Find a bathroom renovator in five steps
In short
To find a bathroom renovator in Brisbane, send your suburb, room photos and proposed layout to companies that handle similar renovations. Check the contracting business and its licence scope with the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC), clarify who manages the trades and waterproofing, and compare written quotes after site visits. For an apartment, check body corporate requirements before demolition. Agree on a written contract, payment stages and completion records before work starts.
Step 1
Describe the room, access and layout changes
Start with your Brisbane suburb, property type, room measurements and photos of the bathroom. Explain whether you want to keep the layout or move the shower, toilet or vanity. Include leaks, loose tiles, soft flooring and any previous repairs so the site visit can cover the underlying problem.
Describe access as carefully as the finishes. An upstairs bathroom in a raised house may need different delivery and waste arrangements from an apartment with a booked lift. Tell the renovator if this is your only bathroom, and ask how long the toilet and shower will be unavailable before settling on dates.
Details to send with your enquiry
| Detail | What to include |
|---|---|
| Layout and scope | Room dimensions, what stays, what goes and any proposed wall or plumbing changes. |
| Condition | Photos of the room and any leaks, damaged surfaces or earlier repairs. |
| Address and access | Suburb, house or apartment, floor level, stairs, parking, lift bookings and waste access. |
| Selections and timing | Fixture models already chosen, items you will supply, budget and preferred work period. |
Step 2
Check the business, licence scope and trade coordination
Ask for recent bathrooms with a similar scope and speak to referees about supervision, communication and how problems were resolved. Confirm that the company services your address and ask who will be your contact throughout the renovation.
Check the person or company named on the quote through QBCC's licence search, including its current status, licence classes and conditions. Queensland generally requires an appropriate QBCC licence to contract for building work valued over $3,300. Plumbing and drainage have licensing requirements regardless of value. A licence must cover the proposed work; contact QBCC if the scope or a restriction is unclear.
Ask whether the renovator will contract for and coordinate the whole job or whether you need separate agreements with trades. Confirm the credentials of the plumber and electrician, and identify who is responsible for waterproofing, tiling and any repairs revealed during demolition.
Step 3
Resolve apartment approvals and the waterproofing plan
If your home is in a body corporate scheme, check its by-laws and ask what approval is needed for your proposal. QBCC advises checking written approval requirements especially where renovation work affects common property or building systems, such as shared pipes and load-bearing walls. Confirm lift use, work hours, water shutdowns and protection of common areas with building management before booking demolition.
For example, moving an apartment shower may involve more than changing the tiles if the new waste connection affects shared pipework. Give the body corporate a scope and layout showing the proposed change. Do not assume every bathroom needs the same approval or that all waterproofing is common property.
Ask the renovator to confirm any building or plumbing approvals with the relevant council, certifier or licensed trade. Record who obtains them and whether fees are included. If older materials will be disturbed, arrange assessment of suspect materials before strip-out.
Waterproofing is the system beneath wet-area finishes that prevents water reaching the building. Ask who will prepare the surfaces, install the system and check it before tiling. QBCC highlights correct detailing and adequate curing time between coats. Get the areas, products, responsibilities and time allowed for this work written into the scope.
Step 4
Compare written quotes against one scope
Arrange site visits and ask each company to quote on the same layout and fixture selections. Compare what you would pay in total, including work and items excluded from the quote. A lower figure may leave repairs, fittings or disposal for you to arrange separately.
Ask the renovator to explain allowances. A prime cost allowance covers an item not yet selected; a provisional sum covers work whose cost cannot yet be fixed. Confirm the amount, what it includes and how the final cost will be calculated. Ask how hidden water damage will be priced and authorised once the room is opened up.
Step 5
Set the contract, payments and handover records
Queensland requires a written contract for domestic building work priced over $3,300, including labour, materials and GST. Bathroom refits fall within domestic building work. For work priced at $20,000 or more, the contractor must give you the QBCC consumer building guide before you sign. Use the written quote and selections to check that the contract describes the work you actually agreed on.
Confirm start and completion arrangements, the deposit, payment milestones and the process for approving variations, which are changes to the agreed work. Check applicable deposit limits and home warranty insurance requirements before paying. Ask for the price and time effect of a change in writing before authorising it.
Agree on handover records before work begins: waterproofing installation details, product warranties, care instructions and any required certificates or approval records. Inspect the bathroom with the contractor, list unfinished or defective items and record the agreed follow-up. Keep the contract, approved changes, invoices and handover documents for future repairs or a dispute.
Sources and useful links
Sources checked 7 October 2026
- QBCC: when you need a licence
General building work threshold, relevant licence scope, plumbing and drainage requirements, and exceptions.
- QBCC: apartment renovations
Checking scheme by-laws and written approval requirements for common property and building systems.
- QBCC: waterproofing guidance
Waterproofing scope, preparation, detailing, curing time and contractor responsibilities.
- QBCC: domestic building contracts
Bathroom refits, written contracts over $3,300 including GST, and the consumer guide requirement from $20,000.
