Thinking of doing a bit of home renovation? For many with little experience and first-hand knowledge, this can be a daunting task. We enlist the help of two building specialists who share their kitchen and bathroom renovations checklists.
Steve Burke and Suzanne Burke are co-authors of Nail Your Renovation without getting Screwed, a new book packed full of expert renovation advice and tips so you avoid becoming a building horror story. They share their checklists for kitchen and bathroom renovations.
Before you start any major home improvement project, make sure you know how much you are planning on spending before you do anything else. Then break down your overall budget and into a budget cost for each fixture, fitting, materials and tradesperson.
Ensure you allow for labour costs which can be the biggest cause of budget blowouts on any renovation project. The best and easiest way to avoid any unexpected costs is to get a fixed price quote from each trade in writing before you start.
A little bit of planning goes a long way and can help set you up for a successful project and a beautiful home transformation that you are proud of.
Kitchen Renovations Checklist
- Research the market, figure out your likes, needs and wants
- Get your kitchen designed
- Make selections
- Cabinet Measure Up
- Disconnect electricity, water and gas services
- Asbestos removal – if required
- Commence demolition
- Form up any new walls or bulkhead
- Plumber and sparkie tube out
- Line bulkhead or new walls and perform plaster patching
- Apply the set coat if required
- Flooring installation/fixing
- Install the new cabinets
- Plan and measure the position of cut outs in tops, creating the template for the benchtops.
- Manufacture the benchtops
- Fit the benchtops
- Splash-back installation or tiling
- Paint walls and ceiling
- Fit off the plumbing and electrical
- Fit appliances
- Final Clean
- Final inspection
Bathroom Renovations Checklist
- Select plumbing fixtures, tiles and vanity
- Meet your plumber on site
- Meet your tiler on site to confirm your tile selections
- Confirm lead times for your plumbing fixtures, tile selection and vanity selection
- Get a site bin delivered
- Electrician to cut off the power
- Plumber to cut off fixtures
- Demolish and remove old tiles and cabinets
- Slab preparation – wet down and compact the sand pad, apply a termite treatment, pour the concrete slab
- Tube-out and pre-wire by plumber and electrician
- Plastering
- Get the tiles and vanity delivered
- Mark out tile heights on the wall
- Apply Waterproofing to all wet areas
- Install vanity and top
- Tiler lays tiles
- Glazier measures up shower screen and mirror
- Plumber and electrician fit fixtures and electrical
- Painting
- Glazier fits the shower screen and mirror
- Final clean
- Tiler applies silicon to the tile junctions
- Final inspection
