BATHROOM RENOVATION AUCKLAND You have decided to do a bathroom renovation for your Auckland house, but you are feeling overwhelmed. Check out these 7 important tips on bathroom renovation in Auckland and put your mind at ease. Why are you doing the bathroom renovation? Be sure in your own mind why you are doing the bathroom renovation in the first place. It does not matter why. Maybe it’s because it’s dated. Possibly it’s because you’ve bought a new house and just don’t like the bathroom. Or is it that the shower is leaking. Maybe you are doing the house up to sell. It honestly doesn’t matter why, as long as you know why, because this will radically change how you go about it, and what is important for your bathroom renovation. Who lives in the house and who will use the renovated bathroom? Who lives in the home? and who uses, or who will use the new bathroom? Often people will do a bathroom renovation because they have friends coming from overseas. This is great, but will not help you make good decisions for you or the people who will use the bathroom long term. Maybe you’re having a baby and want to add a bath. Or possibly you are ageing, getting less able, and are removing your shower over bath as it’s too difficult to get into any more. All great reasons to do a bathroom renovation. Another common reason is that people need care, help with showering and are fitting large level entry accessible showers. Once again it’s your home, your bathroom renovation, you can have what you like. Just be sure you know why you’re doing it and what you hope to achieve by doing it. That way your bathroom renovation will be a success. How much a bathroom renovation will cost in Auckland? Establish a budget and know what you can afford. The bathroom renovations will always cost more than you want to pay. To get the job done properly there will always be a significant cost. A lot of times people will just decide on a random number, but this doesn’t help anyone. When we quote on jobs we can juggle the quote to get to almost any number you like, however, this may not achieve what you set out do. As an example to create an accessible, walk-in tile shower, perfect for the aged and infirm, it may cost $10,000 alone, compared to an off the shelf 900 x 900 acrylic basic shower that may only cost $3,000, but if it doesn’t achieve your goal, both are completely irrelevant numbers. Very often I find when I ask people a budget, they will say $20,000. Maybe they might say $30,000. But always, well almost always it is well short of the bathroom they have in mind. One thing I will say is always to try and budget $5,000 more than you want to spend if you can. Remember if you are to pay $30,000 for your bathroom renovation anyway, but for $35,000 you achieved exactly what you want, rather than your suggested budget of $30,000 you will never regret spending the extra. The extra $5,000 will be appreciated for years to come. On the reverse, if you got your new bathroom on your budget of $30,000 but after spending the money didn’t even like it – you just wasted $30,000. Be focused on why you want your bathroom to be renovated? Stick to your dream. Keep focused on what you wanted to achieve by doing the bathroom renovations. I remember recently we were asked to complete a bathroom renovation for a couple. The first thing the lady asked me was, “could we fit a small basin in the toilet, it would be really handy.” I said, “that it would be no problem at all.” We quoted their job and it came to quite a bit more than the budget they had in mind. So they called up and said, “what could we do to reduce the cost, and could we maybe take the extra basin we’ve added out.” We massaged the quote a bit, got to a number they were happy with and started the bathroom renovation. Just 2 days into the renovation the lady said “how much would it be to add the basin in again, I would really like that.” I said “most of the value we took out.” She said “well I think we’ll add it back in.” Luckily she decided really quickly before we had got to far. The moral of this tip is though – these people were really happy with their bathroom renovation. But, had we of got to the end and the basin wasn’t added, they would never have been as happy. So stick to the why, be sure to achieve what you really want to have in the new bathroom. The reality is this added basin was about $2,500. Imagine years of regret for just $2,500 if you actually could have afforded it, but just didn’t really want to spend the extra at the time. Use professional Auckland Plumbers Use a professional bathroom renovating company from Auckland. Do not be caught out getting just anyone. You can count on one hand the number of bathroom renovations that go well done by a mate of a mate, or the neighbour, or a friend trying to help out, or your husband’s cousin. Even if they can do it for half the price, it is still a bad idea. Even if they can do it in 2 weeks, still a bad idea. A bathroom renovation is a journey. A good new bathroom will take a month, maybe even 6 weeks if tricky. There will be dust. It will cost heaps. Possibly a couple of the tradesman will look a bit scruffy and smell a bit, but the key thing is they are friendly and know what they are doing. It is always best to find a professional with a […]
Bathroom Accessories, Bathroom Renovations, Plumbing Services, Toilet
BATHROOM 101 – Get The Bathroom You Want!
Jan
BATHROOM 101 We all have a budget, we all have limitations, but BATHROOM 101 has got to be… Get the bathroom you want! GETTING THE BATHROOM YOU WANT For years possibly you’ve been thinking about ideas, planning your new bathroom. You have had many great and interesting ideas. You’ve dreamed about how amazing its going to be. You’ve maybe even stayed in hotel bathrooms that have given you wonderful inspiration. Your friends have maybe even just got new bathrooms. So much has been part of the build up to your bathroom renovation plan. Remember, this is not just a spur of the moment crazy thought, this is going to be your reality for the next 20 years. My advice to you is get it right, get the bathroom you always wanted. BATHROOM NEEDS AND WANTS Understanding what is wants, and what is needs is critical to a great outcome. Maybe you want a trendy LED mirror, triple towel rails, or a dual shower head. All these things are nice, funky, fashionable to have, but not life changing. Maybe you need an accessible shower, maybe you need a comfort height toilet. Maybe you need to get rid of the shower over bath as you can’t get in safely any more. These are all worthy considerations and could be life changing decisions as far as the practicality of your new bathroom is concerned for you. The thoughts based on needs for your comfort and convenience must be worked though carefully. You’ve possibly been through a change of circumstances, creating a reason for needing new bathrooms. Some of what were your wants may now have become your needs. But, be sure to know why you are going to do these renovations. Be certain about what is wants, ideas, and what is real needs. If you need a walk in level entry shower, get one. If you need to get rid of the bath, do it. Don’t let anyone talk you out of adding what you need. It’s your house, it needs to work first and foremost for you. BATHROOM NEEDS VERSES BATHROOM BUDGET Everyone has a budget, some larger than others, sure, but after all, we all choose how we spend our money and what’s important to us. People are often unrealistic about the budget they really need which doesn’t help. So many TV shows, and magazines, pamphlets, etc lead people down the wrong track regarding cost. People think you can get amazing bathrooms for next to nothing. This is not the reality. Bottom line is in every case, you will get what you pay for. I find most people can find the money they need, it comes down to choice though, rather than affordability. All I would say is you actually use a bathroom or ensuite a lot, and it could be worth digging a bit deeper in your pocket. Find that extra $10,000 that will make your bathrooms what you want, just as you imagined, rather than just new and that’s pretty well all. If you did a review, a lot of people would live with bathrooms of regret. A bathroom that was renovated that just did the job, but nothing much else. Stick to what you want. Find the money. If you really want that amazing bathroom, you will find a way! A BATHROOM IS AN INVESTMENT Just remember when you get to the nitty gritty of it. When you make your final decision on budget. When you decide what you will and will not have in your bathroom. Remember it is an investment. You will actually get this money back if you spend it wisely. If you create a really beautiful bathroom, the people who buy your house will be happy to pay you for it. If you’re stingy, end up with a poor quality bathroom that is just bland, boring, and cheap. You probably just wasted your money. Come to sell and the new purchaser will not thank you for it at all. Imagine spending $15,000 and the potential purchaser just says the bathroom still needs to be done. Compared with spending $30,000 and they snap up the house paying you maybe $40,000 extra because of your new bathroom. It is a fact… good bathrooms and kitchens sell houses. In a final summary, I would just like to leave you with this thought. The bitterness of an awful bathroom, remains long after the sweetness of cheap price. Decide on what you want and get it. Spend the money to have what you like, and enjoy your lovely new luxurious bathroom. For more helpful tips on bathrooms [CLICK HERE] Or if you would like to find out more about Regency Plumbing and our Bathroom Renovation team [CLICK HERE] Or if you just fancy chatting to someone who knows bathrooms, call us… CALL OUR FRIENDLY TEAM ON 0800 PLUMBER | 0800 758 623WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU!
Jan
DRAIN UNBLOCKING – NOT EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE JOB I can well imagine when you realize you have a blocked drains, you start thinking yuck, this will not be fun, drain unblocking is not something I want to have anything to do with. If you are keen to try drain unblocking, maybe you have a blocked toilet, or a blocked sink. There will be some great tips in this blog post to help you become a toilet unblocker! DRAIN UNBLOCKING IN AUCKLAND You may wonder why your drain blocked, or you may know why you need a drain unblocker. Either way without ‘drain unblocking’ someone coming to clear the drains at your house, your drains are going nowhere. If it’s just a blocked toilet because your boy sent his toy car down the toilet, you maybe able to resolve your blocked toilet. You may just need an old style coat hanger to send down and get it. Fish around for a bit, you may be lucky and not need professional drain unblocking. If your kids flush half a role of toilet paper down each time they flush the toilet, and it all starts to dry out, it might be hard. Drain unblocking in Auckland can be lots of fun, maybe not your type of fun, I don’t know… Comes with its own type of humour. You’ve read before, all in a days work. For our drain unblocking team, they have seen it all. They are prepared with the tools and equipment they need to clear your blocked drains. They get excited about drain unblocking. Just a toilet, or just a sink, or one point. It can often be easy enough to unclear, and get working again. But if your drainage pipe is blocked, or you have more serious blocked drains, you’ll need a drain unblocker. Someone with experience and equipment for serious drain unblocking. TIPS FOR DRAIN UNBLOCKING I have included a few tips on dealing with a blocked toilet. On how to unblock a sink. How to unblock a drain. And does drain cleaner work? Always a debatable question. If we can help you clear a basic blockage yourself, saving you money, saving you the need of a drain unblocker. I am sure you will appreciate it. Of course when you can’t clear your blocked toilet. When you find out, you are not a toilet unblocker, when those blocked drains just will not flow again. Remember we have a team of guys who can take on the serious drain unblocking jobs. The image below is of a guy plunging a toilet. This is entry level drain unblocking. Can work on a toilet that just had a bit much paper shoved or flushed down the toilet. HOW TO UNBLOCK A SINK If its just a blocked sink you have, you may find a quick try with drain cleaner could help. Obviously it is designed for home handyman use, rather than professional drain unblocking, but could be worth a try. Drain cleaner eats away at grease and grime down the drain that has caused the blockage. The build up sticking to pipe that has restricted the flow, causing blocked drain. So a drain, needing drain unblocking, that has been over time getting slow to drain. You may find drain cleaner will work. But if it has rapidly become blocked, a serious fatty gooey sink block, it might need more than cleaner. Often on a bad sink block, we will have to cut the pipe and clear from both ways. If it gets too hard, call our drain unblocking team, but by all means, sure try yourself first if you are keen. Another way it to try unblock your sink with a basic plunger you can buy from a hardware store. Can be messy, can be all in vain. But once again worth a shot if you are the handy type. I find though that often this is only a temporary solution. If you have a serious blocked sink, you may get it running better. But if a bad blockage, it will fairly quickly become clogged again. Another way is with a reverse pressure hose. Start by putting a towel in your sink. This will avoid the slop hitting the ceiling when the reverse pressure builds up. Maybe even wet it to add weight, or have a helper to hold it in there and let you know when foul water starts to appear. Get another rag and tie it tight around the end of your garden hose. Find the outlet end of sink pipe in gully trap outside. Poke the hose up the end as far as you can. Turn it on full blast. Hold the rag tight around hose to keep as much pressure in the waste pipe as possible. This will reverse blow the blocked sink waste and can be effective. Messy but might work. Of course call an expert drain unblocker if it doesn’t. HOW TO UNBLOCK A DRAIN You will most likely struggle without the correct equipment to unblock a drain. Drain cleaner is not going to cut it on a drain. If foul water is overflowing out of your gully trap outside, generally you have a solid blocked drain. You can try feeding your hose down – running it on full blast, however it’s a battle. You can also try drainage rods if you have them, however this is probably best left to a professional drain unblocker. DRAIN UNBLOCKING – NOT A SCIENCE – MORE JUST HARD AND MESSY WORK I think you will find if you have a blocked drain – it is generally best to find someone who does drain unblocking. Its messy, smelly, and often a waste of time if you don’t have a drain unblocking machine of some sort. If it was a science chemicals may do the trick, like they might on your sink or basin. But best to get a drain unblocker to save more frustration. Still unsure about whether you need help with […]
Bathroom Renovations, Gas Hot Water, Plumbing Services, Toilet
Always use a Licensed Plumber Gasfitter
Jan
Is your regular plumber or gasfitter a Licensed Plumber Gasfitter? MEDIA RELEASE | Homeowners are warned not to use unlicensed tradespeople over the summer break. Always use a Licensed Plumber Gasfitter. CHECK THE SERVICEMAN COMING TO YOUR HOUSE IS A LICENSED PLUMBER GASFITTER New Zealand homeowners are being warned today not to use unlicensed tradespeople for plumbing, gasfitting, and drainlaying work. The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB), which regulates the industry, is calling on New Zealand homeowners to ask plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers for their licence cards to ensure they are authorized to carry out the work. PGDB Chief Executive, Max Pedersen said it is illegal for anyone to do plumbing, gasfitting, and drainlaying unless they are authorized to do so by the Board. From 1st April each year, plumbers, gasfitters, and drainlayers must re-license with the Board in order to work legally in New Zealand. DON’T RISK NOT USING A LICENSED PLUMBER GASFITTER “We’re reminding homeowners not to risk their family’s health and safety, or their insurance hiring unauthorized tradespeople to undertake work. “Unlicensed plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers potentially place consumers in harm’s way with their poor skills. New Zealanders have the right to have confidence that any plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying service provided to them is safe.” He added: “Anyone carrying out plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying must be able to produce their licence card if asked. This provides consumers with assurance the work is being legally carried out by an authorized and competent trades person. Someone who is currently licensed by the PGDB.” Consumers can also check to see if a plumber, gasfitter or trades person is authorized to carry out the work by logging onto the PGDB’s website at www.pgdb.co.nz, he said. “If a homeowner believes work has been done by someone who is not authorized, or has concerns about the competency of tradespeople, they can make a complaint to the PGDB.” REGENCY PLUMBING – CALL US FOR A LICENSED PLUMBER GASFITTER At Regency Plumbing all our team have a current license number and should have their card on them at all times. We strongly endorse the comments of the boards CEO, Max Pedersen. For a licensed plumber in Auckland or licensed gasfitter in Auckland, call Regency Plumbing. We are glad to be able to provide you someone who knows what they are doing. CLICK HERE for services provided by Regency Plumbing’s licensed plumbers and gasfitters. CALL OUR FRIENDLY TEAM ON 0800 PLUMBER | 0800 758 623 WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU!
Bathroom Renovations, Gas Hot Water, Plumbing Services, Toilet
Plumbing World – Recommended By Regency Plumbing
Jan
PLUMBING WORLD IS WHERE YOU WILL FIND GREAT PLUMBING AND BATHROOM FITTINGS Plumbing World is a general plumbing merchant store which supplies everything. From basic plumbing trade products to top fashion bathroom fittings for your home. They supply many of the best brands from here in New Zealand and around the world. When you need great products to make your bathroom awesome – head on down to a showroom near you. With branches from Kerikeri to Invercargill, Plumbing World has grown to become the largest 100% New Zealand owned plumbing business. Visit a showroom near you to find the bathroom fixtures and tapware you love. You will be sure to find their team helpful and informative. If you wish to visit Plumbing World – CLICK HERE REGENCY PLUMBING HAS BEEN A SHAREHOLDER OF PLUMBING WORLD FOR OVER 15 YEARS Plumbing World is the supplier of plumbing products for many plumbers in Auckland. Over the years we have bought millions of dollars of product from them. We have always found them to have great products, which are well priced. As Plumbing World is owned by Plumbers from around NZ, selling quality products for the plumbers is a critical part of their philosophy. Plumbing World have their own brands, and other brands of taps and fittings. We use a good mixture of both. GETTING THE BEST PRICE FROM PLUMBING WORLD In most cases at Regency Plumbing we will be able to help you get a better price than just buying direct. We will do all we can, helping make your bathroom renovations, or kitchen upgrade, or new development more affordable. We can also help you make sure the fittings you want to purchase actually fit your installation. BE SURE TO GET A LICENSED PLUMBER TO INSTALL YOUR PLUMBING PRODUCTS Remember when you want to get your new fixtures and tapware installed, be sure to use a licensed plumber or gasfitter. Regency Plumbing is a great choice if you are in Auckland. Why? Because we are familiar with nearly all their products. We also have brand alliance with a number of the bigger suppliers in NZ. Regency Plumbing are one of the biggest plumbing companies in Auckland NZ. With a team of over 30 we have years of combined experience in plumbing, gasfitting, and heating. This allows us to solve any problem you might have. We also complete the plumbing of hundreds of new homes every year of which Plumbing World supplies the front of wall fixtures on. Regency Plumbing is also a service based business, making sure we take great care of our customers. We also have a specialist bathroom renovation team which will help you with design, layout, and managing your new bathroom. CLICK HERE to learn more about bathroom renovations
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