How much does an ensuite renovation cost?

Renovating a 3 to 5 m2 ensuite usually costs $15,000 to $30,000, and about $21,000 is typical, according to What's The Damage. That is for a full strip-out with the toilet, shower and vanity left where they are. A small, standard ensuite can cost under $15,000.

Below are the ensuite price ranges, what a small ensuite costs, what it takes to add a new ensuite, and the Queensland rules for each. These are market prices from cost guides, checked on 5 October 2026. They are not a quote from us.

How much does an ensuite renovation cost in 2026?

Most published ranges for an ensuite sit between about $8,500 and $35,000. Where you land depends on the size, the finishes and whether anything moves.

Read the CKA figures with care. They leave out GST, so add 10%. They are also priced for Sydney, and CKA puts Brisbane 4% higher. Archicentre assumes standard fittings and a room "in sound condition", so an older ensuite with damage behind the tiles can cost more.

What's The Damage also has a Gold Coast page for ensuites. It is the national figure with a location adjustment, so it lands almost the same: $14,700 to $29,400.

Is an ensuite cheaper than a main bathroom?

Usually, yes. What's The Damage says ensuites are "typically 20-30% cheaper than main bathrooms due to smaller size". CKA's June 2026 figures show the same gap.

If your ensuite has a shower and no bath, that is one less fixture to buy and plumb. But a smaller room is not cheaper per square metre. What's The Damage says the fixed costs ("waterproofing, plumbing, demolition") are spread across less floor. For the full picture on main bathrooms, see our bathroom renovation cost guide.

How much does a small ensuite renovation cost?

About $12,000 to $20,000 for a small ensuite of 2 to 3 m2, according to What's The Damage. CKA's standard ensuite tier starts lower, at $8,490 to $13,090 before GST.

The cheapest small ensuites keep everything where it is. What's The Damage says moving a plumbing point costs $400 to $1,500 or more, and cutting a concrete slab to do it adds $600 to $1,500. In a small room, a few moved points can eat a big share of the budget.

The vanity is another place to save. A ready-made unit can cost under $1,000, while a custom one installed often runs to several thousand. Our guide to vanity installation cost has the prices by type.

How much does it cost to add a new ensuite?

Adding an ensuite usually means building the room as well as fitting it out. What's The Damage says "a basic ensuite addition costs $15,000-$30,000". It does not say whether that covers new walls or an extension, so treat it as a starting point.

The Archicentre Cost Guide 2026 lets you build up a rough number.

For an ensuite carved out of a bedroom or walk-in robe, the fit-out is the bulk of it, with the new walls and pipes on top. For an extension, Archicentre says to add the fit-out to the shell cost. A 4 m2 ensuite in a new extension works out at about $10,800 to $20,400 for the shell, plus $17,500 to $35,000 for the fit-out. That is roughly $28,000 to $55,000 before fees.

Archicentre says its extension rates leave out upgrading plumbing and electrical, and that larger jobs get a better price per square metre. So a small extension can cost more per square metre than the table shows.

Canstar's renovation guide (January 2025) says a bedroom renovation can run to $35,000 or more. The biggest expense is "likely to be an ensuite", if you add one. If an architect or engineer draws it up, CKA says to allow 15% to 20% of the building cost for their fees.

What does a new ensuite need that a renovation does not?

New pipes, new walls and fresh air. A renovation reuses what is there. A new ensuite has to bring it all in.

• New plumbing. The toilet, shower and basin all need water and a waste pipe to the drain. What's The Damage puts a new rough-in at $180 to $350 a point, or $200 to $350 in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast. It also says homes on a concrete slab cost more than timber-floor homes, because the slab has to be cut.
• Framing. New stud walls, plus noggins to hold the vanity and fittings. What's The Damage puts Gold Coast carpenters at $54 to $125 an hour.
• An exhaust fan. The building code's exhaust rules call for at least 25 L/s from a bathroom, ducted to the outside. In a room with no natural ventilation, the fan must switch on with the light and keep running for 10 minutes after it goes off.
• The right toilet door. If the toilet is in a fully enclosed room, the door must open outwards, slide, or lift off from outside. An inward door is fine only if there is a clear space of at least 1.2 m between the toilet and the doorway (NCC 2022, Housing Provisions 10.4.2).
• Waterproofing. This is a big line in any ensuite. Our guide to bathroom waterproofing cost in Queensland has the rules and prices.

Queensland has put off the 2025 building code until 1 May 2027, so the 2022 code above is the one that applies.

Do I need approval to add an ensuite in Queensland?

It depends on whether the house grows or the structure changes. This is a plain summary, not legal advice. A building certifier has the final word for your house.

• Building approval. Under the Building Regulation 2021 (Schedule 1, section 7), alterations to a house do not need building approval if they leave three things alone: the floor area or height, the structural parts, and the fire safety system. An ensuite built inside the house with new non-structural walls often fits. An extension adds floor area, so it falls outside this rule and needs approval. So does taking out a load-bearing wall. Our guide to council approval on the Gold Coast goes through it.
• Plumbing. The Queensland Government lists "installing additional fixtures, such as toilets, showers and sinks" as notifiable work. That means no council permit, but the plumber must register it with the QBCC within 10 business days of invoicing. It becomes permit work, approved before work starts, if it is part of a new building or the house is on a combined drain. Your plumber will know which applies.
• Licences. Building work over $3,300 needs a QBCC-licensed contractor. Plumbing needs a licence at any value, and electrical work needs a licensed electrician.
• Deposit. The QBCC caps the deposit at 10% for jobs of $3,301 to $19,999, and 5% from $20,000. A $21,000 ensuite, for example, falls in the 5% band.

How do I compare ensuite renovation quotes?

Quotes only compare if they cover the same job. Check that each one says:

• whether the toilet, shower and vanity stay put, or what it costs to move each one
• who does the waterproofing, and who signs the certificate
• what allowance is in for tiles, tapware and the vanity
• for a new ensuite, the new walls, the exhaust fan and the door
• who handles approvals and the plumber's QBCC paperwork
• the deposit, and when each progress payment is due

We renovate bathrooms and ensuites across the Gold Coast, from the strip-out and framing to the tiles, vanity and shower screen. We book licensed trades for the plumbing, electrical and waterproofing, and give you a timeline with the proposal. See our bathroom renovations page.

Where do these prices come from?

Checked on 5 October 2026: the CKA Home Renovation Cost Indicator (June 2026), What's The Damage (bathroom renovation cost, bathroom budget breakdown and Gold Coast bathroom pages, October 2026; plumbing cost per point, June 2026; Gold Coast carpenter cost, October 2026), the Archicentre Australia Cost Guide 2026 and Canstar (January 2025). Rules from the Building Regulation 2021 (Qld, current as at 14 August 2026), the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, the QBCC, the Queensland Government, the Electrical Safety Office and HIA (May 2026, on the NCC 2025 delay). We will check the prices again every three months.

See our bathroom renovations work, or check what your job will cost.