How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Wollongong?
A new bathroom in Wollongong, stripped out and rebuilt with budget fittings, costs $10,800–$21,600, and $16,200 is the usual price. Mid-range finishes take it to $21,600–$37,800 and premium to $37,800–$59,400. A lot of local searches are about small bathrooms, and a compact room trims the bill less than people expect, because demolition, waterproofing and the plumbing rough-in carry a base cost whatever the floor area. Refreshing a 3–5 m² ensuite while keeping its layout costs $16,200–$32,400. Every price includes GST, and NSW contractor licensing reaches every renovation tier on this page.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Bathroom renovation cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Bathroom Renovation Cost in Wollongong 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic renovation (budget fittings) | $10,800total | $16,200 | $21,600 |
| Mid-range renovation | $21,600total | $29,150 | $37,800 |
| Premium renovation | $37,800total | $45,350 | $59,400 |
| Luxury renovation | $59,400total | $70,200 | $86,400 |
| Waterproofing | $755total | $1,500 | $3,775 |
| Tiling, supply and lay (floor + walls) | $3,025total | $5,400 | $8,100 |
| Vanity (supply + install) | $540total | $1,625 | $3,775 |
| Shower screen (frameless) | $865installed | $1,625 | $2,700 |
| Bath (freestanding, installed) | $1,625installed | $3,025 | $5,400 |
| Toilet (supply + install) | $430installed | $755 | $1,300 |
| Heated towel rail | $380installed | $700 | $1,300 |
| Plumbing rough-in | $2,150total | $3,250 | $5,400 |
| Demolition & disposal | $1,075total | $1,950 | $3,250 |
| Ensuite renovation (3–5 m², full strip-out, same layout) | $16,200total | $22,700 | $32,400 |
A bathroom renovation in Wollongong costs $10,800–$21,600 for a basic renovation with budget fittings, typically $16,200, $21,600–$37,800 for mid-range, $37,800–$59,400 for premium and $59,400–$86,400 for a luxury renovation. These match the Wollongong price table above, and each tier covers demolition, waterproofing, plumbing rough-in, tiling and the fittings for that grade.
The tier is set by the tiling scope and the fittings, not the size of the room. Keeping the toilet, shower and basin where they are keeps the plumbing rough-in at the bottom of its row; moving them adds slab cutting and new drainage. Floor-to-ceiling tiles, a frameless screen and a freestanding bath are what lift a mid-range job into premium, and a wall-hung vanity with a stone top into luxury. Waterproofing is a fixed cost at every tier, and an upstairs bathroom or a unit with strata rules adds access and approval time.
Pick the basic tier for an investment property or an affordable bathroom renovation that just needs to be clean and compliant; pick mid-range for a family home you will live in; go premium only when the layout changes or the finishes are the point. If you want to renovate bathroom fittings without moving anything, the itemised rows in the table above price that. Get quotes against one tier so the allowances compare like for like.
- Basic renovation (budget fittings): $10,800–$21,600 total, typically $16,200
- Mid-range renovation: $21,600–$37,800 total, typically $29,150
- Premium renovation: $37,800–$59,400 total, typically $45,350
- Luxury renovation: $59,400–$86,400 total, typically $70,200
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Prices include GST. Based on Wollongong metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What each tier actually includes
Wollongong & Illawarra suburbs we cover
Corrimal, Fairy Meadow, Figtree, Dapto, Thirroul, Woonona, Bulli, Unanderra.
Standard main bathroom — full renovation, same layout
Complete strip-out and demolition ($1,075–$3,250), new waterproofing with certificate ($755–$3,775), floor and wall tiling ($3,025–$8,100), new vanity ($540–$3,775), toilet ($430–$1,300), frameless shower screen ($865–$2,700), tapware and mixers, bath replacement or resurfacing, plumbing rough-in ($2,150–$5,400), electrical, and painting and finishing. This is where most Wollongong bathrooms land. Keeping the existing layout keeps the plumbing cost down.
Premium bathroom — layout changes, high-end finishes
Everything above, plus: a freestanding bath ($1,625–$5,400 installed), underfloor heating, a custom joinery vanity, a frameless glass shower screen ($865–$2,700), premium floor-to-ceiling porcelain tiles, a heated towel rail ($380–$1,300 installed), a smart toilet, niche shelving, and designer lighting. Relocating plumbing for a new layout adds to the plumbing rough-in ($2,150–$5,400), and structural work to expand the bathroom footprint is priced on top.
Taking space from another room or moving a wall makes the job building work as well as a bathroom renovation; the Wollongong builder cost guide prices extensions and structural changes.
Wet room conversion
An increasingly popular option in Wollongong, wet rooms eliminate the shower screen by tanking the entire floor. This requires meticulous waterproofing (the entire floor acts as a shower base) and precise falls for drainage. The extra cost over a standard bathroom is mainly in additional waterproofing and tiling labour (on a standard bathroom, waterproofing costs $755–$3,775 and tiling $3,025–$8,100). The result is a spacious, accessible bathroom that works particularly well in compact spaces.
Getting a bathroom renovation quote in Wollongong
A proper bathroom renovation quote in Wollongong itemises the trades, not just the total: demolition and disposal, waterproofing, tiling with the tile allowance spelled out, plumbing, electrical, and fixtures listed by brand and model. If a quote is one line, you can't see what happens when something changes — and something always changes once the old tiles come off. Compare itemised quotes on scope rather than the bottom line: a $21,600–$37,800 mid-range job that includes waterproofing certification and a fixture allowance can be better value than a cheaper figure that excludes them. Quote and final cost usually diverge at demolition, so ask how variations are priced before you sign.
Bathroom renovation quotes in Shellharbour
Wollongong bathroom renovators quote and service Shellharbour as standard — Warilla, Barrack Heights, Mount Warrigal, Oak Flats, Albion Park and Shell Cove included. Pricing a new bathroom in Shellharbour works exactly like the Wollongong process above: itemised quotes, compared on scope, with variations priced before you sign.
What moves a Shellharbour quote is housing stock. Much of Warilla, Mount Warrigal and Barrack Heights is 1960s–70s brick and fibro where original bathrooms can hide asbestos sheeting in the wet areas: licensed removal has to be priced before demolition, so ask each renovator to inspect for it rather than carry it as a variation. Shell Cove and the newer Flinders estates are the opposite case, with bathrooms often young enough that a cosmetic refresh beats a strip-out. Shellharbour sits under its own council (Shellharbour City, not Wollongong City), but the approval position is the same: a like-for-like renovation generally needs no council sign-off, and NSW's licensing rules for waterproofing work apply either way.
What Affects Bathroom Renovation Costs in Wollongong
Licensed for waterproofing
NSW requires a contractor licence for any residential building or trade work, waterproofing among it, once labour and materials pass $5,000 including GST. Plumbing, drainage and electrical wiring need a licence at any price. The membrane alone costs $755–$3,775, and the National Construction Code requires one in every wet area; if the old membrane has failed, it comes out along with the tiles above it.
Small job or large job contract
NSW contracts are graded by price. Any job over $5,000 needs one: up to $20,000 it is a small job contract, and above that a large job contract that must state a cooling-off period of five clear business days. Ten per cent is the most you can be asked for as a deposit. On typical prices, a budget renovation ($16,200) needs the small job form, whereas a mid-range job, typically $29,150, calls for the large one.
Home Building Compensation cover
For home building work over $20,000, the contractor must take out Home Building Compensation cover, and it is illegal to ask you for a deposit or any other payment until that cover is in place and you hold its certificate. Every premium job ($37,800–$59,400) is over that line, as is a typical mid-range one, so ask for the certificate with the contract.
Wet February and March
The university gauge records 160.4 mm in March and 156.4 mm in February, the wettest months, and 1323.7 mm across a year (BOM averages); Wollongong is in NCC climate zone 5. Damp air settles in any bathroom without good airflow, so a fan that exhausts to the open air is worth paying for. For a drier window to cart the old room away, July averages the least rain, 63.4 mm.
Small rooms, fixed costs
Three-bedroom homes are the biggest group in Wollongong at 41.6% of dwellings, and 14.8% are flats (ABS 2021 Census). In a small bathroom the fixed lines dominate: strip-out at $1,950, membrane at $1,500 and rough-in at $3,250 add up to about $6,700 at typical prices before a single tile or fitting goes in.
Fittings for a compact room
Tiling both floor and walls, tiles included, is $3,025–$8,100. A vanity runs $540–$3,775, a frameless screen $865–$2,700, a freestanding tub $1,625–$5,400 and a replacement toilet $430–$1,300. In a tight room, a wall-hung vanity and a single panel of frameless glass keep the floor clear and make the space feel larger.
Asbestos in older bathrooms
Wet-area sheeting in older homes can contain asbestos. In NSW a homeowner, or a tradesperson working for one, may remove less than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, but anything larger, or any amount of friable material, needs a licensed asbestos removalist. Ask the renovator how they will check the walls before the strip-out starts.
How to Save Money on Bathroom Renovation Cost in Wollongong
A Dapto homeowner planned a small ensuite refurbishment (2.7m × 900mm): waterproofing, wall panels, acrylic shower base with a 3-panel sliding door, and floor tiling with skirting edge — supplying their own toilet, vanity and taps. Estimated at $8,000–$14,000.
Details anonymised. Range is our estimate at enquiry — final quotes vary with access, materials and condition.
Bathroom Renovation Cost in Wollongong by Room Size
When the room is larger, the tiled floor and walls, the sealed area and the rubble all grow, which moves tiling ($3,025–$8,100) and the membrane up their lines. A three-bedroom house in Figtree or Thirroul with a mid-range main bathroom ($21,600–$37,800) and an ensuite ($16,200–$32,400) comes to $37,800–$70,200 for both rooms.
In Warilla or Barrack Heights, where older homes are brick and fibro, wet-area sheeting may hold asbestos, and a bigger room has more of it to inspect. Newer Shell Cove bathrooms can suit a cosmetic refresh instead of a strip-out. In a strata flat the room is small, but the owners corporation's sign-off comes with any job, whatever its size.
Bathroom Renovation Cost in Wollongong: What the Quote Should Include
Wollongong bathrooms sit in three-bedroom houses and strata flats alike, and in a small room the fixed trade lines make up a large part of the price. An itemised quote shows those lines apart from the fittings, so a Wollongong or Shellharbour job can be checked against the rows here.
- Strip-out at $1,075–$3,250, listing everything removed and where the skip will be placed.
- The membrane at $755–$3,775, its product, the area sealed and the warranty, set down beside the price.
- Rough-in at $2,150–$5,400, with each point marked as kept or moved.
- In a tight room, the wall framing or bracing for a wall-hung vanity listed with the vanity line.
- A single fixed glass panel or a full enclosure stated, since it changes the screen line, $865–$2,700.
- Tiles by size, the area covered and the allowance, against tiling at $3,025–$8,100.
- Payment stages tied to finished work, with GST shown.
- Start and finish dates written in, with the hours trades will be on site.
- Ask for their licence number and insurance before any deposit.
Frequently Asked Questions — Bathroom Renovation Cost in Wollongong
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →
Five deep-dives on Wollongong bathroom renovation cost
