Merc.Build designs and builds luxury bathroom renovations across Sydney under Builders Licence 377744C — book-matched natural stone, custom vanities, brushed brass and bronze tapware, and waterproofing installed and certified to AS 3740. Every bathroom is delivered under a written contract with the statutory warranties of the Home Building Act, and Home Building Compensation cover where the law requires it.
The bathroom is the most technically dense room in a house: waterproofing, falls, drainage, ventilation and stone all competing in a few square metres. It is also where luxury is felt most directly, twice a day, every day. Getting both halves right — the engineering under the tiles and the material poetry above them — is the whole craft.
Stone, brass and the details that make a bathroom
Our bathrooms are built around honest materials chosen to age well: full-height natural stone and large-format porcelain, book-matched marble slabs on vanities and shower walls, micro-cement and Venetian plaster where a softer surface suits, and tapware in brushed brass, bronze and nickel that develops character rather than wear. In our Alder project in Rosebery, Breccia Cascade marble meets brushed bronze tapware and Hazel Oak joinery — a palette resolved down to the shadow line under the vanity.
The luxury is in the resolution: mitred stone edges that turn corners without plastic trim, recessed shaving niches aligned to the tile grid, linear drains that let a floor read as one plane, underfloor heating wired to a schedule, and lighting layered for both the morning rush and the evening bath.
Waterproofing is the real luxury
A beautiful bathroom that leaks is a demolition job on a delay. In NSW, wet-area waterproofing must comply with AS 3740 under the National Construction Code, and it is serious enough that waterproofing is a major element under the Home Building Act — carrying the six-year statutory warranty. On every Merc.Build bathroom the membrane is installed by a licensed applicator, flood-tested before a single tile is laid, and the certificate is lodged in your handover file.
We hold the same discipline through the falls to the drain, the pressure-tested plumbing rough-in, and the mechanical ventilation that protects paint, joinery and air quality for the decades the bathroom will serve.
Renovating in strata, heritage and occupied homes
Sydney bathrooms rarely sit in easy buildings. In strata apartments, altering the waterproofing membrane is major work needing by-law approval — we prepare the documentation body corporates ask for and work to building access rules. In Federation and interwar homes, we deal with timber floor structures, lead flashings and ventilation honestly rather than tiling over problems. And in occupied houses we seal the work zone, protect floors along the access route, and keep a second bathroom running wherever the house allows.
Questions.
How much does a luxury bathroom renovation cost in Sydney?
A high-end bathroom renovation in Sydney typically costs $35,000–$70,000, and premium bathrooms with natural stone slabs, custom joinery and quality brassware regularly reach $80,000–$120,000 or more. The biggest cost drivers are stone selection, layout changes that relocate plumbing, and custom glass and joinery. Merc.Build provides a line-item estimate after inspecting the space.
How long does a bathroom renovation take?
Allow four to six weeks on site for a full strip-out and rebuild of a standard bathroom, and six to ten weeks for large, structural or heavily stone-clad bathrooms. Waterproofing cure times and stone fabrication set the rhythm — slabs should be selected and templated early. Merc.Build fixes the programme before work starts.
What are the waterproofing requirements for bathrooms in NSW?
Bathroom waterproofing in NSW must comply with AS 3740 under the National Construction Code — covering shower floors and walls, wet-area junctions and falls to drains. It must be installed by an appropriately licensed tradesperson and certified. Waterproofing is a major element under the Home Building Act, so defects carry the six-year statutory warranty rather than two.
Do I need council approval to renovate a bathroom in NSW?
Usually not: a like-for-like renovation within the existing room is exempt development in NSW. Approval is needed when you move walls or windows, change the building's structure, or renovate within a strata scheme, where waterproofing changes require a by-law. Any work over $5,000 requires a written contract, and over $20,000, Home Building Compensation cover.