Keneth,
I'm about 2-3 weeks away from completely gutting and renovating a 1 bedroom flat in Queanbeyan. It is a 35m2 flat. I have listed below some of the improvements I made and some of the existing fixtures I decided to keep to keep costs down.
Bathroom - thought of removing the bath and replacing with shower, but decided the cost would be prohibitive. I re-tiled above the bath/shower, leaving the existing tiles around the bath support wall and skirting as feature, ... installed a frameless shower screen on top of the bath, new vanity cupboard, new tap fittings, mirrors, towel fittings and painted. It looks great, ... really clean and modern.
New vanity (800mm, 3 drawer, 2 door), ceramic sink and mixer tap only $300 from an auction house. (
Quote to install this unit and redo drainage and fit $450 .... I did myself).
Frameless screen/fitted =$800
Taps for shower/bath = $60
Bedroom - built a built in robe unit from scratch with sliding doors, shelving and basket draw systems and hanging space. Quote to buy and have installed $2500, ...... I built myself from scratch for $700.
Kitchen - I ripped out half the kitchen and bought a flat pack to add to it, including wall and fridge units. I will be painting the old part with "White Knight" laminate paint to match new cupboard units. Also replaced all benchtops and cupboard door handles. Total cost $1600 for a new kitchen and benchtop. Brand new gas stove $645 (stand alone unit)
Also re-tiled above sink and added wall tiles to splash-back area behind stove and behind fridge. I have kept the existing sink as it was in good condition, but replaced the taps. Oh yeah, ... I also added a rangehood for $250 (fitted myself into wall units).
The reason I kept part of the old kitchen was that it had one of those small 60ltr HWS in the corner cupboard near the sink and it would have been a pain and expensive to remove and relocate, so I've designed it so that when if breaks and needs replacing in the future, the plumber can still get easy access to work on it.
Floor surfaces - I'm having new vinyl (kitchen) and carpet (living, dining, bedroom) put down at the end when the painting is finished.
I couldn't see the point in a floating timber floor as I'm not convinced they hold up to heavy traffic and scratching, plus they tend to be noisy..... I prefer good commercial quality carpet. Carpet and vinyl cost $1300 fully installed.
Bathroom floor - existing tiles will be scrubed and cleaned up to save cost. They match in very well, so no need to replace.
Lighting - only have to change two lights fittings to improve the look.
All up the reno will have cost me around $8000 - $8500 to completely renovate the 35m2 flat/unit. It will add $70 per week to the rent and approx $50,000 - $60,000 to the value. The place will look brand new when finished.
My main point is that the cost add's up very quickly, so don't get caught up over capitalizing by doing none essential improvements. Shop around and haggle to get best prices.
Oh yeah, ..... the only work I haven't done is electrical and installing the frame-less shower screen, ..... all other work inc plumbing the vanity I have done myself to save cost.
The details above are a bit jumbled, but I hope the info helps you.
Martin ....
