A modern bathroom renovation for a Victorian home

This couple worked hand in hand with their builder to create their dream bathroom, and couldn't be happier with the result!

When Jan and Geoff decided to renovate their bathroom, they toyed with the idea of making it Art Deco and working around the apple-green look they already had. However, since it had last been renovated in the 1950s, they decided it would be wiser to rip it out and invest in a modern bathroom for the future.

Knowing where to begin with the new bathroom renovation and design was the difficult part. "What we really were looking for was for someone to tell us what we could achieve with the space that was available to us," says Jan. "We were pretty devoid of ideas."

It was Tony Verhoef, a builder and director of Just Right Bathrooms, who made the couple's dream bathroom a reality. He conceived the idea of making their bathroom a mirror image of its old self, putting a huge walk-in shower where the bath was and vice versa.

This was much more than just a makeover, however, with Tony addressing some structural problems in the bathroom. He replaced the sub-floor, which was not level, and lowered the ceiling to provide air space for downlights and to make the bathroom feel less like a tunnel or cave.

Jan says the most difficult part of the renovation was finding Tony. "I rang six or seven bathroom companies and none of them would come out," she recalls. "They just weren't interested, and many of them insisted I pay a $500 fee, refundable if we went ahead with the work."

Jan and Geoff were impressed with Tony's professionalism and attention to detail. "As soon as we met Tony, we knew we had the right person for the job," she says. "He had everything in his quote, so we knew everything was covered, and although he said the job would take 21 working days, they actually did it in 19, which was wonderful."

Jan chose the colours for the new modern bathroom fittings, heeding Tony's advice to keep it as neutral as possible and to allow the walls to provide the colour. The walls are a soft green and the tiling is off-white with a subtle texture.

"The overall effect is very warm," says Tony. "Although the house is Victorian, the bathroom is very modern, with clean lines, but the colours fit comfortably with the style of the house."

Tony Verhoef, from Just Right Bathrooms

What was the client brief?

The brief was to provide a bathroom renovation with separate shower, bath and toilet and to accommodate a large (1.5 metres long) vanity unit. The couple had their own drawing of what they wanted and they asked me if I could get it to work better.

What was the greatest challenge in the renovation?

I think it was the sub-floor. These particular Victorian houses were built on bluestone and that made it more difficult to transform the space into a modern bathroom.

What inspired your design?

We took our lead from the style of the house. It was important to make it modern but not too out of synch with the Victorian style of the rest of the home. I think we achieved that with the tiles and the colours of the walls, which sit nicely with the style.

What was the dollar value of the renovation?

They spent close to $30,000 but that would add at least 3 per cent to the value of the house. Renovating a bathroom is generally a cost that new buyers don't want to incur.

Jan, the home owner

What was the existing bathroom like?

Our bathroom had been renovated in the fifties and had an apple-green look. It was comfortable but dated, so we were looking for a renovated bathroom with a modern look.

What was your brief to your designer?

To renovate the bathroom, we decided to rip out the old bathroom and find someone to tell us what we could achieve with the space. We were pretty devoid of ideas. It was Tony who suggested we could create a mirror image of our bathroom to give us room for a much bigger shower, which was the main use for the bathroom.

What were the most significant challenges?

I think the biggest challenge was in finding someone who could help us. It was hard, because I rang six or seven bathroom companies and most of them would not come out. Most were not interested in coming on site unless we paid a $500 deposit that was refundable if we went ahead with the work.

What inspired the choice of colours?

From the beginning I didn't want any of those chocolate browns in the bathroom. Eventually we went white - a clean, modern colour - with our units and the tiles in off-white. Tony persuaded us to use colour on the walls to add warmth. Although the bathroom is very modern now, the colours are still sympathetic with the style of the house.

For your own modern home bathroom renovation, make sure you talk to a professional renovator: