Kensington Apartment
Two-Bathroom Renovation
What seemed like mould on the surface, the root cause deemed as due lack of ventilation, and finished as two jewel-box bathrooms.
Location
Kensington, VIC
Scope
Two bathrooms
Type
Apartment renovation
Client
Returning client
Fix it properly.
Not cosmetically.
This was a returning client. We'd renovated their kitchen a few years earlier. The apartment is an investment property they rent out, and they live remotely, so a big part of our job was making decisions easier and keeping them across the build without needing them on site.
The brief was clear: persistent mould in both bathrooms, present for a long time. The client wasn't interested in a cosmetic fix. They wanted the cause sorted properly so it wouldn't come back.
What mattered most
Persistent mould that surface fixes couldn't hold
Bathrooms with no real way to clear moisture
Two dark, dated rooms with no character
A tight footprint with little room for storage
We went the other way.
No windows, minimal natural light, a tight footprint. The standard response is all-white, the default apartment bathroom. We went the other way.
Both rooms lean into their character: deep navy on the upper walls, crisp white tiles below, warm brass fittings, and a patterned floor tile that gives each room its own personality. The result feels like a small jewel-box rather than a forgettable apartment bathroom. Saturated, warm, and intentional.
Walk through the space.
The mould was a symptom. We fixed the cause.
The problem
Shared ventilation that couldn't keep up.
The fix
Both bathrooms shared a single exhaust fan motor, one doing the work of two and neither doing it properly. We gave each bathroom its own dedicated fan, correctly sized for the space.
The problem
A fan wired to the lights.
The fix
If the lights go off, the fan stops, so steam settles straight back into the room. We rewired all fans to run independently so they can keep going as long as needed.
The problem
A dryer venting steam back into the room.
The fix
The existing dryer exhausted directly into the bathroom. We added a dedicated extraction point above the washer/dryer zone so every moisture source has its own way out.
The problem
Plumbing locked under a concrete slab.
The fix
The waste pipes run beneath the floor slab above a carpark. Relocating them would have meant disrupting the carpark and negotiating with the body corporate. We worked with the existing layout, and the result looks like it was always meant to be that way.
"Anyone can put new tiles over an old problem. We'd rather take the lid off, find out why it failed in the first place, and build something that lasts."
Caesarwood Projects
Two rooms that punch above their weight.
The mould is gone. Not painted over, not temporarily suppressed. The rooms breathe properly. Every source of moisture now has its own extraction point, and none of it is tied to whether the lights are on.
The design is anchored in colour and finish rather than chasing trends, so it'll still feel right in ten years. Two dark, dated rooms are now spaces the client can be genuinely proud of.
A note on timing: waterproofing and screed cure times aren't negotiable. We work to a schedule, but we don't rush the things that determine whether a bathroom holds up over years rather than failing in eighteen months.
"The high level of communication and skill Kevin provided gave us peace of mind. Projects don't always go according to plan but Kevin always made sure things were handled both professionally and with as little disruption as possible."
Returning client · Kensington · Bathroom renovation
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