Reconfigure: change the layout, or add an ensuite
Reconfigure moves fixtures, walls or both: turning a bath into a walk-in shower with the waste in a new place, opening a wall, or adding an ensuite. CheckMyBuilder puts a premium renovation at $35,000–70,000 excl. GST, with moving a toilet or shower adding $2,000–6,000 on its own. Adding a fixture, or touching a specified system, takes the job outside the Schedule 1 exemptions, so it needs a building consent.
| Room | Band | GST and source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard or large | $35,000–$70,000 | excl. GST · CheckMyBuilder |
| Small, under about 5 m² | $25,000–$35,000 | GST status not stated by the source · Superior Renovations |
| Contingency, on top | 15–20% | Superior Renovations |
These are published market bands, not our prices. We publish our own from-prices once we hold at least two crew quotes on a standard scope. Checked 16 September 2026.
What's included
- A scaled proposed plan, and the consent drawings a council will want
- Moving the shower, bath, toilet or basin, with the waste re-run by a licensed plumber
- Wall removal or new framing, with restricted building work done by a Licensed Building Practitioner
- New substrate, membrane and tiling as for a retile
- A full records pack, plus the consent documentation
What's not
- Council consent fees and levies, which are paid at cost
- Engineering, where a wall turns out to be load-bearing
- Asbestos testing and removal
- Anything outside the bathroom footprint
Consent
Consent is normally needed. Schedule 1 clause 35 only exempts alterations that do not increase the total number of sanitary fixtures in the building and do not modify or affect a specified system, so adding an ensuite or a second toilet is outside it. Structural work is restricted building work and needs a Licensed Building Practitioner.
Clause 35 only covers alterations that do not increase the total number of sanitary fixtures in the building and do not modify or affect a specified system. Adding a second toilet, a new basin or an extra shower increases the fixture count, so the exemption does not apply and consent is needed. Auckland Council's own guidance lists new sanitary fixtures, tiled wet areas and drainage changes as work that generally needs consent.
Building Act 2004, Schedule 1 cl 35; Auckland Council renovation guidance · checked 16 September 2026
Exemptions apply to the work as it actually is, not as it is described on a website. Check your own job with your council before anyone starts. The clauses in full.
How long it takes
5–6 weeks on site in New Zealand, 4–8 weeks and up in Auckland for luxury or structural scopes (Superior Renovations), plus consent processing.
Where the days actually goQuestions about Reconfigure
Why is Reconfigure on a waitlist?
Because we will not sell work we cannot yet run properly. A layout change needs a Licensed Building Practitioner for the restricted building work and a designer for the consent drawings, and neither is contracted yet. You can join the waitlist, and the measure-and-design visit still covers a Reconfigure scope: you get the plan, the budget and the consent position whether or not we end up building it.
How much does moving the toilet or shower add?
CheckMyBuilder puts it at $2,000–6,000 excl. GST on top of the job, for re-routing waste and water plus the waterproofing that follows.
How long does consent take?
Superior Renovations puts Auckland Council processing at 1–3 weeks, and says a mid-range consented job adds 2–3 weeks to the programme and a structural one 3–4 weeks. Your council's own processing times are the ones that count.