suggestions for bathroom

hi all,
we have inherited a bathroom - quite small in size - comprising of shower stall sink & bath (aqua colour- bath is cast iron) there is only an outside loo so we we were gonna rip out all existing fittings & replace with new - as the plumber wants $4000 to do this - LABOUR ONLY -not including the fittings themselves - we have decided to knock this on the head & just install a toilet in the bathroom & make do with the aqua sink & bath. the plumber seems to think the bathroom may be original & worth a bit- but not sure if this is true
now my questions are- for all you in the know

is $4000 reasonable to remove the bathroom & fit new?
is there any way of changing the colour of the bath?
we would like to do something with the tiles-would you recommend painting / re-tiling over
has anyone got any knowledge re old cast iron baths?

any help would be good

pootle26

"inherited a bathroom".

I can picture the will.

I give my house to my children in the following shares:
To my son Fred, the loungeroom,
To my daughter Mary, the bedroom,
To my son Pootle, the bathroom
...........

More seriously. There will be a heritage organisation in your State. Phone them and ask if a bathroom, description, is of heritage significance. If it is, then the components may have significant value.

my in laws are paying about 12K all up for a total reno, all included (fittings, fixtures, tiles all sub trades, demo, rubbish removal etc). Being in the business i thought that was over priced but its the going rate.

4k for plumbing sounds a bit high,
How many days did he say it would take.

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Originally Posted by Gaza

my in laws are paying about 12K all up for a total reno, all included (fittings, fixtures, tiles all sub trades, demo, rubbish removal etc). Being in the business i thought that was over priced but its the going rate.

4k for plumbing sounds a bit high,
How many days did he say it would take.

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G'Day Gaza,
I just paid 14K for a gut and refit for our ensuit (about the same size as a regular bathroom), with a quality fittings and suitable for disabled persons (wife and myself), it is well worth the money as it is so much more comfortable and safer for both of us.:)
savage (Eric):)

Quote:

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I just paid 14K

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the price they are paying is well worth it, they are getting one of the best mobs in town, and most of all no stress. they could have gone for a smaller mob but the cost saving was min compared to the risk.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gaza

the price they are paying is well worth it, they are getting one of the best mobs in town, and most of all no stress. they could have gone for a smaller mob but the cost saving was min compared to the risk.

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Same mob did the kitchen a week after the ensuit, that was 27K, but is a dream to use, again setup wife and myself, all Kleenmaid stuff and 40mm granite tops, plus a doorway blocked off (as it was a walk-thru kitchen) as this occasionally gave us a few scares (turning around with a pan full of scalding hot stuff) only to find one of the kids behind us:eek: . We do not regret a single cent!...
savage (Eric):)

he didnt say how long it would take - he was talking about smashing the bath up to take it out & just removing the existing sink & re plumbing in the new ones
so i cant imagine it would take too long

as i said - this is purely for removing/reconnecting the new suite - we will have to source & buy/collect the bathroom fixtures & fittings ourselves - he will charge extra if we want to change the existing taps
i thought it was over the top myself as the price of the bathroom & the taps, tiles etc can be quite high, but i know that tradesmen are in short supply

new to oz so i only have uk prices to compare to so im not sure if this is right or not -
tried to upload a photo bit it was too big
many thanks

pootle26

Pootle I can't tell if 4K is good or bad as we dont really have much info - for labour only I wonder what youre planning, but I am a tight-**** and shop like a demon with Tradies.

As a restoration person, I can say your aqua stuff "might" be worth a bit, but only a bit.... and will not be of any heritage significance as Aussie homes had a lot of that stuff from the 1800's through to the 1940's. You certainly can resurface a bath etc. and Bath Restorers do exist (should do in Perth at least) - a local renovation supplies place or clued-up plumbing suppliers should be able to help. Note that it's vigorously recommended that you DON'T use a refinished bath as your principle shower. Recollections has new batrhs from around $1200 from memory and some of them are a knockout!

Replacing tiles will give a more lasting result but again, there are mobs who handle colour change on tiles IN GOOD CONDITION...... tiling over is not an option. Cast iron baths have one thing against them - theyre heavy as hell to move, so often get broken up to get out.