Bentleigh and Bentleigh East are full of solid 1950s to 1970s brick veneer homes and earlier Californian bungalows that were built well and finished cheaply. Fifty years on, the bathroom and the laundry are usually the two rooms that let the house down. This guide covers what bathroom renovations Bentleigh homeowners are paying in 2026, what a laundry adds, how the two rooms can share trades and save money, and exactly what happens week by week once we start.
1. Bentleigh and Bentleigh East Homes: What You Are Working With
The housing stock here splits into two groups. Bentleigh’s older streets carry Californian bungalows and interwar brick homes with timber floors, high ceilings and original wet areas that have often been “updated” once in the 1980s. Bentleigh East is dominated by post-war brick veneer on concrete stumps or slabs, with small bathrooms, a separate toilet and a laundry off the back porch.
Both types renovate well. The bungalows reward restoration of proportions; the brick veneers reward reconfiguration, especially bringing the toilet into the bathroom and pulling the laundry inside.
2. Bathroom Renovation Costs in Bentleigh in 2026
HBK’s published starting points:
- Budget renovation: from $9,999 fixed price for a standard-sized bathroom that keeps its layout, including waterproofing, tiling, vanity, tapware, shower, toilet, paint, lighting and exhaust
- Mid-range renovation: $15,000 to $25,000 with better tiles, custom joinery or a bath
- Full renovation with layout changes: upwards of $25,000
Two local cost drivers stand out. Bentleigh East slabs make moving a toilet or floor waste expensive, so keeping the layout is the best saving available. And any home built before 1990 may contain asbestos sheeting in the wet areas, which needs licensed removal priced into the quote from the start. Inclusions for the fixed-price option are listed on our bathroom renovations under $10,000 page.
3. Laundry Renovation Costs
A laundry renovation Melbourne homeowners commission typically costs between $5,000 and $25,000, which is the range HBK publishes for its laundry renovations in Melbourne. The low end is new cabinetry, a trough and splashback in the existing position. The high end moves plumbing, adds a benchtop over a front loader and dryer, and builds in overhead storage and a hanging rail. Most complete, functional laundries land in the $7,000 to $15,000 middle.
Laundries are wet areas too. Waterproofing to AS 3740 applies to the floor and around the trough, and a floor waste is a cheap insurance policy against a burst hose.
4. Combining a Bathroom and Laundry Renovation
Doing both rooms at once is the smartest money in a Bentleigh East brick veneer. The rooms usually share a wall and a plumbing stack, so one strip-out, one waterproofer, one tiler and one plumber visit cover both. Popular layouts include a European laundry concealed behind bi-fold doors next to the bathroom, or a bathroom-laundry combination in a small home where the old laundry becomes a second toilet or a bigger shower.
Expect the combined job to cost less than two separate projects and to finish in a single continuous block, which matters when you are living through it.
5. The Renovation Timeline, Week by Week
For a standard bathroom that keeps its layout, with a laundry added:
- Before start: fixed-price contract signed, selections confirmed, materials ordered, building permit obtained if structural work is involved
- Week 1: protection laid, strip-out, asbestos removal if required, plumbing and electrical rough-in, cement sheet and framing
- Week 2: waterproofing applied in coats with full cure time between them, membrane inspected, floor and wall tiling, grouting
- Week 3: vanity, toilet, shower screen, tapware and laundry cabinetry fitted, painting, exhaust and lighting connected, clean and handover
Layout changes, slab cutting or custom joinery add one to three weeks. HBK sets fixed start and finish dates at the quotation stage and does not compress waterproofing cure time to hit them.
6. Permits and Compliance in Glen Eira
- Building permit. Cosmetic updates and like-for-like fixture replacements generally do not need one. Structural changes, such as removing the wall between a toilet and bathroom, do, and a registered building surveyor issues it.
- Licensed trades. All plumbing and electrical work must be done by licensed tradespeople who issue compliance certificates.
- AS 3740 applies to bathrooms and laundries, carried out by a licensed waterproofer and inspected before tiling.
- Work over $10,000 needs a major domestic building contract with a registered builder, with a five-day cooling-off period and domestic building insurance from $16,000, as set out by Consumer Affairs Victoria.
7. Water and Energy: Small Choices, Big Bills
A renovation is the moment to fix the water bill. Front loading washing machines use around 60 litres per normal wash against up to 115 litres for older top loaders, and the Australian Government’s WELS water rating scheme rates machines, taps, showers and toilets out of six stars so you can compare at a glance. Specify 4-star or better taps and showers, a 4-star dual flush toilet and a 5-star washing machine, and the savings run for the life of the fittings.
Ventilation matters just as much. A peer-reviewed review of 45 Australian studies in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health linked indoor mould to asthma and respiratory conditions, with condensation and building defects among the main risk factors. A ducted exhaust fan in both the bathroom and the laundry is the fix.
8. Mistakes to Avoid
- Moving plumbing without a reason. Every relocated fixture adds cost on a slab.
- Skipping the asbestos test. An unplanned find stops the job and blows the budget.
- Cheap waterproofing. It is the one thing you cannot see after tiling and the one thing that fails.
- Accepting an estimate instead of a fixed price. Estimates move; contracts do not.
- Forgetting the exhaust fan. The cause of most “new bathroom, old mould” complaints.
9. What to Expect From a Fixed-Price Contract
A proper fixed-price contract itemises inclusions, names the products, states the start and finish dates, and lists the only things that could change the price, such as concealed asbestos or rotten framing found on strip-out, with the rate agreed in advance. You get a registered builder, domestic building insurance, licensed trades and a single point of contact. That is how HBK works across Bentleigh, Bentleigh East, McKinnon, Ormond and Carnegie. See our Bentleigh renovation services for the full list of what we do locally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Bentleigh East?
A. A standard-sized bathroom that keeps its layout starts from $9,999 fixed price with HBK. Mid-range work runs $15,000 to $25,000, and layout changes on a slab or asbestos removal push the price higher.
Q. How much does a laundry renovation cost in Melbourne?
A. Between $5,000 and $25,000. A cabinetry and trough refresh sits at the low end, and a full reconfiguration with relocated plumbing and built-in storage at the high end. Most complete laundries land between $7,000 and $15,000.
Q. How long does a bathroom and laundry renovation take?
A. About three weeks on site for both rooms when the layout stays, including waterproofing cure time. Layout changes or custom joinery add one to three weeks.
Q. Do I need a building permit for a bathroom renovation in Glen Eira?
A. Not for cosmetic or like-for-like work. Structural changes need a building permit issued by a registered building surveyor. Plumbing, electrical and waterproofing must be done by licensed trades either way.
Talk to Bentleigh’s Fixed-Price Bathroom and Laundry Renovators
HBK Constructions renovates bathrooms and laundries across Bentleigh, Bentleigh East, McKinnon, Ormond, Carnegie and Moorabbin. Every project is a fixed-price contract with licensed trades and compliant waterproofing.
What sets HBK apart:
- Bathroom renovations from $9,999 fixed price
- Registered Victorian builder with domestic building insurance on every major job
- One team for bathroom and laundry, one continuous timeline
- Licensed waterproofing to AS 3740, inspected before tiling
- Local experience across Glen Eira, Bayside and Kingston
Book a free site assessment and get a fixed-price quote for both rooms.
Phone: 0400 200 415
Email: info@hbkconstructions.com.au
Website: hbkconstructions.com.au