Suburb
Vista Crescent, Glendowie
Rooms
Main bathroom and toilet room
Shower
Walk-in, lit niche
Vanity
Timber, vessel basin
The finished rooms
Walk Through the Finished Glendowie Bathroom
The walls are lined in large grey-veined tiles laid in big panels, so the room has few grout lines to clean. Behind the vanity the tiler switched to white finger mosaic, a narrow stacked tile that gives that wall its own texture.
Two tiled niches hold the bottles, one above the bath and one in the shower. Each has a strip of LED light set into its top edge, which lights the back wall of the niche at night.
The photos further down also show the separate toilet room next door. That small room got the same floor tile, a compact wall-hung basin and a round mirror lit from behind.
Walk-through of the finished Vista Crescent bathroom in Glendowie, filmed at handover
The shower
A Walk-In Shower With a Lit Niche
The walk-in shower sits behind a glass door at the end of the room. A chrome rail carries a hand shower that slides up and down, with a round rain head above it.
The niche is cut into the back wall and lined with the same tile as the walls. Before any tile went on, the waterproofing membrane was laid over the floor and up the walls of the shower and into the niche itself. That waterproofing carries our 15-year guarantee.
The niche light was wired in by the electrician while the wall framing was still open.

What went in
Vanity, Bath and Toilet Room in the Glendowie Home

Vanity
Timber Vanity With a Vessel Basin
A timber-look wall-hung vanity carries a white top and an oval vessel basin. The brushed brass mixer stands on the top beside the basin. The vanity floats clear of the floor, so the large floor tiles run right under it to the wall.

Bath
Bath Below a Lit Niche
A white bath runs along one wall, with its own lit niche set into the tiles above the rim. Bottles sit in the wall instead of on the bath edge, and the light in the niche is enough for an evening soak.

Toilet room
Separate Toilet Room Rebuilt
The toilet stayed in its own room and was rebuilt at the same time as the bathroom. It has a new toilet, a small wall-hung basin for hand washing and a round backlit mirror. Doing both rooms together meant one strip-out and one visit from each trade.
Glendowie homes
Bathrooms in Glendowie's 1950s and 1960s Houses
Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, describes St Heliers and Glendowie as new suburbs of the 1950s and 1960s, laid out as quarter-acre sections with a house and a garage on each. Riddell Road is the longest residential street in Glendowie today, with more than 700 properties along it.
A bathroom from that period usually has a bath with a shower over it, and the toilet sits in its own small room next door. The two rooms share a wall and often the same drain run. Renovating them together, as on this Vista Crescent job, means the plumber and the tiler each come once for both rooms.
Houses built or renovated before 2000 can have asbestos in old wall linings, ceilings and sheet vinyl. Following WorkSafe New Zealand's asbestos guidance, the linings in a 1950s or 1960s Glendowie house are tested before anything is pulled out, and the test sits on the quote as its own line.
Glendowie homes at the 2023 Census
Ensuites and Second Bathrooms for Glendowie Family Homes
The three Glendowie census areas held 2,859 occupied homes at the 2023 Census, and 80.0% were standalone houses.
47.8%
had four or more bedrooms
59.3%
had four or more bedrooms in Glendowie North
15.8%
of Glendowie North homes had five or more bedrooms
A four- or five-bedroom house with one main bathroom is where an ensuite earns its space. Nick can price the main bathroom, the toilet room and a new ensuite on one quote, with a separate figure for each room, so you can decide what to build now and what can wait.
Our page on Central Auckland bathroom renovations, from Remuera to the eastern bays covers St Heliers, Kohimarama and the other suburbs around Glendowie.
From the Google Business Profile
Google Reviews From Our Bathroom Clients

The most trustworthy and dependable bathroom renovation contractors I have ever worked with are without a doubt Nick and his crew. They are punctual, economical, and reliable in fulfilling commitments. They went above and beyond by offering additional recommendations on how to improve the renovation's worth. I'm grateful. I'm always pleased to write a sincere evaluation for their work that is truly excellent.
Planning a similar job
What Moves the Price of a Glendowie Bathroom and Toilet
An ensuite or compact bathroom kept in its current layout costs $15,000 to $28,000. A standard bathroom stripped and rebuilt costs $22,000 to $40,000, and a large main bathroom runs from $40,000 to $65,000 or more. Nick prices your rooms in writing after the site visit, and these six choices move the figure most.
Lit niches
Each LED niche needs a low-voltage supply wired in while the framing is open.
Finger mosaic
Narrow mosaic tiles take far more cutting and grout than large wall tiles.
Toilet room as well
A separate toilet rebuilt at the same time adds a room but shares the trades.
Wall-hung fittings
A wall-hung vanity or basin needs blocking and pipework set inside the wall.
Asbestos test
Houses built or renovated before 2000 get the old linings tested first.
Heated towel ladder
A heated ladder needs its own wired connection from the electrician.
Glendowie bathroom questions
Glendowie Bathroom Renovation FAQs
Our prices run from $15,000 for an ensuite or compact bathroom in its current layout to $65,000 or more for a large main bathroom. A standard bathroom rebuilt from the framing sits between $22,000 and $40,000. A separate toilet room done at the same time is priced as its own line.
Get a Written Quote for Your Glendowie Bathroom
Send the form or call 09 884 6535. Tell Nick whether the toilet is in its own room and whether you want a bath, a walk-in shower or both.
Contact Alchemy
Alchemy Bathroom Renovations Auckland
Led by Nick McKelvie, Licensed Building Practitioner BP1021390 and producer statement author PSA127420. Complete bathroom, ensuite, small bathroom, villa, laundry and commercial renovations across Auckland, with a 15-year guarantee on the waterproofing.
All of Auckland
North Shore, West, East, South and Central Auckland.
Mon to Fri, 8am to 5pm
Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Free site visits across Auckland.
