This renovation in March 2022, involved a laundry/powder room and adjacent main bathroom, in an Old (1900s) weatherboard house in Maylands.

In 2010, former owners had added a new section at the rear, to house the laundry and a bathroom.

This area had a concrete slab, unlike the rest, which was floor boards. It was still timber framed, just like the rest of the house. However, as we uncovered, it was so crudely and cheaply done, that it was virtually crumbling down 12 years later. Termites were the main issue and we uncovered on demolition, Asbestos had been used and some of the worse termite damage we had ever seen.

The brief was to remove a bath in the bathroom and instead, install a walk -in shower. Brand new shop bought grey ‘shaker’ vanity and back to wall, rimless toilet suite to be added to the right side.

In the adjacent laundry, the old cupboard was to be removed and the toilet made new. Brand new custom cabinets were designed and made to accommodate certain items that needed to fit. A space for a front loader washer and dryer was made and a new compact trough/sink was installed.

The client had wanted to use a detailed patterned floor tile on the floor in the bathroom and the reverse was used in the laundry; using a large 600 x 300 grey matt tile on the floor. The budget for fixtures was generous and the client went shopping to find her own tiles and shaker style vanity, taps etc. We were able to get her a builder’s price on her selections once she chose them and we found an awesome Oval shaped mirror. She really appreciated the help with purchasing.

The original cost estimate was at $35,000, but after the demolition, problems were found that made the project increase by $15,000. Extensive Termite damage was in BOTH the laundry and bathroom and all the framed walls and timbers had to first be removed and completely replaced.

Luckily Essence Interiors found a specialist carpenter who had dealt with the termite issues we had. Getting Greg on the job to quote and then reconstruct all the framed walls, took time and set the other trades back. But we could not have moved on without him! The walls and timbers were like honeycomb, and broke away with a slight push. The timber flaked like crumbs and fell to the floor. There was no structural integrity, no strength in the timber frames and the damage was so bad it went all the way round, including door and window frames.

The client was just as shocked as we were! It was later discovered that the extension was built without floor level protection for termite entry (ant caps) and there was no treated timber used. Over time, water leaks into the walls made the timber wet and soft- making it ideal fodder for the hungry termites who obviously had a field day! (see photos on termite damage).

Once the carpenter replaced all the vertical and horizontal frames, the insulation was put into walls and the gyprock was replaced. This enabled us to re- start the renovation process. It added at least a week and a half to the process.

We were able to deliver a new bathroom and laundry which the client loves- even after the initial shock of what we found beneath! All’s well that ends well……………… Essence Interiors to the rescue!