Two housing types, two jobs
Gordon is where Ku-ring-gai's civic functions sit, and the housing around them splits cleanly.
The Federation and interwar streets are the same stock as Killara and Lindfield — large blocks, suspended timber floors, small original bathrooms with a separate toilet beside them, and frequently a conservation area overlay.
Around the station, apartment development has added a meaningful and growing share of units, many of them relatively recent. Concrete slabs, strata schemes, compact bathrooms.
The two need different thinking, and the newer apartments are genuinely the easier job.
Why newer apartments quote better
A bathroom built in the last fifteen years has compliant waterproofing, sound services and no asbestos. That removes the entire category of risk that dominates older housing.
The consequence is a much more predictable job. The renovation is about layout, fittings and finish rather than repair, the variation clause is far less likely to be used, and the program holds better.
The constraints that remain are the strata ones: approval before work affecting waterproofing or common property, permitted hours, lift bookings and material access. Newer schemes often have clearer by-laws, which makes the application more straightforward rather than less. The strata guide covers what to include.
The slab still means the waste positions should generally stay where they are, so the value comes from everything else — an unused bath converted to a walk-in shower, a slimline wall-hung vanity, full-height tiling, and proper light at the mirror.
The house job
Same pattern as the rest of the Ku-ring-gai Federation belt. The suspended timber floor lets drainage move, which makes combining the bathroom with the separate toilet the highest-value change available. Adding an ensuite off the main bedroom is the second.
Check whether the dividing wall is structural, and get a planning certificate to establish whether heritage controls apply. The heritage guide explains what conservation area status does and does not affect.
On strip-out, expect the usual possibilities in a century-old house — deteriorated framing, old cast-iron waste, and asbestos from a later refit.
Which job is yours?
A quick way to tell which of the two Gordon renovations you are dealing with, before anyone visits.
Tap the bathroom floor. A hollow, slightly springy sound means a suspended timber floor — a house, with drainage options. A dead, solid sound means a concrete slab, which means working with the existing waste positions.
Check the age of the building. Anything built in the last fifteen years will have compliant waterproofing and no asbestos, which removes most of the variation risk. Anything pre-1990 should be assumed to contain asbestos until a survey says otherwise.
Find out if there is an owners corporation. If there is, the approval sits in front of everything else and sets your realistic start date.
Those three answers determine most of what a quote will say, and you can get all of them in five minutes.
What it costs
Newer apartment bathrooms kept like-for-like generally sit at the lower end, around $18,000–$28,000, and they are among the more predictable jobs we quote. Federation houses with a layout change run $25,000–$40,000 and up. The 2026 cost bands break it down, and where the money goes explains why the split falls where it does.
Nearby
We also work in Killara, Lindfield and Pymble, plus St Ives and Wahroonga.
Call 02 4602 1201 or send the room details through.
Frequently asked questions
Are there apartments in Gordon?
Yes, and increasingly so. Ku-ring-gai has concentrated apartment development around its rail stations, and Gordon has a meaningful and growing share. Those bathrooms are on concrete slabs inside strata schemes, which makes them a different job to the Federation houses a few streets away.
What is different about a newer apartment bathroom?
Usually less is wrong with it. A bathroom from the last fifteen years will have compliant waterproofing and sound services, so the renovation is about layout, fittings and finish rather than repair. That tends to make the job more predictable and the variation risk much lower.
Do the Federation houses in Gordon have heritage controls?
Some streets sit within Ku-ring-gai conservation areas and some properties are individually listed. Get a planning certificate for your property — it is inexpensive and it settles the question before you commission anything.
Can I renovate a bathroom in a newer strata building?
Yes, and the approval process still applies. Newer schemes often have well-documented by-laws, which in practice makes the application clearer rather than harder. Work affecting waterproofing or common property needs owners corporation approval before it starts.