The Housing Industry Association (HIA) says the size of a typical bathroom has decreased because home renovators and builders are scaling back. HIA is attributing this to affordability concerns and higher mortgage repayments.
HIA produces the Kitchen and Bathroom Report, with forecasts and insights into these important areas of the home.
While affordability and value have become more significant considerations when renovating or designing new kitchens and bathrooms, it was bathrooms that emerged the clear leader in homeowners making adjustments.
In fact, the report says that each new home built in 2023 had an average of two bathrooms, which was down from 2.6 per home in the previous year.
Elsewhere I read that the average spend on a bathroom renovation project was now up $5,000 on the previous year and sitting at $26,000. So, are we spending more on less space?
For reference, a small bathroom in Australia is typically considered around 6m², an average size bathroom around 8m²and a large bathroom is more than 20m².
Would you compromise on your bathroom space? Would you, by choice, have one bathroom only?
It was mid-way through the last century, after all, before most houses had a bathroom!