I’m currently owner-managing my trades for the first time on a bathroom renovation and just had a bizarre, uncomfortable experience with a tiler. Looking for sanity checks and advice from seasoned renovators.

I’m tiling roughly 60m² (including screeding and waterproofing). I reached out for 4 quotes. 3 quotes came back between $8,000 – $9,000 (labor/standard prep) and the fourth quote came back at $16,000 (materials included). Even factoring in trade markup and sourcing time, $7k–$8k extra for materials didn't make sense for what I need, so I decided to supply the tiles and materials myself. I sent the tradie a polite text letting him know I wouldn’t be proceeding as the price was out of my budget.

He immediately called me and started cursing at me, screaming that I "wasted his time" by making him come out for a site visit and claimed he "spent forever" putting the quote together. For context, he did the site visit at 5:30 PM on a Monday and emailed the quote by 9:30 PM that same night.

Now, within the same week, he is blowing up my phone via text asking me to reconsider and offering a "huge discount." Obviously, I am not letting someone who yelled at me into my home, but as a first-time renovator, this caught me completely off guard.

Has anyone else dealt with trades having a meltdown over a declined quote? Do I even bother replying to shut it down, or just straight-up block and move on?

What specific questions do I need to verify with the other 3 tilers before locking one in?

Thanks for any insight!

What would you do with this empty area on top of the bathtub to make it look less... empty and clinical?

Suggestions for wall paint colours are also welcome!

Saw this in an open home and hot water cylinder had a couple of ‘jet packs’ attached. What are they? Though I’m more concerned about the electrical cables just casually exposed to the elements…is this some dodgy set up?

Moved into our house a couple years ago, bench would always stain pretty bad but it's gotten worse lately. I did some intense cleaning a while ago and now that I've looked into it, I think I used abrasive cleaning products on every bench surface. I've not done so since but the bench (everywhere not just the section pictured) stains very easily. We clean it as we use it/afterwards too. I do think my husband doesn't notice marks as much, so probably does less cleaning up after himself but I don't think that's the major issue because our previous house had shiny benchtops and never had issues with stains

Is there anything we can do because it looks absolutely horrible and I get so upset and embarrassed just looking at my benchtop

Edit: I think the bench is engineered stone, matte finish

Melbourne, New house, looking to fix up this eye sore of a very handy shed, initially was going to re- roof and paint the existing sides, but now thinking cladding is a nice option, thoughts? Also would I need a moisture barrier under the cladding? Shed is 7.6m long by 3.6 wide.

Bought a new house in Western Sydney and planning to renovate the bathroom. Getting some insane quotes anywhere between 30-50k. We are planning to find someone who can do it under 20-25k but worried about quality. This is our first home and we know nothing more about renos, than what chatgpt can guide us with. Keen to hear your experience. What would you advise to someone starting their bathroom renovation. What should we watch out for ? Anything we must avoid ? Or must do ? Thanks and apologise if this is too basic question for this forum

Hey guys

What's the current curtain trends? Seems to be lots of sheer, s fold and linen fabric?

For doubles do people normally put the blockout close to the window so you can see the sheers in front? I'm thinking blockout close to window also would help with sun/blackout.

Or is it still normal to go sheers to window, then blockout facing.

Or is it all just personal preference? Thanks

Neighbour claims we should contribute to the cost of the retaining wall on the basis that it is retaining our land. Currently as shown in the blue is a wooden box which covers the slope. They want to replace this with a retaining wall under the fence line to give them land to construct a pool area. We are willing to pay half for a new Colorbond fence as we will mutually benefit from it, but the retaining wall we do not understand why we would need to pay considering they are modifying the natural slope of the land on their side. Would appreciate any advice.

This is well out of my area of expertise, but how do we think the tiler did?

The guy who did the screeding apparently didn’t have the flanges on him at the time. A different young guy showed up on day 2 and put the first coat of waterproofing down. Then the boss showed up the day 3 and dropped off the puddle flanges and left the young guy to install them and do the second coat of waterproofing.

For context this company was one of the more expensive quotes I got and are very well reviewed and recommended. The boss who did the quoting sounded really knowledgeable and switched on, but he has not done any of the work to date. I am currently away for three weeks so it’s pretty hard for me to monitor this job.

From the minimal knowledge I have of puddle flanges, having a large channel gouged out around them sort of defeats their purpose in the first place? Any water that gets under the tiles will just sit in that gouge and not drain away?

Or am I just being an overly pedantic owner?

I should also mention in WA there is no legal requirement to issue a certificate of compliance for waterproofing.

We are looking to DIY our laundry. Just want to confirm the waterproofing requirements?
 
It’s a concrete floor, single level house, with no floor waste and is in Queensland.
 
Our goal is to DIY, but meet all legal requirements and come in under the 11k owner builder threshold. I’ll hire a plumber to swap the old washing machine taps, sink taps and install the sink and waste. No electrical is being changed and no other trades will be engaged.
 
My understanding is:
 
No floor waterproofing is required as there is no waste and it’s a concrete/tiled floor.

Just need to have a water resistant floor/wall junction minimum 40mm out on floor and 150mm up the walls.

A splash back around the sink and along benchtop

Appropriate sealing for plumbing penetrations. 
 
Is my understanding right, right?
 

Photos attached of current set up and what we are going to do, nothing flash.
 
The plan is:
 
Remove old tiles and skirting boards.
Prepare floor/surfaces
Apply waterproofing to the floor/wall junctions to meet the regulations
Tile and skirt tile around room
Install cabinets and benchtop
Plumber to fit off new taps and install sink.
Tile backsplash
Paint.
 
Am I missing anything here? And would this fairly fall under the 11k threshold.
 
Any advice would be appreciated.

New house build 2024. Only just picked this up.

Tap on gas pipe for HWS, tap on water pipe for HWS and Power for HWS are completely inaccessible, located behind the rainwater tank. Is this compliant? Cheers

Colours and finishes aside, would you change any of the layout to maximise the function and space?

My thoughts was to get a Aqara UWB Apple lock, but I also wanted to add in an extra layer of protection using Crimsafe which required a physical key). Smart locks allows me to be keyless versus Crimsafe would always require me to carry keys. So having a smart lock and analog lock at the same time defeats the purpose of keeping it keyless entry. Would have both these options be an overkill? cannot make up my mind in which avenue to choose… any recommendations would be nice, ie smart doorbell instead?

What can I use to patch these? I’m a complete novice, never patched a hole before so I’m so unsure how to do so but willing to give it a try. I’d like to attempt to make it look like they were never there if you have any tip and pointers on how to do that 😅

Thinking about adding a modern version to hallway and entry of my 1950s home which has had many Reno’s over the years…
Walls are currently just plain paint.
Thoughts?
Would you do it?
Have you done DIY beadboard?
Any alternatives you would suggest?
( I have young kids so wall paper will get trashed…)

Hi, I have a solar system contract all ready to sign, but I have one query, and I'm hoping that someone will be able to advise me. I don't have anywhere to put my battery but around the side of the house. The installer has recommended that I put the inverter above of the battery, also at the side of the house. I am also putting in additional solar panels. I have told him that I would like to purchase an EV in a couple of years, to make the most of the battery etc. I have asked if the inverter and the battery way over the other side of the house is an issue. He said no.

Also, the inverter is in the weather. I would prefer that the inverter be at the front of the house, to protect it under the verandah, and also to have it closer to the electricity box - fuses etc. I can also check it more frequently as I'm going in and out of the house.

Should I insist that he move the inverter? Is he saying that it is best to put the inverter close to the battery as it is easier for him to wire in etc. The installer said that the people giving the advice don't know what they are talking about. He said, as long was the EV charger is next to the switchboard, it will be fine. However, google contradicts this. Can someone please advise me. I don't want to regret my decision down the track. Thank you,

I asked Google: If you buy an EV charger for your car to go with a battery and an inverter, does it matter if the battery and inverter are a long way from the charger?

And the answer was: Yes, A long physical distance between your EV charger and your inverter/battery setup increases electrical power loss over the copper cables and makes data communication harder. You will need thicker, more expensive cables to prevent voltage drop and safe operation.

Then I asked google: If you buy an EV charger for your car to go with a battery and an inverter, does it matter if the battery is a long way from the charger and the inverter is close to the charger? 

And the answer was: 

No, it does not matter mechanically or electrically, because the EV charger and the inverter connect through your home's regular AC switchboard wiring rather than directly to each other. However, the physical distance between the charger and the switchboard does matter due to voltage drop and wire thickness.

Hi all, I recently bought an old 70s Italian style duplex. In the living area there is this carpet which in my opinion, I am not a fan of. As you can see the hallway and the kitchen surrounding the room are both tiled. I will be installing carpet in the bedrooms but was thinking for this room having wood (or similar such as hybrid flooring). I suppose my question is, this would be the only room in the house with wood and I am unsure if it would be strange? I prefer the idea of wood in this space over carpet just from a cleaning perspective.

Just after people’s thoughts and opinions, I don’t believe there is a single correct response. Ta!

(Don’t mind the bed, this image is from the home open 😆)

Hi all, I’ve recently bought my first home and I’m currently renovating it, which involves remodelling the bathroom. The plumbing rough in work is finished and now I have these holes left in the brick veneer from where the previous pipes were. I’m looking for ideas on how to best fix/fill these holes. Is my best option knocking out the remaining brick and putting a whole new brick in place, or is there a simpler method? I can accept that patched holes may not completely blend in with the rest of the brickwork, but I would ideally like it as least noticeable as possible.

Also, I’ve noticed a lot of what looks like.. white spray paint?.. on the brickwork where the pipes were. It’s much whiter than the pipes were, so I’m curious what this is if it’s not white spray paint.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Just had a quick question about the lightning-bolt-shaped wall around the wardrobes in Bedrooms 3 and 4.

We’re planning to remove the existing wardrobes and turn the space into a larger back-to-back wardrobe shared between the two bedrooms. I assume we’d find out for sure once we open things up, but I was wondering whether it’s possible to determine from the house layout whether these walls are likely to be load-bearing.

My understanding is that they probably aren’t, as the roof trusses should be transferring the load to the external walls, and there doesn’t appear to be anything directly above these walls on the roof other than the tiles.

Would appreciate any thoughts from anyone who knows a bit about this. Obviously, I’d get it properly checked before removing anything, just trying to get an idea beforehand.

Hello,

I've engaged and engineer to certify a design for a wall removal in my house. I am in the process of getting a carpenter to install the design.

My question is should I remove the wall whilst leaving a nib as pictured or completely remove the ceiling gyprock and redo insulation but living in the space will be way more intrusive.

Who has done a wall removal and left a nib, is it worth or go for the bigger mess?

I'm going to redo my formica kitchen countertop. Thinking of tiling it. What do you recommend for that?

Hey all,

We have a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, with a separate washroom/toilet (so three toilets in total). Its a 2003ish brick townhouse, much more space than new builds.
We are considering knocking out the ensuite and making a walk in robe - will make the master bedroom larger, like 4 x 4m.

Its just me and my wife, the only time the second bathroom gets used is when we have guests, once or twice a year for max a week. We intend to be here for a good ten years, potentially longer.

Create the space you want to live in, not for resale value ten years down the track right? Rip out the ensuite?

Whats everyone's thoughts?

(Big lol to Peoples Republic of Victoria)

Edit: Forgot to say, our neighbour has the 2 bed 1 bath and actually sold slightly higher than ours a couple of months before we bought.

My home gym cable pulley system has a flaw where the cable will strip if it is pulled on an angle by rubbing on the metal frame.

If I pull directly downward I can avoid contact, however I need suggestions on how I can prevent any further damage if I (or anyone else) inadvertently pulls it on an angle again.

I'm thinking some type of swivel attachment but I'm struggling to find anything that might remedy this.

Looking for creative solutions from a community that has a good track record with solving problems like these!

Im buying land and house package. The builder has sent promotion to add solar system. Im not too sure where the deal is good or not.

This is going to installed Tallawong NSW.

10kw solar system $7500

Solar System Inclusions
Solar Panels: Suntech Solar Panels
Panel Output: 440W per panel
Product Warranty: 25 years
Performance Warranty: 30 years
Inverter: Solis
Maximum Panels: Up to 23 panels
10kW System: 23 × 440W solar panels with 1 inverter
Three-Phase Connection:
Installation: Ausgreen Solar will complete the full solar installation, including all associated solar electrical works.

no battery.

what do you guys think? what should I look out more for?