What the clients wanted, and what we found.
The brief
An investor with a two-bedroom unit in Parramatta and a thirteen-day gap between tenancies. The brief was blunt: a bathroom that would photograph well for the next listing, survive tenants, and be finished on the date agreed — because every week of vacancy cost more than the tile upgrade they were considering.
What we found
Original 1980s fittings and an aged but sound membrane. Because the membrane was intact and the substrate sound, we could skip the deepest and slowest part of the work — which is exactly what made a twelve-day programme achievable. We told the owner that before quoting, not after.
What we did
Premium specification with deliberate durability choices: a leg vanity rather than wall-hung so a tenant cannot overload the fixings, chrome tapware with standard replaceable cartridges, a framed screen, and a speckled stone feature wall that hides everyday marks. Wall tiles to the ceiling, because half-height tiling is where rental bathrooms fail first.
The outcome
Twelve days, finished on the agreed date with a day to spare. Final contract $28,900 including GST, no variations. The unit was re-listed the following Monday.
Scope of works
- Full strip-out of the bathroom, all waste removed off site
- Existing membrane and substrate assessed and confirmed sound before quoting
- New certified waterproofing to AS 3740 with certificate
- Speckled stone feature wall; wall tiles to the ceiling throughout
- Leg vanity, wall-facing toilet, framed screen, chrome tapware
- New floor tiling in a mid-tone that does not show everyday marks
- New exhaust ventilation
- Mould-resistant paint to ceiling and door frame
- Fixed completion date written into the contract
- Photographic handover pack supplied for the rental listing
