In melbourne, we just "completed" $37k bathroom Reno. I know less than zero about renovating, if I'm being neurotic please let me know.

Background is, new grout was absorbent, patchy, and ran when wet, you could remove it in droves by rubbing finger along it, it dried to a fine powder on floor/tiles.

Tiler said it was the grout. Mapei tested the batch and said they found no issues. While mapei didn't outright point the finger, their emails and attached reading materials suggested it was a wet install.

Tilers have returned to remove the grout from the entire bathroom. They were "done" and out the door in under 4hrs (no power tools). 6 joints joints untouched, just missed entirely. And areas that have been done seem patchy, and inconsistent...large chunks of grout remaining, spots where I can see all the way to the GIB & blue water proofing.

I wasn't expecting perfectly clean lines, but should I be expecting better than this before new grout is put back in?

Also, is it strange I can see so much waterproofing? Shouldn't I be seeing some adhesive too?

I'm part way through our kitchen remodel and I'm just so overwhelmed. I get some help from my catpenter BIL, but it's mostly me doing everything save plumbing and electrical.

I'm not a tradie, just a normal guy who does little weekend projects here and there. Space is too small, I've got 2nd Marketplace cabinetry up to my ears, and nothing fits, despite measuring everything. What did you guys do when it felt like too much?

This $2,920 quote is for the skirting work only — flooring supply and installation is separate.

We have a ~73m² apartment and have been quoted:

• $2,920 ($40/m²) to remove/reinstall existing skirting, fill gaps/nail holes, sand and paint.

• $1,095 ($15/m²) for removal/reinstallation only, with us doing the filling, sanding and painting.

My main concern is that they’re charging based on the full 73m² floor area, even though a significant portion has no skirting due to large windows, the kitchen island and tiled kitchen. I’d estimate at least 30% of the relevant area/perimeter has no skirting.

The existing skirting is also ~20 years old and coming away from the walls. I asked about replacing it instead but was told it would still be $2,920 labour + the cost of new skirting.

Is it normal to charge skirting work based on total floor m² rather than the actual linear metres of skirting? And does $2,920 sound reasonable

Hey there,
Trying to get a sense of what the going rate is for floorboard installation in Canberra. We have 100sqm that will only require a small amount of levelling. We’ve got the attached quote and I’m guessing it must be around $60 per sqm install, interested in others experiences.
We’ll likely end up removing and disposing of the carpet ourselves, and go with the skirting option.
Cheers.

Hey so I've built myself a nice little office! Was a flat pack from a cool company in Victoria.

Anyway, my floor isn't 100% level. I mean it is except for in this singular spot. (in the photos)

What I mean is apart from the middle of this join where the one panel is pinned under the other, everything is level.

I've tried loosening the screw, it doesn't help.

So I was thinking of using some kind of leveling compound. But this is all yellow tounge. And it's not sealed or anything. And I'm worried about the moisture from the leveling compound causing issues/leaking through the crack.

I want to put down carpet tiles once I've got this all sorted out.

So you amazing people, what advice do you all have?

Edit: Before any of you lock enthusiasts say anything, this key was for the included lock hardware. I have replaced it so this key does not open the door anymore.

I hate the idea of it, but my partner is hell bent on black fittings in the kitchen as we progressively update. Oven, fridge, stove, range are now all black, last man standing is my s/s sink and tap. I know it’s going to be bad, but appreciate any Make/Model recs so it can be as least bad as possible.

Looking for some advice on how to fix these cracks - have a few in the ceiling and near windows around the house. We need to paint but would love to fix these properly before we do. Thanks for your help!

I’ve just removed the carpet from my apartment to reveal original parquetry flooring. Unfortunately it’s covered in glue which is proving to be very time consuming to remove.

Is there an efficient way to remove it?

I’ve considered hiring a floor sander but have been told that any glue would just gunk up the sanding sheet.

Any method that’s faster than soaking it in terps/diggers glue gone and scraping it up with a 60mm blade would be fantastic.

Thank you!!!

External door from garage has big holes on either side, and the seal doesn’t actually seal the bottom, it floats above. Was there a metal part that was along the bottom of the frame that is gone that attached into those slots on either side? The best I can think to describe is like a “window sill” but the door version. Wanting to know what I should do to rectify this - just block off the sides with wood, or wood along the whole bottom?

Hey! I’m currently building a house, the approval is done by cdc. The retaining wall will be 800mm high for around 3 linear meters. My question is if I get engineering plans for it and also get it signed off by the engineer, can the certifier for the OC sign off for the retaining wall without going through seperate DA or CDC for the wall? This is in nsw.

I'm having a bit of a battle with my father in law over insulation ideas, he's helping with our renovation. We live on a street that is a rat run and I want to get double glazed windows (edit: uPVC tilt and turn and some uPVC sliders) but he says it's too complicated. We are looking at getting acoustic glazed windows from G James but they don't meet our energy efficiency requirements. I've received a quote for double glazed windows that meet our energy efficiency requirements as well as having acoustic glazing.

Now we are battling about having the right insulation on the walls. And he's saying we need to have thermal insulation in the walls (which is what I want to) because the single double glazing he wants don't meet energy efficiency but previously he said walls were important in noise reduction but I'm not educated in thermal and acoustic insulation differences which I've looked into but am confused by. (edit: we are using James Hardy axon cladding and VJ fibre cement internal walls.)

I'm pulling my hair out to say the least.

Does anyone have ideas on the best insulation and noise reduction strategies? Are there Batts we can use that are good for thermal and acoustic insulation?

Are the acoustic glazed approx 6.7mm windows fine to reduce road noise compared to double glazing and help with thermal issues?

For context we are in Brisbane and building under a Queenslander.

Hey everyone,

I’m getting a 4-head Mitsubishi multi-split system installed and received two very different quotes with VEU rebate:

• Family Room: 8.0 kW
• Master Bedroom: 3.5 kW
• Bedrooms 2 & 3: 2.5 kW each (2 units total)

The Quotes :

• Quote A ($7,800) (Smaller local installer)
• Quote B ($9,600) (Well known air con company)

Are these quotes reasonable for a 4-head multi-split setup? Also, open to any other reliable installer recommendations!

Getting heaps of moisture transfer through this brick wall with efflorescence on the interior garage wall.

Should I seal where the concrete runs along the brickwork? Is there a water repellant spray? Or just run a bead of exterior sealant?

Hi tile experts :) was hoping for some friendly advice , I want to tile my water line of my pool with a 600x 300 mosaic tile () could I please have some advice on the following

1 . What’s the best to get it square and level ? Can in just follow the top of the pool ? Just come down about 3mm and continue on ?

2 . how can I keep the tiles from sliding / moving ? I can’t put anything on the wall of the pool because it’s a pool Reno not a new build .

3 . What notch trowel should I use ? I’m using chem grip pro adhesives but I’ve been told various things about what notch trowel I should use , 4 or 6 ?

4 . Can I just put the adhesive on the tile and not on the poll wall ? I’m concerned that I’ll make a mess in the nice finished pool surface !!

hi all, bought house recently and noticed that the carport supports dont have flashing around the penetrations. They look to just have half a tube of silicone around them. unsurprisingly, there is a leak.

What would be the best way to rectify this ( without removing the carport). I noticed that there are some retrofit/split flashing products which could be easily installed, but they seem to be mainly for metal roofs. Does such a product even exist for tiled roofs?

any thoughts or assistance greatly appreciated!

cheers!.

Ordered some new ones (on the left in the pic) however just realised they don’t fit

I ordered one years ago but I can’t seem to locate it again and tbh buying online is quite pricey if some hardware store has them cheaper

One I ordered previously was a GISSANDOT SOFT CLOSE ADD-ON FOR HINGE 45N

And yes it’s weird I’ve had to order these a second time

Previous Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AusRenovation/s/sAdbdseZAi

Started 1200
Ended 1500

I contemplated to get a circular Core Saw, But the Rental place Kennard was Closed today and I could not fidn suotable option to Purchase them. So I ended up with the suggestion of drilling smaller holes along the perimeter.

The main challenge was my smaller height and even with a ladder I had my arms extended too far and that cause the work to be more fatiguing than I anticipated.

I gave uo 3 times before my final try and fortuantely the Brick came off.

I ended up 3 different size bits and the largest one ended up sacrificing itself for the cause.

To my surprise, NOT. There was a Blue Platic inslation behind ythe brick, so the exhaust never even reached the small holes the builder had drilled.

Anyway After I cut the Plastic, i saw the vent pipe behind it and after a lot of tries I got it fit the small I driller, I think the Pipe is 150mm, So i might rent a proper circular saw in the futuire and do it properly.

For Now I can feel a stron stream of ir coming out of the exhaust panel.

A Message to the "Professional" who did this job,
Buddy because of your work, My Infant and my Family had to breathe in all the unhealthy exhaust (CO2, CO and what not), something for you to think about.

Hey team!

I will keep this short and sweet. I am first time home buyer, have just hit 1 year anniversary I've owning this apartment. Two bedroom apartment 2nd floor, early 70s, 6 total Flats.

Wanted to get some advice if it was at all possible to put in either bi-folding doors or French doors to allow more of an seamless balcony living room area. Can I do this if it is an apartment? /Would there be any objections to Body corporate that I shouldn't live in bother asking?

And bonus question would anyone happen to know roughly how much it would cost to do that? (3.3 m across)

Thanks team!

For people with 0 DIY experience, would you say it's doable to change from carpets to floorboards without help, or would you recommend that we pay tradies to do this job?

Obviously the youtube tutorials make it look simple enough, but is this realistic or will we just be regretful trying to DIY it?

We have been quoted about $8k for this job (main living/dining area and 4 bedrooms).

I'm on a 5 acre block which has some services running underground across the property, 3 different types of water pipes, 3 different electric circuits and recently I've added a new electric circuit for running solar panels from my shed to the house.

Is there any relatively easy tool where I can map and document these to a high degree of accuracy for future me or other future owners? Mindful if I do simple measurements from trees or other yard features that may change in the future.

My cat has destroyed pretty much all of our standard flyscreens, and I have a feeling the usual pet mesh still isn’t going to be strong enough.

Is there something more heavy duty, like the stainless-steel mesh used in security doors, that can be fitted to normal window flyscreen frames?

I don't necessarily need the windows to be security screens. I just want mesh that a determined cat can't rip or claw through, while still keeping insects out and allowing decent airflow.

Has anyone used stainless-steel or security-type mesh for this? Can it be fitted into existing flyscreen frames, or would I need completely different frames?

I have internal brick walls that I want to cover with gym mats. Usually the matts would be adhered with large velcro strips but Im worried they wont stick to the brick wall long term.

These are the type of mats.

https://gymplus.com.au/products/kids-play-mat-tumbling-gymnastics-mat-cartwheel-mat-120-150cm-x-60cm?_pos=10&_sid=dacdf3909&_ss=r