One crew, one contract, start to finish. Kensington's narrow-fronted workers' cottages usually have original bathrooms that predate modern waterproofing entirely. We know what we're walking into before we quote.
Full membrane to AS 3740, planned around the narrow plumbing runs typical of these cottages. The part that gets skipped when the original bathroom predates waterproofing altogether.
Floor to ceiling or feature tiling, installed to AS 3958 and cut to fit a box-shaped cottage bathroom with no spare width for error. Our tiler, not a sub.
Built to the tight footprint of a narrow-fronted cottage, not a stock size that assumes a bigger room than you've got.
Screens, mixers and rails fitted to work with the home's original wall lines, not a layout that assumes a modern build.
Rough-in and final connections to AS/NZS 3500 and AS/NZS 3000, accounting for the age of the home's existing plumbing and wiring, not just what's on the plan.
The number we agree on after we've actually inspected your cottage is the number you pay. No surprises once the tiles come off.
These cottages hide condition surprises once the tiles come off. We quote after we've actually inspected yours, in writing, so the number doesn't move once we start.
Narrow-fronted workers' cottages built for the old Newmarket Saleyards workforce, a recent City of Melbourne heritage review (Amendment C215) covering 570 buildings. We check your property's status before we quote, not after.
Tradies who've actually worked Kensington's narrow blocks, not a call centre reading a script. We say the thing, then stop.
It's worth checking, and this catches more owners than you'd expect. The City of Melbourne recently completed Amendment C215, an independent heritage assessment of 570 buildings across Kensington, in the area bounded by Eastwood Street, Macaulay Road, Stubbs Street and Racecourse Road. It introduced new individual heritage places and precincts that didn't exist under the previous overlay. Internal bathroom work is usually unaffected, but we confirm your specific address status at the site visit.
It comes down to what the suburb was built for. Kensington grew up around the Newmarket Saleyards and City Abattoirs, once Victoria's largest public abattoirs, and the late 19th century workers' cottages and terraces built to house the labourers were simple brick structures with narrow frontages, aligned in tight rows. That layout shapes what's realistic for a bathroom renovation, particularly around plumbing runs and ventilation. We assess your specific block at the site visit.
Yes, and it's a large part of what we do. Original bathrooms in these narrow-fronted brick cottages predate modern waterproofing membranes entirely, and ventilation was often an afterthought in the original build. We check what's actually there before we quote, not after we've pulled the tiles off.
A bathroom renovation in Kensington typically runs $18,000 to $40,000. Standard scope (like-for-like layout, mid-range tiling and fittings) starts at $18,000 to $25,000. Full reconfiguration with layout changes in a narrow-fronted cottage runs $28,000 to $40,000. We give you a written fixed-price quote after a site visit, not an estimate from photos.
Yes. gutted. is a BPC registered building practitioner (Building and Plumbing Commission) and fully insured for domestic building work in Victoria. We provide our registration details before you sign anything.
A rough scope is all we need. We come to you, look at the job, and give you a written fixed-price quote. We do not price from photos.
