Ensuite renovations in South Morang

An ensuite renovation replaces the shower, vanity, toilet, tiles and lighting in the bathroom attached to the main bedroom. For a 3 to 5 square metre ensuite stripped out and rebuilt in the same layout, a Melbourne cost guide gives $15,750 to $31,500, GST included. Changing the layout or adding a second basin pushes the figure up.

When is an ensuite due for work?

The City of Whittlesea’s community profile records that growth in the 1990s centred on Mill Park, Epping and South Morang, with more recent growth in Mernda and Doreen. An ensuite fitted in one of the earlier houses is now 20 to 30 years old, which is about when shower seals, exhaust fans and vanity cabinets start to give out. Ensuites in newer Mernda and Doreen homes come up for different reasons, usually a leak or a layout the owners never liked.

Typical reasons owners give for redoing an ensuite:

• the shower is too small, or has a narrow pivot door that is hard to clean
• the single vanity is short of bench space for two people
• the exhaust fan is noisy or no longer clears steam, and mould sits on the ceiling
• water is leaking from the shower into the walk-in robe or the bedroom carpet
• the owners plan to sell and the ensuite is the oldest room in the house

What can be changed in a small ensuite?

Change	What it usually involves	Cost effect
Same layout, new finishes	Strip-out, new membrane, tiles, vanity, tapware, screen	Base of the ensuite range: $15,750 to $31,500
Larger shower	Moving or removing a hob, possibly relocating the waste	Adds plumbing and screed work
Double or wall-hung vanity	New wall framing for support, two sets of wastes and taps	Vanities alone are priced at $525 to $3,675 supplied and installed
New screen	Frameless or semi-frameless glass replacing a framed door	Standard screens are priced at $800 to $2,000 supplied and installed
Better ventilation	Ducted exhaust fan to the outside, new switch or timer	Needs a licensed electrician and a certificate

Ensuite and vanity figures come from the Melbourne renovation cost guide. The screen figure is from Nero’s shower replacement guide.

What will a renovator check in an ensuite?

• Access. Ensuites in two-storey homes are often upstairs, so stripping out and carrying in materials takes longer, and a skip has to sit somewhere on the driveway.
• What is underneath. An upstairs ensuite usually sits on a timber floor rather than a slab, which affects screed thickness and how the floor is waterproofed.
• The waste and stack. Moving a toilet in an upstairs ensuite depends on where the waste pipe can run between the joists.
• The ceiling below. Any old leak from an upstairs shower may have marked the ceiling of the room underneath.
• The walk-in robe. Ensuite showers often share a wall with the robe, which can hide water damage.
• The exhaust path. A fan that vents only into the roof space can let moist air settle there; the provider should say where the duct will go.

What does the work involve?

A typical sequence: protect the bedroom carpet and stairs, strip the room, fix framing and floor sheeting, rough in the plumbing and electrical, sheet the walls, screed and waterproof, tile, then fit the vanity, toilet, tapware, mirror and screen. An ensuite is smaller than a family bathroom but holds the same trades, so the per-square-metre cost tends to be higher.

Which rules apply to an ensuite?

The same rules as any bathroom. Because an ensuite job mixes several trades, once its value passes ten thousand dollars the person you contract with must be a registered builder, using a major domestic building contract. Where the contract is signed from 1 July 2026 and the eligible job is worth over twenty thousand dollars, the BPC Home Warranty scheme applies; it may cover major defects, including waterproofing defects, for up to six years after completion, according to the BPC page on Home Warranty time limits. The waterproofing must meet AS 3740 or the ABCB Housing Provisions under the NCC. The plumber issues a compliance certificate for plumbing work worth more than seven hundred and fifty dollars, and the electrician issues a Certificate of Electrical Safety.

If the ensuite is in an owners corporation building such as a townhouse group, check the owners corporation rules for noise hours and any plumbing that is common property before booking the work.

What a careful renovator will not cut short

They will not skip the membrane at the walk-in robe wall because it is out of sight. They will not reuse an exhaust fan that vents into the ceiling cavity without telling you. They will not start before the contract is signed and the warranty cover is confirmed. And they will tell you plainly if your floor will not support a stone basin or heavy tiles without extra work.

Ensuite or family bathroom first?

Some owners do both at once to save on mobilisation; others do the ensuite first so the family bathroom stays usable. Compare the scope on the full bathroom renovation page, and see the South Morang cost guide for how the two jobs differ in price.

What to do next

Measure the ensuite, note whether it is upstairs, and list what you want changed. Photos of the shower, vanity and ceiling help a provider judge the job. Quotes come from independent renovators who work for you under their own contract, not from this website. Send your ensuite details when you are ready.

Send a job enquiry