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Serial renovator Wayne Beckwith knows how (and where) to spend his renovating dollars. Practical and handy with the tools (he used to work with one of Australia’s largest tool companies), Wayne has recently totally reworked and updated a 1970s family home on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, eventually selling it for a considerable profit.
“I’ve been renovating homes for the bulk of my life – at least 30 odd years,” he explains. “None of them were flips. They're all long-term, and each took a few years to do because I was working at the same time. There was never any intention to renovate and sell pretty quickly.” Here, Wayne shares the steps he undertook to renovate the main bathroom of the house – and how he saved money by doing some of the work himself.
Renovating this house was a large undertaking, Wayne says, and involved updating and improving almost every room, often with structural changes. The whole process took more than three years, with Wayne doing much of the work on weekends and after work.
The renovation of the main bathroom was one of the most impressive parts of the makeover, totally transforming the outdated and ugly existing room to create a spacious and modern wet area.
One of two bathrooms in the house, Wayne and his wife Kate used the ensuite of the main bedroom while the work was being done on the larger room. The main bathroom was pure 1970s, awkward in shape, with a large spa and two entrances, one of which led into a small bedroom. A separate toilet took up a lot of unnecessary space.
Wayne spent about $14,000 on the main bathroom, saying that even though he chose mid-price fittings, it was the second most expensive room in the house (after the kitchen).
After gutting the room, squaring it off and removing the separate toilet, he says, he realised that it was a large space to work with.
“It's actually one of the easiest rooms to do to be honest,” he says. “If you can do the demolition work yourself, and get it all ready, it makes a big difference. You need to be organised with your trades because you can't do electrical work yourself and you can't do plumbing yourself.
“You can definitely do tiling and the waterproofing, but my preference is not to do tiling, especially when it comes to bathrooms, because I'm fussy. I like it to be absolutely spot on. I don't have that skillset. I don't enjoy doing it. So, I’m happy to get someone else to do it.”
Once the room was gutted and one of the doorways was closed off, Wayne says he started planning to find the best way to use the space. “It was a massive bathroom area to work with,” he explains.
“When you look at the finished project, you can see that there's a full-size free-standing bath with plenty of room in front of it, a very large walk-in shower, A double vanity and a toilet and additional feature lighting.
“Once the walls were knocked out and I could get a good feel for the space, I started taking the measurements of things that I wanted. How big the bath was, where it needed to be positioned, the size of the shower, where the toilet needed to be, all of that. This was also the time to work out where towel rails and toilet roll holders will go in case behind wall timbers needed to be installed.
“Then I called in the plumber to do the roughing in, which is all the internal wall and under floor pipework. Most people don't realise you need to already have purchased the toilet/tap/bath/shower fittings, because they may have their own specialty parts that need to be installed. It also helps the plumber work out their positioning. The electrician was next to do his rough-in. I ran the cabling for the low voltage feature lights.”
Knowing when and who to contract is a big part of running a renovation successfully, says Wayne, as well as doing all the demolition first to give them a clean space to work with. “What you're doing is you're making the job easier for the trades. I know what the sparky [electrician] needs, and I know when he needs it. I know what the plumber needs and when he needs it.” Wayne’s tiler also did the waterproofing.
“Anyone can do waterproofing,” he says, “but he is industry trained and certified, which meant his work was to the highest standard and came with a warranty. If something goes wrong, and if you plan on selling the house as an owner/builder, which is what I was, then there is legal responsibility to provide insurance, and you don't want to have things that are going to come back to bite you. He also provided advice on the prep work I could do to save time and money.”
An efficient renovation is a cost-effective renovation, says Wayne, who says that he saved money by managing the trades well by booking them well ahead and working around their schedule, plus doing as much of their prep work and assisting them where possible to save on labouring costs.
He also did the painting, fixed the floating vanity cabinet to the wall, fitted the basins as well as cutting the holes in the benchtop himself, installed the towel rails and toilet roll holder, and installed the shower screen with a friend.
To see more of Wayne’s projects, visit the Bunnings Workshop community. You’ll find projects including a stunning floating hearth fireplace with timber feature wall and a clever laundry renovation as well as his bathroom makeover. Or, read more customer renovation stories and start planning your next project!
Asbestos, lead-based paints and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber are health hazards you need to look out for when renovating older homes. These substances can easily be disturbed when renovating and exposure to them can cause a range of life-threatening diseases and conditions including cancer. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer or visit our Health & Safety page.
When following our advice in our D.I.Y. videos, make sure you use all equipment, including PPE, safely by following the manufacturer’s instructions. Check that the equipment is suitable for the task and that PPE fits properly. If you are unsure, hire an expert to do the job or talk to a Bunnings Team Member.
