If you ask three contractors to quote your bathroom, you’ll see three wildly different totals. The variation has less to do with quality than with what each contractor quietly assumed. Below is how we break a rebuild down so the conversation stays honest.
Demolition & disposal — 8 to 12% of the total
Knocking out an old bathroom is louder and messier than people expect. The skill is in not damaging what you’re keeping — the soil stack, the structural slab, the wall the neighbour shares. For a typical 5 m² family bathroom in PJ, demolition and waste removal lands between RM 1,400 and RM 2,300, depending on how high the floor we’re working on is and whether the building charges for the goods lift.
Plumbing rough-in — 15 to 22%
This is the part you don’t see once the tiles are on. New hot/cold lines, soil pipe re-routes if the layout shifts, traps and waste arrangements. For an average condo bathroom, RM 2,800 to RM 4,500. Skipping a re-route to save money here is the most common false economy — you’ll regret it the day you wonder why the floor falls the wrong way.
Waterproofing — 5 to 8%
The single most important line item. Two-coat cementitious membrane, properly cured between coats, with a 24-hour ponding test before we let the tiler near it. RM 950 to RM 1,400 done right. Cheap waterproofing is the leading cause of every “why is the neighbour’s ceiling staining?” conversation we have ever had.
Tile and tile-laying — 25 to 35%
This is where homeowner choice swings the budget most. A 300×600 ceramic wall tile from a local distributor sits around RM 8–14/sqft. A large-format porcelain from a designer showroom is RM 28–60/sqft. Labour to lay it is broadly fixed at RM 14–18/sqft, more for tricky cuts. For a 5 m² bathroom (40 sqft floor, roughly 200 sqft walls), the all-in line lands between RM 6,000 and RM 14,000.
Fixtures — 15 to 25%
Toilet, basin, mixer, shower set, rain head, accessories. You can do a decent set for RM 3,500 with mid-range brands or sail past RM 12,000 with imports. We tell customers honestly: a RM 700 toilet flushes as well as a RM 2,100 toilet. Spend the saving on the shower mixer — that’s the part you touch every day.
Electrical, ventilation, lighting — 5 to 8%
Often forgotten in early budgeting. Mirror light, ceiling light, extractor fan, possibly a heated towel rail. Around RM 950 to RM 1,800. Always bring in a Suruhanjaya Tenaga-licensed electrician for this — insurance won’t honour claims on unlicensed work.
Contingency — reserve at least 10%
Old buildings hide surprises behind tiles. A cracked soil pipe, a previous waterproofing failure that’s left the slab damp, a wall stud that’s not where the drawing said. Without a contingency you end up arguing with whoever is doing the work. With one you say “use the contingency” and the project keeps moving.
So what does it total?
A clean, well-specified 5 m² family bathroom in a Klang Valley condo with mid-range fixtures and a porcelain large-format tile typically lands between RM 18,000 and RM 27,000, taking 12 to 16 working days. Ensuites can come in at RM 12,000–16,000 if the plumbing layout doesn’t change. Big landed-house master ensuites with bespoke shower screens can easily clear RM 40,000.
If your bid is dramatically below this band, ask the contractor what they’ve removed from the spec. It’s usually the waterproofing.