Bathroom Renovation Order of Trades: What to Choose Before Each Trade Arrives (AU/NZ)

A bathroom renovation runs in a fixed order, and most of the expensive mistakes happen when a decision arrives later than the trade that needed it. The plumber can't rough in a wall mixer that hasn't been bought. The electrician can't leave a cable in the right place for a mirror nobody has chosen. And once the wall is sheeted and tiled, changing either means cutting tiles.

This guide walks through the bathroom renovation order of trades, stage by stage, and names the decision that has to be made before each trade arrives. The measurements behind those decisions, from mixer heights to the gap above the tap, are in our companion guide, Bathroom Heights and Rough-In Measurements.

Updated 13 October 2026. This guide explains what to plan and what to ask for. It is not installation instructions, and licensed work must be done by licensed trades.

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Quick Answer

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The Bathroom Renovation Order at a Glance

Read the timeline left to right. The brass markers are the gates: if the decision above a marker hasn't been made, that trade either waits or guesses.

Most of the time in a renovation sits before demolition: design, selections, ordering and, in many cases, building consent. Get those done first and the time on site is far easier to predict.

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Stage by Stage: What to Choose Before Each Trade Arrives

1. Plan: choose everything before you ask for quotes

Choose every fixture before you get quotes, not after. A quote based on "a wall mixer, TBC" is a guess, and the price, the rough-in and the lead time all change once the actual product is known. At this stage you want: the vanity and basin, the tapware for every outlet, the shower set (a rail set such as the Corsica, or a mixer with a separate head), the mirror or mirror cabinet, the tiles, and the accessories. Get the spec sheet for each one. If you are working to a layout, our bathroom layout guide covers spacing and flow.

In New Zealand, check with your council whether your renovation needs a building consent before you book demolition. Work that involves a new tiled shower with a waterproofing membrane, or moving plumbing and drainage, commonly does. Some like-for-like replacement work is exempt from consent, but installing or removing sanitary fixtures must still be done by an authorised plumber.

2. Demolish

Demolition is quick, and it's the last time the whole room is open. In an older home, have wall and floor linings tested for asbestos before anything is broken out. Once the walls are bare, photograph every wall with a tape measure in shot: you will want those photos later.

3. Frame: recess and noggings before the sheet goes on

This is the gate most people miss. If you want a recessed mirror cabinet, your builder frames the opening to the cabinet's specified dimensions now, before sheeting, so the cabinet model has to be chosen at this point. The same goes for noggings (horizontal blocking) behind towel rails, robe hooks, the toilet roll holder and any heavy mirror. Our guide to recessed vs surface-mounted mirror cabinets explains when recessing is worth it.

4. Plumbing rough-in: mixer bodies on site

The mixer and spout bodies need to be on site when the authorised plumber arrives, because they go into the wall now and the trims go on weeks later. The plumber also needs to know three things: where each outlet sits (measured from the finished floor or the basin rim), what basin you are using, and how thick the finished wall will be. Our Milano valves work within 45–70 mm of the finished tile face and the Cannes diverter within 55–85 mm, so the wall sheet, membrane and tile thicknesses all matter. The full set of heights is in our rough-in measurements guide.

On renovation forums the same story comes up again and again: the fixtures arrive after the plumber, the plumber roughs in to a generic body, and the trim that turns up later doesn't match. Our factory instructions also say to fully test the mixer before tiling, which only works if the body is in the wall before the tiler is booked.

5. Electrical rough-in: mirror or cabinet chosen

Every LED mirror and mirror cabinet we sell is hardwired, so it must be installed by a licensed electrical worker, and the cable has to be left in the right place now. Give the electrician the model, its size and its planned height. Most of our hardwired mirrors have a 1 m lead from the back; our cabinets, such as the Milan, have a lead that leaves the top of the cabinet. Your electrician confirms the wet-area zone and the RCD. If you are deciding between a mirror and a cabinet, our decision guide will help, and do LED mirrors need an electrician? explains the electrical side.

6. Sheeting

Wet-area sheeting closes the frame. Before it goes on, walk the room with your rough-in sheet and check every outlet, cable and nogging against it. Tell your tiler the sheet thickness, because it feeds into the finished wall line your mixer bodies were set to.

7. Waterproofing and inspection

Waterproofing must meet clause E3 (internal moisture) of the Building Code. If your work is under a building consent, the council will usually want to inspect the membrane before it's covered, so book that inspection with your builder. Let the membrane cure for the time its manufacturer specifies before the tiler starts.

8. Tiling: set out to the mirror and the tap plates

Before the first tile goes on, mark the basin centreline, the mirror or cabinet outline and the tap plate centres on the wall, and ask the tiler to set out from them. A grout line that runs through the middle of a mixer plate, or a cut tile right where the mirror's bottom edge sits, is what makes an expensive bathroom look slightly off.

9. Fit-off

If the gates were met, fit-off is the easy part. The authorised plumber fits the trims, vanity, basin and toilet. The licensed electrical worker connects the LED mirror or cabinet as it goes on the wall. Accessories go on last, into the noggings you asked for at framing.

10. Final check

Run every tap hot and cold, fill and drain the basin, run the shower and the fan, and test every mirror and cabinet function. Then collect the paperwork: the electrical Certificate of Compliance, the plumber’s records and, for consented work, the code compliance certificate from council. Keep them with your receipts for warranty claims.

What to Have on Site, and When

Here is the same plan turned into a delivery list. "On site" means in the house and checked, not in a box in the garage that nobody has opened.

• Before framing: the mirror cabinet's spec sheet (if recessing), and your accessory positions.
• Before plumbing rough-in: every in-wall mixer and diverter body, the shower set, and the basin or its drawing.
• Before electrical rough-in: the LED mirror or cabinet model and size chosen. The product itself can arrive later.
• Before tiling: the tiles, plus the mirror outline and tap plate centres marked on the wall.
• Before fit-off: every trim, the vanity and basin, the toilet, the mirror or cabinet, and the accessories.

Lead Times and Ordering

Order early, and open the boxes when they arrive. The table shows what you can rely on from our side.

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Who Does What: Licensed Work and Owner Tasks

Most of a renovation is licensed work. What you can do yourself is the planning, choosing, ordering and checking, which is also where most delays start.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

If you want to do something useful on site yourself, mark the heights. Our rough-in measurements guide includes a step-by-step for marking a datum line and every outlet, which gives your authorised plumber and licensed electrical worker a clear brief.

Common Mistakes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the right order for a bathroom renovation?

Plan and choose every fixture, demolish, frame, plumbing rough-in, electrical rough-in, sheeting, waterproofing, tiling, fit-off and a final check. Plumbing and electrical rough-in often overlap, but both must be finished, and the fixtures chosen, before the walls are sheeted. Waterproofing comes after sheeting and before tiling.

When should I buy tapware for a renovation?

Before the plumbing rough-in. Wall mixers, wall spouts and shower diverters have bodies that go into the wall at rough-in, weeks before the trims are fitted, so your authorised plumber needs them on site. Basin mixers can arrive later, but choose them early so the benchtop hole and basin clearance are planned.

Does the vanity go in before or after tiling?

Usually after. The plumber roughs in the waste and water for the vanity before sheeting, the walls and floor are tiled, and the vanity is fitted at fit-off. Agree the vanity height and basin position before rough-in, because the tap and mirror heights are measured from them.

Do I need to choose my LED mirror before the electrician comes?

Yes. Our LED mirrors and cabinets are hardwired, so the licensed electrical worker leaves a supply cable in the wall at rough-in. Its position depends on the model, size and height you choose. Cabinets have a lead that leaves the top, and recessed cabinets also need the opening framed before sheeting.

How long does a bathroom renovation take?

Plan for more time before the trades arrive than on site. Design, selections, ordering and any building consent usually take longer than the build itself. Choosing every fixture before demolition is the most reliable way to keep the on-site time short.

Does sheeting or waterproofing come first?

Sheeting first. The wet-area sheet goes over the frame once the rough-ins are checked, then the membrane goes over the sheet, and the tiles go over the membrane. Waterproofing must meet Building Code clause E3, and consented work is usually inspected before tiling.

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Designer's Cheat Sheet

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Conclusion

A renovation rarely goes wrong because a trade did poor work. It goes wrong because a decision was still open when the wall was. Make the four gate decisions on time (the cabinet recess at framing, the mixer bodies at plumbing rough-in, the mirror model at electrical rough-in and the set-out before tiling) and the rest of the job mostly follows the plan.

Next, put numbers on those decisions: every bathroom height and rough-in measurement, with its datum.

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Where To Next?

• The measurements: Bathroom Heights and Rough-In Measurements and How High Should You Hang a Bathroom Mirror?
• Tapware and showers: Bathroom Tapware Buying Guide, Wall-Mounted vs Basin Mixer Taps, Choosing a Shower and WELS and WaterMark Explained
• Avoiding the classics: 21 Costly Renovation Mistakes
• Shop the range: Tapware, Mirror Cabinets and Smart Mirrors