Bathroom Reno: Outdated 1970’s Relic Turned Modern & Functional

Referred by a friend, the first tradie gave Joanne a quote to install and renovate to her plan, and they agreed that she would buy everything that was needed for the bathroom in advance.

However, fast forward three months, the tradie was uncontactable and nowhere to be seen.

With the goods for her bathroom waiting at Mitre10 and a loan taken out for the project, Joanne was desperate to get the job underway.

Joanne wanted a clean, crisp and modern, functioning bathroom — a far cry from the 1970’s bathroom with its ineffective fittings and electrical components.

“The house was extremely hard to use. The bath, toilet and shower were in three separate rooms because it’s an old 1970’s house. What I wanted was to close off the laundry and put a shower in there,” Joanne says.

“I decided to make one big bathroom that was going to be a fully functional family bathroom that would service the entire house.”

“I spoke to someone at work, saying I didn’t know what to do. I needed to have my bathroom renovated, and my colleague said, have you put it on Builderscrack?” Joanne says.

“Then they showed me how Builderscrack works, how to log on and use the site. I put the advert on the next day, and within two days I had seven respondents, so that was easy-peasy.”

All Joanne had to do, was her due diligence, choose a tradie and get her project underway.

“I got two tradies in to do quotes. The reviews were what helped me decide between the two tradies as their price was pretty similar. One had two or three average reviews; the other had 15 fantastic reviews.”

Joanne chose Tim from Gryphon Service Systems, a tradie experienced in quality installations; including wet areas, painting, plastering and tiling. She chose him based on his reviews, excellent communication and attention to detail.

“I am a service delivery manager, and quality service is essential to me. If someone says they are going to do something, they should do it,” Joanne says.

Further, there was another problem lurking in the outdated bathroom.

“This might be too much information, but there was a smell that we couldn’t find. I was forever cleaning the space with bleach. But there was always a smell around the bathroom, if not the whole house,” Joanne says.

“When Tim lifted the floor tiles, he found rotten floorboards. The source of the smell was a result of old leaking pipework.”

“I didn’t just want a bathroom that looked like a DIY job; I wanted a bathroom with great finishes and also had a bit of a wow factor to it,” Joanne says.

With Tim’s suggestions and input, Joanne got a high spec bathroom that would not only improve the functionality of the home but also add to the overall value of her house.

From speaking with Joanne, it is evident that she is very proud of her new bathroom and is ‘phenomenally happy’. Her review speaks volumes.

“What set him apart was the attention to detail & absolute care that he put into the work. The finishes are excellent, of the best quality — I am absolutely thrilled.”

Not only did Tim and his team fix and replace the rotten floorboards, they also refurbished the entire bathroom. Here’s what was involved:

A huge thank you to our homeowner Joanne and Tim from Gryphon Service Systems for sharing this awesome bathroom makeover.