Kitchen and bathroom reno - each around 2K possible? advice to first timer renovation please!

Could you paint the outside of the kitchen cabinets and just replace the doors?

 

Are you looking at 2k each because thats all you have? Youd have to salvage stuff and do everything yourself. If you cant do that, and dont have more money, dont rip anything out.

 

There are so many little things that come up when you do these Reno's. You need to allow a decent amount of buffer for this.

 

if you can't spend more than that then I would direct the whole budget to one room which would probably be the bathroom as the kitchen still seems faded but functional?

Do you have any photos?

 

Thanks so much for this input! This is another option that seems possible for us. I think we decided we'd concentrate on the kitchen, because bathroom renovation falls under major renovation and the strata require us to complete more paperwork for waterproofing (even signed for/approved by Solicitor?), and the cost of changing tiles are big. What we can do is we can just get rid of the current vanity, broken shower screen and laminate paint the wall tiles - perhaps get a handyman / plumber to do all of this.

 

My strata manager just told me that changing vanity, shower screen and bathtub requires waterproofing and they required me to get it drafted by a special bylaw by a solicitor and hold a EGM meeting for approval. The expenses of this will be cover by the owners. I never knew that changing accessories and fittings require waterproofing. I may be wrong ?

Edit: this is what I found from Google:

The Strata Management Act does not provide a list of major work, because it covers ‘all work which is not listed as cosmetic work and minor renovations’. Work which involves waterproofing, structural change or changing the appearance of the building is major work
This is a list we have drawn up from a variety of sources, which indicates what work is major work:

1. Bathroom renovations which involve removal and replacement of tiles, baths, showers, basins and toilets

So, does that mean that replacing shower screen and and vanity is considered major work? Although we wont be re positioning anything in the unit?

 

Don't touch the bath. This is where you require approval.

 

As @Scott No Mates said its the bathtub which is triggering the waterproofing and bylaw. Otherwise its usually just a Notice of Intention to renovate and should be alot cheaper with strata fees.

You can resurface the bath or buy an acrylic drop in insert.

 

Are the rusty spots on the bath under the tap? In this case, might just be rust staining from water dripping.

There is a product CLR that you can buy that removes these sorts of deposits (rust, lime and calcium).

 

The rusty spots are in the middle of the bath, not under the tap exactly, i just had a look. One is on the "shoulder" side of the bath and the other one is just randomly in the middle somewhere. I looks like a mixed of rust and chipped paint.

I am a bit confused (i will call my strata manager tomorrow), what are the things in the bathroom that you cannot touch without approval? These are what i need without stripping out the bathroom entirely:

1. replace vanity and water taps on the vanity,
2. replace shower screen, taps and shower head
3. replace taps on the bathtub (the hot water tap physically wont turn on as the handle wont move at all, it's stuck)
4. Laminate paint tiles and floor.

Let's think of a scenario: when your taps are leaking/handle wont work/you need water everyday and you get a plumber in to investigate and you buy new taps from bunnings as the old taps are simply cant be used anymore, get the plumber to install it, do the work, etc... does this need major renovation approval?? because this is almost as accurate as my situation right now especially it's relating to everyday use and necessities inside the unit.

 

If your only changing the taps then it wont require waterproofing or a bylaw. But no matter what you do , you still need approval from strata in most cases. Which is fine and usually isnt an issue.

As long as your not pulling up bathroom tiles or pulling out the bathtub you should only need to inform strata of your reno and wait for approval. You will still need a conveyancer to draft a letter of Intention to renovate and strata will vote but since no waterproofing no bylaw needed.

 

Another option for the bath is to replace fittings and get the tiles and bath thermoglazed. I've done it in two of my properties and the results are good. $500 for the tub and the walls cost more, but if you can bear the colour of either the floor or wall tiles, just do the one you dislike the most. See my images below. I did it for both the floor making the orange charcoal - I also did the white subsay tiles and added a capping border to remove the terracotta braid colour and keep it all white. This cost me $3000 all up, however just the floor was $1000. The main cost was the extra tiling and the new fittings were clearance items. The whole budget however was $5000 and I did the whole house with plantation shutters, it was necessary in the bathroom as the window is wood and the PVC shutters protect it.

 

As its your first reno, your budget will make every step a challenge. Be careful that you don't focus on the budget so much that the fittings you buy are poor quality and won't last you long, or the tradesperson doesn't do a proper job.

If you intend for the property to be a long term IP you should aim for good quality fittings with a decent warranty that will last a good number of years. If the kitchen cabinets are good condition maybe you can just change the doors?

 

$2k, not really much to work with regardless the area.

I would suggest address what is of more importance to you first.

Don’t always be so concerned about the price for something. Calculate the cost, which is over x period of time.

My advise would be to make sure you do thing properly. Because 2k spent doing something half done ... well you might of as well not done it.

Personally I would save some more or see if someone will finance it for you.

I have heard my fair share of horror stories with cheap renos where tradies leave half way through... no warranty... products used are not according to ncc or aus standards.

Put someone photos up and we can all help you with ideas

 

Great result, loved the color contrast. Just wondering with the windows being so close to the shower spout, do you get much of the splashes on to the windows frame or the pvc shutters?

 

Most splashes go on the PVC it does need to be wiped down once a week but all shutters do. It’s not ideal but it wasn’t worth redoing a whole bathroom reconfigure as it’s only 1.8mx 1.2.m and no amount of planning can create more floor space. The feeling of space in this bathroom is because the ceiling is 4m high - so I put in a very high shower head and a contrasting black cane light shade to draw eyes up away from the cosy floor space. PVC shutters are lovely as you can direct the sun in on you when having a shower.

 

I was in the same boat a few years ago,first home buyer and first major renovation, but before i even considered renovating i had a spreadsheet and quotes of all the costs associated with a kitchen and bathroom reno. Unfortunately you get what you pay for, in saying that you can still do a full kitchen and bathroom fairly cheap and it helps if you are a qualified tradie and or have mates that are qualified, i gutted the kitchen and replaced with all new fixtures and fitting but kept them in a similar place to avoid plumbing costs etc and came in at $6500 inc tile splash back,oven, dishwasher etc
Id recommend hunting around if you are looking to replace cabinets etc. as even the bunnings budget range is quite expensive compared to external companies which offer better quality.
And same goes for the bathroom, it can become quite expensive moving showers around and taps etc.
Bathroom and Laundry came in at $4100. Here's an old vs new pic

 

Great job! Do you have any bathroom/laundry photos you are happy to share?