Bathroom Renovation FAQs for Auckland Homes

The same trades turn up for both. A plumber, an electrician, a tiler and the waterproofing membrane applicator each need their days on site, whatever the floor area. Tile and fixtures are the part that scales with size.

Every trade, every fixture and the order the work runs in. Strip-out, linings, waterproofing membrane, plumbing, wiring, tiling, extractor and painting each sit on the quote, so you can see what the price buys.

Nick shows you what was found, prices the extra framing or pipework, and waits for your approval before the work goes ahead. Nothing is added to the job without your sign-off.

Yes. Nick comes to the house, measures the room and talks through what you want. There is no charge and no obligation to go ahead.

No. You or your designer lodge the building consent with Auckland Council. Alchemy builds to the approved plans, and Nick tells you at the site visit which parts of the job are likely to need a consent.

A PS3 is a producer statement for construction. It records that the work was built to the consented plans. Nick McKelvie is a registered producer statement author (PSA127420) and issues the PS3 for the waterproofing on consented jobs.

A waterproofing membrane is the layer under the tiles that keeps water out of the framing. Tiles and grout let water through. The waterproofing membrane goes on the shower walls and floor, turns up at the edges and seals into the waste.

Authorised trades. The plumber holds authorisation from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, and the electrician issues a Certificate of Compliance for the wiring. Alchemy books and sequences both.

Yes. The work stays in the bathroom and the path to it. If it is your only bathroom, tell Nick at the site visit, because you will need another shower and toilet while the work runs.

Mostly the fixtures. Imported tapware, vanities and tiles can have long lead times, so the order goes in as soon as you accept the quote.

No. Nick quotes from what he can see and measure at the site visit. The strip-out starts only after you accept the written quote.

It depends on who uses the room. A walk-in shower frees floor space and removes the step over the bath edge. A bath suits a household that bathes small children. Nick can show you both layouts drawn in your room before you decide.

Yes, when the drainage allows it. Moving a waste under a timber floor is simpler than cutting a concrete slab. The route decides the cost, so Nick checks it at the site visit.

Alchemy fits one in every bathroom it renovates, ducted to open air. MBIE's Smarter Homes guidance sets 25 litres per second for a typical bathroom fan and says it must vent outside.

Yes. The layout, fixture schedule and tile plan are settled with the written quote, before anything is ordered.

15 years from handover. If the waterproofing fails in that time, you call Alchemy and the guarantee covers it.

All of it. The team works across the North Shore, West Auckland, East Auckland, South Auckland and the central suburbs.

On the Alchemy Google Business Profile. It holds 70+ reviews at 4.7 stars, and the Reviews page shows them with each client's name.