Creating a large luxurious bathroom in Box Hill North, Victoria

When Effie Cook wanted to transform the small, dated bathroom of her 1950’s weatherboard home she knew just who to call. Tas Boucher had worked on her 1950s weatherboard house before and she knew he would do a good job.
Tas, who works with Paul Cree of Refresh Renovations Melbourne, says he was delighted to get the call:
‘Effie had been in the house for 20 years and the bathroom was the last room to be renovated. It was good to be able to help her get it all done.’

Bathroom design ideas

Effie wanted to create a large luxurious bathroom from the existing space. Tas says they had to combine the renovation with a small extension to create the room they needed.
‘We tried to work with the original bathroom, but we needed extra space for the walk-in shower. So we pushed out the wall to create an 800mm extension under the eaves and that gave us the room we needed.’
They replaced the existing exterior wall with a new panel of translucent glass that allows light to stream into what had been a dark and unappealing room. Tas says installing the new glass was straightforward – once they were prepared.
‘The glass panel weighs about 120kgs and it took four guys to lift it. It wasn’t too hard to move it – we just needed the right tools and the right people.’

The bathroom feature wall

With the new wall installed, Tas turned his attention to the other elements of the bathroom. Effie, who had been planning her new bathroom for some time, had decided on a feature wall tiled with monochromatic patterned hexagonal tiles.
‘The tiles are a creamy white with a deep charcoal grey, so it’s a warmer effect than straight black and white,’ she explains.
Tas brought in an expert tiler to do the job and the finished result exceeded all expectations.
‘Effie had all the design elements in her head and we helped put them together. Initially we thought the room might be a bit dark because of the darker tiles, but it’s not at all. Everybody who’s seen it has complimented us on how good it is.’
The dramatic feature walls meant the rest of the bathroom could be more understated.

Tas is an amazing builder and thinks outside the square
Effie chose a standard white vanity plus engineered stone top from Allure Bathrooms and loves having so much storage in her new bathroom. Tas says the two-cupboard, two-drawer vanity was a smart choice.
‘Effie would have liked a bigger one, but the next size up wouldn’t fit and custom made would have been too much for the budget. Sometimes Paul and I modify standard things to fit, but I always tell people to work with standard sizes if they can -it’s simpler and more cost-effective.’

The bathroom renovation results

With Effie’s bathroom now finished, Tas and Paul have moved on to their next project. Paul says he’s impressed with Tas’s transformation of the 20-year old bathroom and is hoping to create more inspiring bathrooms with his workmate.
‘I love how the light streams through the glass wall, completely transforming the original room to create a bright airy space. Effie has her dream bathroom now and we’re looking forward to creating more beautiful bathrooms in the years to come.’
The bathroom was one of the last rooms in her home to be renovated and Effie couldn’t be happier with the result.
‘It’s not a big room, but it feels bigger because of the way it’s been done. Tas is an amazing builder and thinks outside the square. I’ve been thinking about this bathroom for a very long time, but it came up even better than I hoped,’ she says.

You may also be interested in reading Luxurious house extension of a family home in Terrigal, NSW

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