Small and Second Bathroom Renovations Around Penrith

Where small bathrooms turn up in Penrith

Second bathrooms in 1980s and 1990s homes. Often a small shower room near the family area, sometimes with its own toilet, used by kids or guests.

Townhouses and villas. Common around Kingswood, St Marys, Werrington and South Penrith, frequently built from the 1980s onward as compact dual-occupancy or strata developments. Bathrooms tend to be tight, with a bath-shower combination.

Units near the town centre. Walk-up blocks close to Penrith station and the Nepean, and newer apartments around the CBD, have compact bathrooms on a concrete slab.

Granny flats. Increasingly common on larger Penrith blocks. Small, often recent, and sometimes already in need of better ventilation.

Layouts that work

The 1.5 by 2.4 metre bathroom. Shower across one end with a fixed panel, toilet and vanity along one side. No bath. Comfortable and easy to clean.

The 1.7 by 2.2 metre bathroom with a bath. Bath across the end with a shower over it and a fixed glass panel, vanity and toilet on the long wall. Keeps a bath for small children without crowding the room.

The square shower room. Shower in a corner with a walk-in panel, a corner or narrow vanity, wall-hung toilet if the wall allows.

In all three, a sliding or outward-opening door can free up floor that an inward swing takes.

Saving space without spending more

• Wall-hung vanity — shows more floor and makes cleaning easy
• Shallow vanity — 350 to 400mm deep instead of 460mm widens the walkway
• Recessed shaving cabinet — storage without anything sticking out
• Shower niche — one wide niche instead of a caddy or corner shelves
• Large mirror — the cheapest way to double the sense of space
• One tile throughout — floor and walls in a single light porcelain reads as bigger

Strata townhouses and units

Renovating a bathroom in a strata property adds a few steps:

1. Check the by-laws for renovation rules and working hours
2. Apply to the owners corporation with a description of the work and the waterproofing method
3. Wait for approval before booking a start date
4. Protect common areas and keep noise within approved hours
5. Provide the waterproofing certificate to the strata manager at the end

It is not complicated, but it does add time at the front of the job.

Ventilation in small rooms

Small bathrooms fog up fast. Many older townhouse bathrooms have no window and a weak fan, or a fan venting into the roof space. A correctly sized exhaust fan, ducted outside, with a run-on timer, is the most important thing you can add. In Penrith's humid summer storms and cold winter mornings, it is what stops mould returning.

Asbestos in older townhouses and units

Townhouses and walk-up units built before 1990 can contain asbestos in wet-area sheeting, floor coverings and adhesives. Testing is done before demolition, and removal is carried out by a licensed asbestos removalist. In a strata building, the strata manager should also be told.

Granny flat bathrooms

Newer granny flats may still be within the builder's statutory warranty period — six years for major defects and two years for other defects in NSW. If a granny flat bathroom is leaking, check with the original builder first. If it is simply cramped or poorly ventilated, a small renovation can fix it quickly.

Cost and timing

Allow about two and a half to three weeks on site. See the cost page for other room types.

Money and licensing

The deposit on residential building work in NSW is capped at 10 per cent, and for work over $20,000 home building compensation cover must be in place before a deposit is requested. Renovation work is carried out in partnership with Coastal Renovation Group, a licensed NSW builder; licence and insurance details are provided on request.

For the family bathroom, see main bathroom renovations. Call 02 4703 9332 or send the room details through.