MATERIALS SCHEDULE — BRIGHTON, VIC
SELECTIONS BY APPOINTMENT
SHOWER RENOVATIONS — REV A / SCHEDULE 08
get the fall right, then
SHOWER RENOVATIONS
BRIGHTON
Tile format, drain type and screen style all pull on each other — so a shower is set out from the waste and the waterproofing, not from the catalogue photo.
what a shower
REBUILD ACTUALLY IS
Most Brighton showers come out for one of three reasons: the waterproofing has failed at the junctions, the floor no longer falls to the waste, or the room has outgrown a 900mm corner enclosure. Whichever applies, the work below the tile decides the result. We strip back to frame or slab, correct the substrate, set the falls, waterproof, and only then start setting tile.
A shower rebuild can sit inside an otherwise intact room, or form the core of a full bathroom renovation. Either way the sequence is the same, and the decisions that matter — tile format, drain type, screen style, niche position — are settled before demolition rather than during it.
WALK-IN
1200–1600 OPENING / FIXED PANEL / 10MM GLASS
An open entry with no door and a longer fall to a linear drain. It needs floor area and a considered splash zone, but it reads as part of the room rather than a box in the corner.
ALCOVE
THREE TILED WALLS / HINGED OR SLIDING DOOR
The most common retrofit. It keeps the existing footprint, so the gain comes from tile format, a full-height niche and better tapware placement — useful in a small bathroom.
OVER-BATH
SHARED WASTE / SCREEN OR FIXED PANEL
Sensible where one room serves children and guests. The screen detail and the tile junction behind the bath do most of the work here.
HOBLESS
LEVEL ENTRY / FALLS ACROSS THE WHOLE FLOOR
No hob to step over. It asks for the floor to be set down or built up, and for waterproofing to be carried well past the shower zone.
REV B
FALLS, DRAINS & GLASS
Large-format tile and a traditional centre waste do not agree with each other. A 600×600 tile cannot be dished in four directions without lipping, so the floor is set to a single fall toward a linear drain at the wall or the entry line. That one decision changes the tile layout, the screen position and where the glass can be silicone-fixed.
Glass is measured after tiling, never before. Walls in older bayside houses are rarely perfectly plumb, and a screen ordered from a plan will show the gap. We template on site, confirm hinge and panel positions with you, then order. The membrane behind all of it is covered under bathroom waterproofing.
the order of
THE WORK
01 — STRIP OUT AND INSPECT
Tiles, screed and the old screen come out. We look at the frame, the subfloor and the existing waste before anything else is confirmed.
02 — SUBSTRATE AND FALLS
Set-down or build-up as required, then screed to a consistent fall so water reaches the drain instead of sitting at the hob.
03 — WATERPROOFING
Membrane to the junctions, hob, waste and required wall height, with proper drying time allowed between coats.
04 — TILING AND NICHES
Set-out runs from the drain and the visible corner. Niches are framed and waterproofed rather than cut in late — see bathroom tiling.
05 — SCREEN TEMPLATE AND FIT
Glass is measured on the finished tile, then installed with the fixings, hinges and panel line agreed at selection stage.
06 — TAPWARE, WASTE AND SEAL
Mixer, rail or overhead fitted to the heights set on the plan, waste finished flush, and every wet junction sealed before handover.
asked before
QUOTING
Can the shower be replaced without redoing the whole bathroom?
Often, yes. The limit is usually the tile — if the existing wall and floor tiles can no longer be sourced, the shower zone will read as a patch. Where a match isn’t possible we look at a deliberate change of material instead of a near-miss.
How wide should the shower be?
Comfort starts around 900mm clear, and 1000–1200mm makes a real difference for a walk-in. In a tight room the gain often comes from moving the screen line or the door swing rather than enlarging the room.
Frameless, semi-frameless or a single fixed panel?
Frameless 10mm glass reads cleanest and shows the tiling honestly, so the set-out has to be right. Semi-frameless costs less and hides more. A single fixed panel suits hobless entries where a door would sweep into the vanity.
Why does the grout in the base keep discolouring?
Usually standing water from an inadequate fall, or a grout unsuited to constant wetting. Both are substrate and specification problems rather than cleaning problems, which is why we look under the tile first. More questions are answered on the FAQ page.
RELATED WORK
A shower rarely sits on its own. Pair it with vanities and cabinetry, an ensuite renovation, or take the whole room further with luxury bathroom renovations and modern bathroom renovations. Selections can be set out first through bathroom design and planning, or explored in custom bathrooms.
Reading first? Try renovation costs, timelines or the planning checklist, and browse design references in projects.
WHERE WE WORK
We renovate showers in Brighton and the surrounding bayside suburbs, including Brighton East, Hampton, Gardenvale, Elwood and Sandringham. Access, parking and the age of the plumbing all change how a job is staged, so we prefer to look at the room before advising. Full detail is on service areas, and more about how we work is on the about page.
tell us about
THE SHOWER
Send through the room size, the existing set-up and what isn’t working. The enquiry form asks for your name, email, phone, suburb, renovation type, budget range, timeframe and project details, and the enquiry is stored privately in this website.
USEFUL BEFORE YOU WRITE
Rough opening width and ceiling height.
Whether the floor is timber or concrete.
Ground floor or upstairs.
Any known leak, movement or drummy tile.
Whether the bathroom stays in use during works.