Balmain is one of Sydney's oldest peninsulas, and the housing shows it. The narrow streets are packed with Victorian workers' cottages, sandstone terraces and Federation semis, many heritage-listed, and the bathrooms in them are almost always small, tucked at the back or squeezed into a converted space that was never meant to hold a shower. Sandstone foundations, century-old timber floors and tight access without side lanes are all part of the deal here. Get the layout, the falls and the waterproofing right in a room this size and it lifts the whole cottage. Down toward the water there are also a handful of converted warehouse apartments with their own quirks. These are jobs that reward planning and a team that knows what a hundred-year-old floor hides. We've been renovating bathrooms across the Inner West for 12 years, and we run one team covering demolition, plumbing, waterproofing, electrical, tiling and the fit-off, so there's no chasing five contractors through a cottage with no rear access. We give you a fixed-price quote before we start, hold the price, and finish most bathrooms on site in around three weeks. We're a licensed NSW contractor, number 383725C, based in Liverpool and working right across Balmain.
We come to your Balmain cottage or terrace, measure the room, check the plumbing, drainage and access through the house, and talk through what you want. Then we give you a fixed-price quote listing every fixture, tile and trade. The price holds unless you change the scope.
Once you approve the quote, we lock in the layout and finishes so nothing changes mid-job, which is vital in a tight cottage bathroom. We strip the old room back, deal with old timber floors or sandstone and the falls, then waterproof to AS 3740 and let the membrane cure fully before tiling.
Plumbing rough-in, electrical and tiling run in the right order because one team controls the lot. In a cottage with no side access that's a real advantage, because we manage material flow through the house, keep the site clean and keep the disruption short.
We fit the vanity, toilet, tapware, screen, exhaust and accessories, test everything, and tidy up. You get a final walk-through, your waterproofing certificate and compliance paperwork, and a bathroom ready to use the day we finish.
Most Balmain bathrooms land between $15,000 and $45,000. A cosmetic refresh, keeping the layout and updating tiles, vanity and tapware, starts from around $8,000. A full gut, where we strip back to the frame, move plumbing and rebuild, generally runs $25,000 to $45,000 depending on room size and fixtures. The old cottages and terraces often need extra work once we open the floor and walls, since century-old timber and sandstone can throw up surprises, so we plan for that rather than letting it become a shock mid-job. We give you a fixed-price quote up front that itemises every fixture and trade, so you know the number before we start and it won't move unless the scope changes.
Most bathrooms are finished on site in around three weeks. That covers strip-out, plumbing rough-in, waterproofing and its cure time, tiling, then the fit-off and final clean. The waterproofing membrane has to dry fully before tiling, so we never rush it. Because one team runs the whole job, the trades follow each other with no dead days, which matters in a cottage that often has only one bathroom. Access through a tight Balmain street with no rear lane can slow material movement a little, and we factor that in. You get a realistic schedule with your quote and updates as the job moves along.
Yes. Waterproofing is where most bathroom problems start, and in an old cottage with timber floors it's doubly important. We waterproof to the NSW standard AS 3740, apply the membrane correctly to floors, walls and the shower area, and let it cure fully before tiling. You get a waterproofing certificate at handover. Balmain has a lot of heritage-listed homes, but internal bathroom renovations generally don't need council approval as they're internal work. If your job involves moving walls or affects a protected facade or element, we'll tell you exactly what's required and handle the paperwork.
We're a family-run business that's been renovating bathrooms across the Inner West for 12 years, and we're a licensed NSW contractor, number 383725C. The big advantage in a Balmain cottage is one team handles the whole job, from demolition through to the final silicone, so you're not coordinating a plumber, a tiler, an electrician and a waterproofer all trying to get materials through your front door with no rear access. We quote a fixed price, hold it, and finish most bathrooms in around three weeks. We know how to work in tight heritage cottages and what old floors hide, and you deal with the same people from the first measure to the final handover.
InsideOut Joinery & Renos is a family-run custom joinery and renovation business based in Liverpool, Sydney NSW 2170, serving homeowners Sydney-wide. Call 02 5000 0402 or email info@insideoutjoinery.au. One team covers every trade, with a typical 3-week turnaround, trade-cost appliances and 12 years of experience. Licensed contractor — licence 383725C, ABN 62 912 909 739.