One contractor for the whole bathroom
We renovate bathrooms in Bulli as one contractor holding the whole job. That covers strip-out, plumbing and electrical rough-in, waterproofing to the Australian Standard, tiling, then fit-off. You are not engaging five trades and sequencing them yourself, and you get a fixed-price proposal before the old bathroom comes out.
That sequence is the reason to use one team. Every stage depends on the one before it, and waterproofing in particular has to be done properly and left to cure before a tile goes near it. When separate trades are booked by the owner, that is the step that gets squeezed, because it is invisible when it is finished and it is the only thing keeping water out of your wall and floor structure. The bathroom renovations page shows how the stages run.
Weather from the escarpment and the beach
Humidity is the quiet problem. Without decent extraction, a beautifully finished room grows mould in the corners within a couple of winters, so ventilation gets designed in rather than left to a builder's-standard fan. Our post on damp and mould in older Illawarra homes explains how to find the source. Coastal-grade tapware and fittings are the other call worth making here, since ordinary chrome does not hold up to this air.
If it is the only bathroom in the house, tell us early. We stage the job around that so the stretch without one is as short as it can be.
What a Bulli quote should cover
A fixed-price bathroom proposal should account for the whole job rather than the visible end of it. It should include strip-out and disposal, plumbing and electrical rough-in, waterproofing, screed, tiling, fit-off, and making good the rooms either side where the trades have been through.
Allowances are where two quotes differ most. Tapware, tiles, the vanity, the screen and the toilet are usually carried as a nominated allowance rather than a chosen product. Ask what the allowance is per item and the quotes become comparable. The 2026 bathroom cost guide explains the ranges.
What moves a Bulli price is what sits behind the wall. The original bathrooms in the post-war homes through here went in before modern waterproofing existed, and once the linings are off it is common to find timber that has been damp for years, galvanised pipe worth replacing while it is exposed, or a floor that needs re-sheeting before anything can be tiled over it. We would rather open up and price that honestly than hand over a number that moves later.
For the same reason we quote after seeing the room. A photo will tell you what the tiles look like and nothing about the condition of what is holding them up, and on a house of this age that is the half of the job worth pricing properly.
Nearby
Bulli is inside Wollongong City Council. Woonona is the next suburb south and Thirroul is to the north. Photos of finished work are in the gallery.
Questions from Bulli
What should a bathroom renovation quote in Bulli include?
It should cover strip-out and disposal, plumbing and electrical rough-in, waterproofing, screed, tiling, fit-off and making good the rooms either side. A quote that lists mainly fittings is a shopping list, not a price.
Why do two bathroom quotes in Bulli look so different?
The allowances are usually the reason. Tapware, tiles, the vanity, the screen and the toilet are often carried as an allowance, so two proposals can describe the same room to different standards. Ask for the per-item figure.
What can change a bathroom price once the walls are open?
Damp timber, old galvanised pipe worth replacing or a floor that needs re-sheeting before it can be tiled. Post-war bathrooms went in before modern waterproofing existed, so these are common. We price them honestly once exposed.
Can I stay in the house during a Bulli bathroom renovation?
Yes, usually. If it is the only bathroom, tell us early and we stage the job to keep the time without one as short as possible. That is a planning decision made before the first day.
My shower leaks in Bulli. Is that a repair or a rebuild?
It depends on whether water has reached the floor or wall framing. A surface seal failure can be repaired, but a failed waterproofing membrane means the shower has to be stripped and rebuilt. We assess it on site before recommending anything.