Master Ensuite Renovation in Sandringham: Patterson Street
A master ensuite renovation in Sandringham, Auckland. The shower had been leaking, there was mould behind the lining, and the room came out back to the framing before anything new went in.
This one is worth reading if your shower looks fine. It looked fine here too. Key Interiors designed and built the replacement start to finish.
Where it started
An ensuite that looked tired, not broken
Plain white floor tile, a framed glass shower box in the corner, a laminate vanity, and a deep teal wall that had been the update at some point. Every surface in it was dated but nothing was obviously wrong.
Nobody renovates a bathroom because of the tile colour. They renovate because something is happening that they cannot see, and by the time they can see it, it has been happening for years.
What was actually wrong
The shower was leaking, and it did not look like a leaking shower
A leaking shower almost never presents as water on the floor. It presents as nothing at all, while the water goes into the substrate, the framing and whatever is on the other side of the wall.
Here it was going through the floor at the waste. Behind the lining there was mould. Neither of those things is visible from inside a shower you use every day, which is exactly the problem with them.
If your shower is leaking, the last place you will see it is in the shower.
The signs worth knowing: a musty smell that does not clear with the fan on, grout that stays dark long after everything else has dried, springy or discoloured flooring in the room next door, and paint lifting on the other side of the shower wall.
The rebuild
New substrate, new waterproofing, new everything
Everything came out. Linings, floor, shower, fittings and services. Once a room is open you stop guessing: you can see the framing, you can see where the water went, and you can fix the cause rather than covering it.
Then it was rebuilt properly. New substrate, new waterproofing to the wet areas, new services. This is the part of a bathroom renovation you never see again once the tile goes on, and it is the only part that decides whether you are back here in ten years.
Then the tile. Deep blue gloss on the walls, large-format stone-look in the shower and on the floor. The blue is a handmade-look glaze, so it shifts through the day rather than sitting flat.
The shower
The box came out and the shower got bigger
The old framed shower box was replaced with a tiled shower in large-format stone-look tile. Fewer grout lines, fewer places for water to find a way through, and a lot less to clean.
Large format in a small wet area is counter-intuitive and it is usually right. The tile is bigger than people expect for the space, which is exactly why the space reads bigger than it is.
The finish
Deep blue, oak and chrome
A deep blue gloss wall, an oak vanity with a stone top, and chrome tapware. The blue does the work, so everything else stays quiet.
Colour in a small room is a smaller risk than people think. An ensuite is not a space you sit in for hours, and a strong wall gives it an identity that a white bathroom has to buy with expensive fittings instead.
Materials and finishes
What's in the room
- Feature tile
- Deep blue gloss, handmade look
- Shower and floor
- Large-format stone-look tile
- Vanity
- Oak, drawer front, stone benchtop
- Basin
- Inset, white
- Tapware
- Chrome mixer
- Shower
- Tiled, replacing the original framed box
- Heating
- Heated towel rail
- Waterproofing
- New membrane throughout the wet areas
- Scope
- Full strip to framing, rebuilt
Finished
Patterson Street, Sandringham
Common questions
Leaking showers and ensuite renovations in Auckland
How do you know if your shower is leaking?
Rarely by seeing water. Look for a musty smell that does not clear with the fan running, grout or silicone that stays dark long after the rest has dried, springy or stained flooring in the adjoining room, paint lifting on the far side of the shower wall, and skirting or architrave swelling near the bathroom. Any of those is worth investigating before it becomes a strip-out.
Can a leaking shower be repaired without a full renovation?
Sometimes. If the waterproofing membrane is intact and the problem is a failed silicone joint or a waste seal, it can be a targeted repair. If water has been getting into the substrate or the framing, patching the surface hides the damage rather than stopping it. The only way to know which one you have is to open it up.
Why strip an ensuite back to the framing?
Because a wet area fails from the inside out. With the linings off you can see the framing, confirm where the water has been, replace the substrate and lay new waterproofing as a continuous system. Tiling over a compromised wall is the cheaper option and it is the one that brings you back in a few years.
Does a small ensuite suit a strong wall colour?
Often better than a large bathroom does. An ensuite is a room you pass through rather than sit in, so a deep colour reads as a decision rather than a commitment. It also means the rest of the room, the vanity and the tapware, can stay simple.
What does an ensuite renovation cost in Auckland?
It depends on the size, whether the plumbing moves, and above all what is found behind the linings. A leak that has reached the framing changes the number. We have written the detail up separately: see what a bathroom renovation costs in Auckland, or get a tailored figure from the estimator.
Do you work in Sandringham and the central suburbs?
Yes. Key Interiors design and build bathrooms, ensuites, kitchens, laundries and full home renovations across Auckland, including Sandringham, Mt Albert, Mt Eden, Kingsland and Balmoral. See the areas we serve.
Keep reading
Think your shower might be leaking?
Get a free, tailored estimate using real Auckland pricing. No obligation, no sales pressure.
Get my free estimate or book a free consult