Armrock Constructions

Gold Coast Bathroom Renovations

Bathroom Renovation

Small Bathroom Makeovers

Small Bathroom Makeovers
Small Bathroom Makeovers

Armrock Constructions specialises in bathroom renovations on the Gold Coast QLD. Talk to our team about a small bathroom makeover – each project begins with a free consultation and quote. Enjoy the Armrock advantage with custom trade teams, a flexible approach and a commitment to quality with results that speak for themselves.

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Small Bathroom Makeover FAQ

How much does a small bathroom makeover cost?

The cost of a small bathroom makeover depends on variables including whether the structure and plumbing are being moved, the types of tiles selected, the extent of the project, and the fixtures and fittings selected. Our bathroom renovations usually range from $7,000 – $15,000, and we provide a free consultation and quote where we can clarify the costs involved for your project. Talk to our team for more information.

What’s the best way to create a sense of size in a small bathroom?

Creating a sense of size in smaller spaces can be accomplished with colour, layout and fixtures and fittings. The most important consideration is often colour choice, with lighter colours creating a sense of visual extension. Talk to our team for more information.

What are the best tiles to use in a small bathroom?

Tiles are an important aspect of any bathroom renovation from the point of view of aesthetics and functionality. Tiling can be done in many ways, but the relationship between tile size and room size is critical to achieving a well-balanced design. Depending on the shape of the room, square or rectangular tiles may be deployed for a more sympathetic style, and oversized tiles sometimes need more room to work with to realise their effect. Learn more about tiling here.

Splashbacks & Benchtops

Armrock Constructions specialises in bathroom renovations on the Gold Coast QLD. An important component of any renovation is the splashback and benchtop, aspects related to the bathroom vanity. Learn more about splashbacks and benchtops on this page, or contact our team for a free appraisal and quote for your renovation today.

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Single Custom Bathroom Vanity Unit
Single Custom Bathroom Vanity Unit with Tiled Mosaic Splashback

What is a Splashback?

A splashback is the name for the protective area on the wall behind your kitchen or bathroom benchtop. Splashbacks are important in wet areas such as kitchens an bathrooms, and provide the functions of protecting the wall from water and contributing to the design appeal of the room. 

Do I Need a Splashback?

Splashbacks are basically an essential inclusion for any situation where there is a wet area (sink, basin) against a wall. There needs to be some type of protection from the water.

What Are Splashbacks Made of?

Splashbacks come in a variety of materials. Examples include tiles, laminate, glass, paint, timber and stainless steel. Splashback options range in quality, looks and functionality. In bathroom renovations, it is quite common for the wall-tiles to form the splashback, in which case they may be the same, or different, to the rest of the wall.

Timber Laminate Vanity Benchtop
Timber Laminate Vanity Benchtop with Tiled Splashback

Four Key Splashback Requirements

1. Waterproof

A splashback is primarily there to contain water. A splashback should be sufficiently waterproof to prevent water permeating the wall. This can be achieved through appropriate material (e.g. tile) selection or finishing / sealing. 

2. Environmental Tolerance

A splashback may be located close to heat sources including stovetop elements or device motors (e.g. fridge / microwave). A splashback should be equipped to tolerate heat from these sources. Our team will work with you to ensure your materials are up to the task required.

3. Look Great

A splashback should look great! It doesn’t need to be flamboyant or OTT to do so. Well-laid tiles always look fantastic even with the simplest design, and our team can help you create a design that will work for your walls. 

4. Easy to Clean

Some materials are easier to clean than others. Ease of cleaning and maintenance should always be considered when selecting kitchen inclusions! 

For assistance with splashbacks on the Gold Coast, talk to our renovation team today – we’re here to help!

Armrock Constructions

Armrock Constructions specialises in bathroom renovations on the Gold Coast. Enquire today for a free consultation and quote for your bathroom, or learn more about bathroom renovations with Armrock here.

Showers

Shower Renovation Gold Coast
Shower Renovation Gold Coast

A shower is an essential addition to any bathroom. Armrock Constructions specialises in bathroom renovations on the Gold Coast, and in this article we’re going to discuss important considerations around upgrading your shower, including choices on location, screens, tapware, tiling and plumbing. 

If you’re considering upgrading your Gold Coast shower, don’t hesitate to contact our team. All of our projects begin with a free consultation and quote. 

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Dealing with Shower Shape in Bathrooms

Showers are often the tallest feature AND the most vertical feature in the bathroom. For medium-sized and larger bathrooms, this can present a design challenge – how to include a different shape in the room. Typically, bathroom features are horizontal (vanity benchtop, bathtub) or low-set (toilet, rails). Showers are they opposite – vertical and tall – how can they be included without looking out of position? 

Shower Size

It’s always worth looking at the size of the shower relative to the rest of the bathroom. There may not be any flexibility because of bathroom size or shower-screen size, but since it’s a renovation it helps to think with an open mind. A larger shower is not only more functional but also allows the room to breath, and expanding the verticality of the shower solution also helps to integrate it with the rest of the room as well. 

Shower Heads

Double Ceiling Mounted Shower
Double Ceiling Mounted Shower

There are a wide range of ways to approach the shower head for your renovation. Factors to consider include your budget, the style you’re going for, efficiency ratings, access to the components, the existing structure, and of course, the right renovation company for a successful result. Here’s how we help make it easy for you:

Shower Head Selection

Like all fixtures and fittings in an Armrock renovation, you can acquire your own or discuss what you need with our team – we’re happy to help. Acquiring your own gives you the opportunity to shop around and find the best price. We can guide you to local suppliers we know have got the right shower heads at great prices as well.

Shower Head Options

From budget shower head solutions to integrated plumbing masterpieces, there are a wide range of possible approaches to organising this important part of your renovation. The best way is to look around and create an idea of what you’re looking to achieve – our team can then help by showing you how to approach it, and present alternatives as well.

Storage Solution

Yes – items will be kept in your shower! To avoid the worst-case scenario of storing them on the floor, consider a storage solution that suits your lifestyle. A permanent solution that’s popular with our Gold Coast clients is a tiled niche – a nice design touch that adds visual value as well as creating a permanent place to store items. 

Waterproof

Especially for open shower designs, identifying and controlling the way water may be controlled in the bathroom is a matter of good design and drainage. This is the difference between a solution that looks great and one that works well in a practical sense. 

Relocating Your Shower

In a bathroom renovation, the old shower is often replaced without being relocated. Keeping the shower in the original position may be the best outcome, but it’s always worth considering your options. A new bathroom may be best realised by a complete reconfiguration of the layout. 

There is a popular school of thought that the relocation of any plumbing should be avoided due to the increased costs associated, but this decision should be made in the context of the scale of renovation, your ambitions for the new bathroom, and other construction considerations. 

Because Armrock’s services combine vital trades such as carpentry, tiling and plumbing, when we consult on your renovation, we can help you evaluate alternative approaches and their costs and benefits. 

Types of Shower Enclosures

The type of enclosure your new shower will use is as much a case of personal preference as it is practical consideration. Shower screen options have changed a lot in recent times and sometimes the hardest part is making a decision! Here are some examples from our recent Gold Coast renovations.

Showerhead Water Efficiency

Whether you’re motivated to save water or to save money, being aware of the water-efficiency benefits of different shower heads is a worthwhile exercise. Learn more about these here: water efficiency.

Bathroom Drains

The choice and style of drain for your Gold Coast bathroom renovation can add value to the design. Drains used to be an afterthought, but now their valuable visual contribution is recognised. Whether your drains are designed to blend in or stand out, make sure you take their presence into account when planning your new bathroom. 

In this article we discuss bathroom drain styles, with examples from some of our recent Gold Coast renovation projects. 

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Gold Coast Bathroom Floor Drain Styles

Historically, bathroom drains were considered in terms of their function rather than how they looked. In modern bathroom design, the presence of all inclusions is taken into account. Because drains are different to the area they occupy (for example, bathroom tiles) they naturally stand out to some extent. 

You should consider this difference and use it to optimal effect when planning your bathroom style. The contrast created between your drain and the surrounding tiles can range from low-contrast to high-contrast, with a variety of different effects throughout the range.

Where You Find Bathroom Drains

The location and number of drains your bathroom needs will depend on the size and type of bathroom, and also on the fixtures & fittings. However, from ensuites to main bathrooms, a standard configuration will involve at least a floor drain, a shower drain. Drains may also be found in your basin and bath, but in this article we’re particularly interested in these common floor drains. 

The location of these drains will depend on the bathroom and the type of shower. Generally they are optimally placed for the original design but may need to be moved in the case of a renovation or reconfiguration of the bathroom. The pros and cons of approaching this type of plumbing modification should be weighed up carefully. It’s something we can help with.

Types of Bathroom Drains

There are two types of bathroom drains we’re looking at in detail here:

  • Tile insert strip drains
  • General prefabricated bathroom drains

Tile Insert Strip Drain

The tile insert strip drain is a popular option in many of our Gold Coast renovation projects. Using the same tiles as the bathroom floor, Armrock’s tilers craft a drain that blends in with the floor for a compelling and seamless look. These type of drains are custom-made. Popular formats for these drains are squares and rectangles. 

Square Inset Tile Drain
Square Inset Tile Drain

What is a Tile Insert Strip Drain? 

A tile insert strip drain is a drain that uses the same tiles as the surrounding area to create a seamless effect for the drain.

The great thing about tile insert strip drains is that they are designed to blend in with the materials that surround them. The only indication of a drains presence is the functional gap to permit water flow. 

General Prefabricated Bathroom Drains

Alternatively, a bathroom makeover is an opportunity to implement a pre-fabricated drain. For our Gold Coast bathroom renovation clients, we can help you to source essential components like these from reputable local suppliers. We can also help you determine the best brand or style for your renovation project. 

There are numerous options available. They range from very basic, functional drains to high-end materials and styles. 

Brass Bathroom Drain
Brass Bathroom Drain

What’s The Best Solution For My Bathroom? 

What you include in your bathroom renovation should always be weighed up against your requirements:

  • Budget
  • Purpose / Function
  • Style

Whether you opt for a discrete option such as a tile insert strip drain or a prefabricated bathroom drain, the most important thing is that it meets your budget requirements and performs its all-important function properly. Style comes last but it’s not unimportant! A drain can really stand out and in modern bathroom design, you need to ensure it stands out in the right way. Following are some design notes about how your drains can compliment the rest of your design. 

Design Principle: Repetition

A useful design principle to keep in mind when you’re considering your bathroom drain style is that of repetition – in other words, repeating similar elements through the bathroom to create an effect. This is most easily achieved with colour, but can also be done with texture, lines and shapes. Using repetition can help build a theme and create the impression of a continuous, unified design. 

For example, a bathroom with silver vanity-handles could use a silver drain to create this kind of repetition. When the silver is repeated through the design (door handles, shower fixtures, cupboard handles, tapware, towel-holders) the effect takes hold. Actually, silver is an important colour in bathrooms because so many components are silver-coloured (usually because they’re made from stainless steel, which is silver.

Tapware

Selecting the right tapware for your bathroom renovation is an important part of the process. The right taps are about the right look, price point and functionality for your bathroom. In this article, we’ll discuss some important things to keep in mind when you’re vetting tapware for your renovation. Alternatively, discuss your bathroom renovation with our team. Every renovation begins with a free appraisal and quote. 

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Selecting and Acquiring Taps For Your Bathroom Renovation

When you work with Armrock Constructions, we will invite you to select and acquire the taps you want for your new bathroom. We believe this is the most efficient approach, and if you need any help with recommendations on brand, style or tap options, we are here to help. We can also direct you to local suppliers that we frequently work with who can give you a great price on your new tapware. 

Timber Laminate Vanity Benchtop
Timber Laminate Vanity Benchtop

The Look of Your Bathroom Taps

Taps have an important role in communication. Whether your bathroom has vintage, retro, industrial or modern cues, taps are an important means of communicating the design intentions of your bathroom. Because the colour of your taps (silver, black, etc) is often utilised to create a relationship with other highlight features in your bathroom, make sure your style decisions can be matched with other such features (availability & price point).

Types of Taps

It’s important to ensure your taps will work as intended. With taps, functionality is everything. Have you ever tried to wash your hands under a tap, where there just isn’t enough room? Or hopped in the bath, only to be stabbed in the back by an extruding tap?

In short, make sure you’re looking at the right taps for the intended situation, and give consideration to the way the taps will actually be used. 

Timber Top Vanity Renovation
Timber Top Vanity Renovation

Bathroom Tap Price Points

Like all bathroom fixtures and fittings, tapware comes in at a variety of price points. Talk to our team for more information on brands and options that we prefer from our renovation experience. Finding the best tapware for your bathroom isn’t about paying the most money – it’s about being well-informed. This is a process of research, comparison and also big-picture thinking, so you can understand and begin to narrow down the types of taps that will work for your renovation. 

Calculating Tap Quantity

You wouldn’t go shopping for taps if you didn’t know how many you needed… would you? Make sure you understand how many taps you need, and what kind of taps you need. In bathrooms, this may include taps for the basin, taps for the bath, and shower taps too. 

Bathroom Vanities

Armrock Constructions designs, produces and installs vanity units to compliment our Gold Coast bathroom renovation projects. The cornerstone of any bathroom, the vanity unit combines function and presentation to achieve a winning result. In order to best accomplish the right vanity for your new bathroom, our team will work closely together with you on the style, materials, functionality and appearance of your vanity to get it just right. On the page, learn more about vanity options with the Gold Coast’s leading bathroom renovation company, Armrock Constructions. Alternatively, book a free appraisal and quote with our team for your renovation today.

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What is a Bathroom Vanity?

A bathroom vanity is the low-set cabinet found in most bathrooms designed to provide storage for everyday items and a station to undertake common tasks, such as brushing teeth, shaving, putting on makeup etc. Vanities can be custom-made to suit your structural and aesthetic requirements.

Timber Laminate Gold Coast Vanity
Timber Laminate Gold Coast Vanity

A vanity unit typically includes:

  • Vanity cabinet
  • Doors and drawers
  • Storage space
  • A bench top, or vanity top
  • A basin, or sink
  • Taps

Because the vanity is used so frequently, and because it is a prominent piece in the bathroom, it is one of the most important aspects in your renovation. Armrock Constructions works with you to get your vanity right, with a wide range of configurations and customisations available. Just ask our team what you’d like to achieve, and we’ll help you make it happen.

Custom Vanities vs Prefabricated Vanities

There are two main types of vanities available for your bathroom: custom vanities (custom-made to your specifications & requirements) and pre-fabricated vanities (these are pre-made vanity units). Armrock Constructions works with both options. The choice is up to you.

Pre-fabricated Vanity Unit
Custom-made Vanity Unit

Benchtops and Splashbacks

With custom vanity units, the selection of the benchtop and splash back are important aspects. The wide range of options in natural materials (timber, stone), laminates (timber-look, stone-look) and tiles provide a range of compelling options for your interior design. With an eye on the latest Gold Coast styles, our team can help you design your perfect vanity including the benchtop and splash back. Following is a word on popular choices.

Laminated Vanity Benchtops

We’re getting great results with laminated tops for our vanities. Make sure you’re up to speed with the benefits of modern laminates. Hard-wearing, great-looking laminated solutions enable nearly flawless representation of natural materials such as stone or timber, and come in at a much more affordable price-point.

Timber Laminate Vanity Benchtop
Timber Laminate Vanity Benchtop

With the capability of displaying texture as well as a wide range of materials, and engineered for accurate folding and corners, modern laminates are a favourite choice in many of our Gold Coast bathroom renovations. Of course, it’s not always about being au-naturale. Glossy blacks and whites are always popular being classical colours with high compatibility for many different bathroom designs as well.

Gloss white laminated vanity benchtop

Talk to our team about a laminate solution for your vanity – we’ve got great ideas and can work with you to make your concept into a reality. Laminated vanity benchtop links:

Stone Vanity Benchtop Options

The beauty of natural stone is matched only by it’s price point. Stone is expensive because of the material and labour associated with developing a raw product to your specific requirements. Natural stone is complimented by engineered stone solutions such as Silestone, Smart Stone and Caesarestone – purpose-made stone in a variety of finishes. These enable the achievement of a natural stone look at a more optimal price point. Learn more about these products on their websites:

Basins and Tapware

With custom bathroom vanities, they choice of basin (or sink) and tapware are always key. Getting the right look, as well as a design that will work everyday is the objective. Our experienced team can help. Our custom vanity solutions include options for different configurations of basins and tapware, enabling the achievement of a wide variety of styles. From inset basins to mounted basins, single and double configurations, professionally installed and plumbed, Armrock Constructions is here to help with your Gold Coast vanity basins and tapware.

Brass & Timber Custom Vanity

Bathroom Vanity FAQ

Common questions and answers regarding bathroom vanity construction and installation. Got a question we’re not covering? Contact our team to get an answer!

Custom Vanities vs Prefab

There are two main categories of bathroom vanities: custom vanities and pre-fabricated vanities. Custom vanities are made specifically for your bathroom – all aspects are customised to suit your design, structure, and budget. Pre-fabricated vanities are ‘ready-made’ or ‘pre-made’ and are purchased from suppliers ready to be installed. Armrock constructions works with both custom vanities and pre-fabricated vanities. 

Like all choices in your bathroom renovation, this choice needs to be weighed against requirements and budget. The advantage of custom vanity units is that they can be deliberately adapted for an optimal look, feel and function within your bathroom. Following are examples of a custom and prefabricated vanity, both installed by Armrock Constructions:

How much does a vanity cost?

A vanity is just one component of a bathroom renovation. Costs vary depending on the type of vanity and installation requirements too. Please contact us for a free consultation and quote – a structural assessment is necessary to assess vanity installation options.

What are the bench top options?

If vanities are the centerpiece of the bathroom, vanity benchtops are the centerpiece of the vanity! The materials, design and construction of your vanity benchtop is an extremely important part of the custom process. Generally, for custom vanities you’re looking at options that include either natural materials (timber, stone) or man-made materials (laminates, engineered stone). We can help you find the right material for your vanity and your budget. Here are some notes on the popular options we work with.

Can I relocate my vanity in my renovation?

Yes – you can relocate your vanity. However, it’s important to remember that vanities are linked to plumbing and possibly electrical as well. Relocation increases the scope of the project and what’s involved. These type of choices should always be evaluated on an individual basis to develop an understanding of the implications. 

It’s important to keep an open mind – a renovation is an opportunity to start anew! Custom-made vanities will give you much more control over your options, because they can be made to suit your specific needs.

Is it expensive to move plumbing?

Moving plumbing, or adding new plumbing functionality, is additional work that will bring additional costs. However, like all decisions, these need to be weighed against the objectives of the project and the project budget. We can help you by appraising the situation and providing options to suit your bathroom renovation.

Custom Vanity Solutions Gold Coast

Custom vanity solutions with Armrock Constructions go further than a great-looking vanity installation. Our team provides a complete renovation service, so in addition to managing the vanity component of your project, we also ensure it is included within the correct sequence of your renovation for an optimal result. We’re committed to getting great results for our renovation clients. Contact our team today to discuss your bathroom vanity. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

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