Is this Ultimate Kitchens & Bathrooms still a Hawthorn contractor?
No. This domain is now an independent WWB fleet editorial guide. It is not a builder, not a showroom, and not a successor to any historic Hawthorn East licence or display home.
Melbourne · stone, timber, chrome
How do Melburnians plan a kitchen or bathroom renovation?
Design, waterproofing, and cost framing with the assumptions still attached — for occupied houses from Brunswick terraces to bayside villas.
At a glance
Scope
Kitchens and wet rooms in occupied Melbourne houses
First risk
Waterproofing and falls — not tap finish
Cost stance
Planning bands only, assumptions published
Not this site
No quotes, no #1 claims, no historic showroom
The brief
Design, waterproofing, and cost framing — in that order
Three ways in
A weekend brief, a wet-area week, or a twelve-week gut
01 · Wet rooms
Bathroom renovations
Same-footprint refresh versus a full gut: membranes, falls, and ventilation before anyone picks a tile.
02 · Joinery
Kitchen renovations
Melbourne kitchens fail on aisle width, rangehood duct, and appliance lock — not on the mood-board island.
03 · Assumptions
Cost framing
Planning bands with the assumptions still attached. Not a quote, not a live price, not a guarantee.
Bathroom ledger
Waterproofing before pretty
Melbourne bathrooms fail inspections on membranes, falls, and penetrations — not on tap finish. Read the wet-area basics, then decide shower versus bath with the room you actually own. Heritage bathroom designs sit next to a Melbourne process page, not a ranking claim.
Kitchen ledger
Layout, duct, then walnut
The working Melbourne kitchen is a services problem first: rangehood duct, dishwasher waste, oven circuits, and an aisle you can still pass when two doors open. Then it is a materials problem — see choosing benchtops and the kitchen hub.
Also on the map
Waterproofing, designs that age, and suburb notes
04 · Risk
Waterproofing basics
Why Melbourne bathrooms fail inspections on upturns and wastes, not on tap finish.
05 · Look
Designs that age
Contemporary, three-quarter, and stone-and-timber rooms that still fit a Victorian terrace.
06 · Where
Melbourne areas
Suburb notes on housing stock, heritage overlays, and access — editorial, not doorway copy.
Evergreen
Guides that stay useful after handover
process
Questions before you sign a reno contract
Questions that make an underquote visible before you sign a Melbourne kitchen or bathroom contract.
process
Bathroom reno timeline overview
Typical Melbourne bathroom renovation time ranges: lead times, on-site weeks, and what sits outside the program.
guides
Waterproofing mistakes that cost later
The Melbourne bathroom mistakes that show up two summers later: skipped upturns, early tiles, and unnamed systems.
FAQ
What visitors always ask
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Melbourne?
There is no honest fixed price. Use the planning bands on /bathroom-renovation-cost/ — they change with footprint, whether plumbing moves, and whether the membrane is a full redo. Those numbers are not quotes.
Kitchen or bathroom first?
If only one room can be out of action, renovate the bathroom first when waterproofing risk is higher; renovate the kitchen first when the household cannot lose the cook line. See /guides/planning-a-reno/.
Do I need a building permit in Victoria?
Sometimes. Same-footprint cosmetic work may not; structural changes, some wet-area rebuilds, and work affecting exits often do. Confirm the current trigger with the relevant building surveyor and the VBA — do not treat this site as a permit desk.
Internal ledger
Keep reading
Next step
Make a Melbourne renovation day of it
Pair the cost-guide assumptions with the checklist, then take a written brief to a licensed trade. We do not quote, design, or install.