's an obvious fault (regular tripping breaker, intermittent flickering etc), there's no need to maintain a solid-state system.

(exceptions would include cotton wrapped cables, undersized wiring or metal conduits).

 

Wiring needs to be replaced if the covering has perished etc. but wiring from the eighties should be fine.

It only needs replacing if something is wrong with it - not because of some arbitrary claim.

 

It's based on information provided to me by multiple licenced electricians. Nothing arbitrary about it. Your remark however is flippant and potentially dangerous.

 

But how do we know whether the advice was in your interest (safety) or theirs (sales)?

What made you get your wiring checked???

 

How about a link to this legislation that requires all homes older than 20 years to be fully re-wired?

 

That's only because some bureaucrats think that Tasmanians have lower IQs than the mainlanders. We replace wiring if they still have old black Bakelite fittings.

 

If you want to read the legislation related to this matter you can read the Australian Electrical Standard.

I said 25 years to keep people safe.

By all means, own a house with old wiring. You will place yourself and others in danger and take the risk of legal action. A woman recently died in a house fire due to faulty wiring. It could have been prevented.

Also search "old wiring and fire"

Beware old household wiring
How does bad wiring cause fire? | Watts Up Ltd

 

Because electricians are in high demand and contrary to popular opinion, it's not an easy way to make a living.

 

5 common causes of electrical fires
From the above website:

5. Wiring
Outdated wiring often causes electrical fires. If a home is over 20 years old, it may not have the wiring capacity to handle the increased amounts of electrical appliances in today’s average home, such as computers, wide-screen televisions, video and gaming players, microwaves and air conditioners.

Breakers should be triggered when circuits get overloaded by too much electricity, but outdated breaker boxes often have worn connectors that do not work, causing the system to overload and start an electrical fire.

 

This report by FEMA (US Body) also reports on the importance of new wiring due in part to the higher needs of modern electrical devices. I was told this though well over twenty years ago by my parents and their electrician. I have also spent time working for licenced electricians and taken calls from people that did not bother to update wiring and had to move while they waited for an electrician to fix their house. In one case the plumbing was from the sixties and needed full replacement as well. The occupant had to move.

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v14i13.pdf

 

My original circa '82 switch board is indistinguishable from anything newer and has always had those new fangled "up down" switches.

As a general statement about '80's wiring, I don't think this is correct.

If I asked an electrician if a particular 80's house was safe, I would expect them to say that yes, they can guarantee that it is safe if they rewire it.

 

You expect. I know.

 

So? Where are your facts?