Turning two rooms into four - the ultimate bathroom renovation challenge

Indeed, with two daughters under the age of five, Caroline and Mark desperately needed a second bathroom and toilet for their double-fronted Victorian terrace. 

"We had a lot of wasted space in our house and our main priorities were to have a separate bathroom, powder room, ensuite and a laundry area that was all hidden, but very functional," explains Caroline.

But getting four rooms out of two was always going to be a challenge. To this end, Caroline and Mark enlisted the help of Di from the Melbourne Bathroom Centre, who came up with a radical plan: completely gut the old bathroom and laundry (on opposite sides of a hallway) and redesign the empty spaces to fit in all the necessary functions. This meant putting the ensuite and powder room where the old bathroom was, and the new bathroom-laundry combo where the old laundry was.

However, as soon as work started, Di knew it was going to be a bigger job than she'd anticipated. A lack of adequate waterproofing had caused extensive water damage to the timber floorboards, bearers, joists and even some of the weatherboards on the external walls, and all these had to be made good before work could proceed.

"One of the biggest challenges was knowing when to stop," says Di. "The further we went into pulling the house back, the more deterioration we found. So what was going to take two days to strip out took us over a week." 

Fortunately, Mark, Caroline and the kids were able to move out for the five weeks it took to complete the job. But any inconvenience they suffered along the way was worth it when they returned to discover their sparkling renovation. 

With neutral beige tones, natural timbers and high-quality fittings throughout, the new wet areas are timeless and easy to maintain.

"It's wonderful to clean," says Caroline. "We've got tiling from floor to ceiling, so when the girls are in the bath they can splash all around and there's no hassle cleaning it up."

Another feature of the renovation is its abundance of natural light. In the main bathroom this has been achieved in part by the creation of an outdoor 'room' – a small garden courtyard at the foot of the bath.

"These touches have definitely added a lot of value to our house and they've certainly enhanced our lifestyle," says Caroline. "Day-to-day living here is so much more pleasant."

Di Kaplun

Melbourne Bathroom Centre

What was the client's brief to you?

Because they're a growing family, they needed an extra bathroom. The plan was to turn their separate laundry and bathroom into a combined bathroom-laundry on one side, and a powder room-ensuite on the other.

How did you go about choosing the fittings and finishes?

It was a collaborative effort. The client came to me with a picture out of a magazine and we built on that. Most of the time, people know more what they don't want and, in this case, the client didn't want anything too 'in your face'. They wanted something fairly neutral, easy and timeless.

How would you describe the overall look of the three wet areas?

It's fairly minimalist, with very earthy colours that are easy to live with. It's a look that you'd never tire of and one that you can always dress up with your towels and accessories if you want to bring in a bit of colour.

What was the biggest challenge along the way?

Because we found a lot of rotten timber work, one of the biggest challenges was knowing when to stop. The further we went into pulling the house back, the more deterioration we found. What was going to take two days to strip out took us over a week.

As a designer, what was your favourite part of this project?

Working with the clients - they were extremely co-operative people. Once I saw the picture of what they wanted, it all flowed very smoothly. They even invited us around for dinner once it was finished and bought all the boys a slab of beer!

Caroline

What was the original bathroom-laundry like?

It was a very old and ugly 1970s renovation with a lot of rotten wood. There was also only one bathroom and one toilet, and with two daughters, that wasn't adequate.

What was your brief to the designer?

We had a lot of wasted space in the house and our main priorities were to have two toilets, a separate ensuite for me and my husband, and a laundry area that was all hidden, but very functional.

How did you choose the colour scheme and materials?

We showed Di a picture from a magazine and she helped us build on that. We basically wanted all the wet areas to have the same neutral colour scheme, but we wanted the ensuite to be a little bit special and more 'adult', so we chose dark wood for the vanity.

What's your favourite part of the renovation?

The ensuite, because it's so light. Before the renovation, our bedroom was always very dark. Now, with the door open, the whole bedroom is bathed in natural light.

Are the wet areas easy to maintain?

It's wonderful to clean. We've got tiling from floor to ceiling in two rooms, so when the girls are in the bath they can splash all around and there's no hassle cleaning it up.