Bathroom renovations on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa Shire, planned around the waterproofing, plumbing and approvals that sit under the tiles.
Roebuck Concepts is a bespoke home designer and builder on the Sunshine Coast, and bathrooms are part of our renovation work. We take the room back to the frame and check the floor and walls, set the shower falls and rebuild the waterproofing before any tile goes down. As a QBCC licensed builder we book the plumber, electrician and waterproofer in the right order, so nothing is covered before it has been checked.
Our bathroom renovations cover the whole room, from the subfloor and frame through to the last fitting. One team handles the demolition, framing, waterproofing, plumbing coordination and finishing, working to our step-by-step building process.
The homes behind the work differ from street to street: long-held houses and holiday homes in Noosa, weekenders on Noosa North Shore that every trade reaches by ferry, rentals and townhouses in Maroochydore, and apartments and older seaside cottages on Alexandra Headland. Each one has a different set of walls, floors and services hiding behind the tiles.
Why choose us
Why a builder should run your bathroom renovation
A bathroom is the smallest room in a house with the most trades through it. Plumber, electrician, waterproofer, tiler, carpenter and glazier all touch it, often more than once. We act as the bathroom renovation builder from strip-out to handover, so one licensed company answers for the order of work and the finished room.
Services list
Each bathroom renovation starts with the structure and the water, then moves to finishes. Pick the scope that fits the house.
Best for: Original bathrooms in older houses
We strip the room back to the frame or slab, check the structure and fix any rot or movement before rebuilding. New waterproofing goes in before the tiler starts, and plumbing and electrical rough-in is done by licensed trades.
See our renovation work
Best for: Leaking or dated showers
A leaking or tired shower can be rebuilt with a step-down or level entry. That means changing the floor set-down, regrading the falls to the waste and laying a new membrane before tiling, so water leaves the shower quickly.
How our process works
Best for: Main bedroom upgrades
An ensuite renovation can enlarge the room, borrow space from a robe or form part of a wider extension. We check where the waste lines can run, how much fall the floor allows and how the new room ties into the existing frame and roof.
Home extensions
Best for: Owners who live elsewhere part of the year
Holiday homes see heavy use in short bursts, then long empty spells. We plan finishes and fittings that cope with sand, salt and guests, and lock in tiles and tapware first so the trades can keep working while you are away.
Book a free consult
Best for: Landlords, units and townhouses
Shared walls, slabs and services, body corporate requirements and tenants all need planning before demolition. We set the sequence early, protect common areas and keep the scope tight, so the bathroom is back in service without dragging on.
How our process runsBest for: Whole-of-house projects
When the bathroom is one part of a wider job, it gets planned with the kitchen, the layout and the structure, so services are run once and walls are opened once.
Custom build workNot sure where your bathroom job starts? Book a free consult
Local area insights
What shapes a bathroom renovation
Why the membrane comes first
Waterproofing defects show up consistently in the QBCC top ten list of defective work complaints. That is why we treat the membrane as a hold point: it is inspected before the tiler starts, and we photograph it so you have a record.
The standard wet areas are built to
We rebuild wet areas to AS 3740:2021, the standard NCC 2022 references. No part of the shower floor may be left unprotected, hobs and step-downs included, and the wall membrane runs up to at least 1800 mm. These provisions have applied in Queensland since 1 May 2023, and NCC 2022 continues to apply here because NCC 2025 has been delayed in Queensland until 1 May 2027.
Air as well as water
NCC 2022 Housing Provisions set an exhaust rate of 25 L/s for a bathroom, discharged to outdoor air directly or through a duct. Where the room is not naturally ventilated, the fan is interlocked with the light switch and keeps running for 10 minutes after the light goes off.
How we run the job
We settle the layout, fittings and finishes with you first, then book trades in a fixed order around them. Plumbing rough-in, membrane, tiling and fit-off each get checked before the next trade arrives.
Sources: QBCC: Waterproofing done right, what you need to know (2025), NCC 2022 Housing Provisions Part 10.8 Condensation management
Common problems & solutions
Most of the faults we find when walls and floors are opened trace back to how the room was built, not how it was cleaned.
Waterproofing
Cause The membrane has failed or stops short at the hob, the step-down, the waste or a wall junction.
Why it matters Water travels under the tiles into skirtings, frames, the next room or the home below.
Our solution We pull the shower apart, inspect what sits underneath and rebuild it to AS 3740:2021, with membrane across the whole shower floor and up the walls to at least 1800 mm.
Prevention / next step Ask to see the membrane, or photos of it, before any tiling.
Signs to watch for:
Ventilation
Cause There is no exhaust fan, or the fan vents into the roof space instead of outside.
Why it matters Damp air settles on ceilings, framing and grout, which brings mould and peeling paint.
Our solution A licensed electrician fits a bathroom exhaust fan ducted to outdoor air and wired to the light, and we repair or replace the damaged linings.
Prevention / next step Run the fan during and after every shower, and keep the gap under the door clear for fresh air.
Signs to watch for:
Plumbing
Cause An earlier owner moved a basin, toilet or shower without a licensed plumber, or the work was never lodged.
Why it matters Unrecorded pipework inside a wall is hard to trace when something leaks.
Our solution QBCC classes bathroom renovations as notifiable plumbing work. Our licensed plumber assesses the existing pipework, redoes anything that is not right and lodges the Form 4 with QBCC within 10 business days, with a copy for you.
Prevention / next step Keep the Form 4 with your house records.
Signs to watch for:
Asbestos
Cause Under Queensland asbestos guidance, homes built before 1990 are likely to contain asbestos, and bathroom wall sheeting is one place to look.
Why it matters Cutting or breaking it during strip-out can release fibres.
Our solution We arrange testing before demolition. More than 10 square metres of bonded asbestos must be removed by a contractor holding a current asbestos removal certificate.
Prevention / next step Treat any pre-1990 bathroom lining as suspect until it has been tested.
Signs to watch for:
Worried about a leaking shower? Call 0477 333 386
Service area links
Bathroom Renovations Across the Sunshine Coast
Bathroom renovations for homes on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa Shire.
Renovation builders on the Sunshine Coast
Related services
FAQ
Sunshine Coast bathroom renovation questions
Building work valued over $3,300 needs a QBCC licence, and plumbing needs a licensed plumber however small the job. A full bathroom usually involves both. A QBCC licensed builder can run the whole project and bring in the licensed trades it needs, so check the licence number of whoever quotes.
QBCC has a licence class called Waterproofing, covering surface preparation, application and repair. We engage appropriately licensed contractors for it, and the membrane is inspected and photographed before the tiler starts.
No. QBCC reminds homeowners that a quote, even an accepted one, is not a contract. Domestic building work priced over $3,300 needs a written contract, signed and dated by each party, and home warranty cover applies above that value too.
After the free consult, design and documentation come first, followed by a detailed quotation. The residential contract lists Prime Cost and Provisional Sum allowances for items still being chosen, and we aim to fix the price as far as possible before work begins.
Only a licensed electrician. Safety switches are installed by licensed electricians only, and they must be fitted to power point circuits when a new electrical installation goes in. We schedule the electrician around the plumber and the waterproofer, so wiring is in place before the walls close.
At Practical Completion a third-party inspector visits twice: the first visit lists any defects, the second confirms they are fixed. Then we hand over, and a 12-month defect warranty period follows.
Business information
Bathroom renovations from our Coolum Beach office
Roebuck Concepts works from one office, at Unit 1/18 Lomandra Place, Coolum Beach, and builds on the Sunshine Coast and in Noosa Shire. Tom started the business in 2005 building custom homes, after a degree in Design and seven years as a furniture designer and maker in Scotland. The same eye for joins and tolerances goes into a small wet room.
Sources: About Roebuck Concepts, Awards and credentials
Plan your bathroom renovation with a QBCC licensed builder
Book a free in-home consult with Tom and talk through your bathroom, your budget and your timing.
