Before & After Bathroom Renovation Malaysia: 5 Real Transformations

Real Bathroom Renovation Transformations Across Malaysia

Nothing tells the story of a renovation better than before and after photos. Price lists and quotations are useful, but watching a tired, leaking, 20-year-old bathroom turn into a clean, modern space is what actually helps homeowners picture what is possible in their own home.

Below are five real bathroom transformations completed by BathBro teams — from a RM5,500 budget refresh in Petaling Jaya to a RM28,000 master bathroom rebuild in Bangsar. For each project we cover the starting condition, the budget, the timeline, and the decisions that made the biggest difference to the final result. If you are still working out your own numbers, our bathroom renovation cost guide for Malaysia breaks down exactly what each budget tier includes.

Transformation 1: Cheras Terrace House — Budget Bathroom Revival

Budget: RM7,500 | Duration: 7 days | Tier: Budget (RM5,000–8,000)

Before: A 20-year-old bathroom in a classic Cheras terrace house. Cracked mosaic tiles, rusty exposed piping, and — as we discovered on hacking day — no waterproofing membrane at all. Moisture had been quietly creeping into the shared wall for years, which explained the peeling paint on the other side.

What we did:

• Hacked all wall and floor tiles down to bare screed
• Replaced the corroded pipes with new concealed PPR piping
• Applied a full two-coat waterproofing membrane, verified with a 24-hour ponding test
• Laid 60x60cm matte porcelain tiles in a warm grey
• Installed a new one-piece toilet, basin, mixer tap, and rain shower set

Why it worked: The layout never changed. The toilet, basin, and shower stayed exactly where they were, which avoided expensive plumbing relocation and kept the whole project comfortably inside the budget tier. The money went where it matters most in an old house — pipes and waterproofing — with enough left over for tiles and fittings that look far more expensive than they are.

Transformation 2: Mont Kiara Condo — Premium Bathroom Upgrade

Budget: RM18,000 | Duration: 12 days | Tier: Premium (RM15,000–30,000+)

Before: A builder's-standard bathroom from 2010. Beige ceramic tiles, a plastic-framed shower door that had yellowed with age, and a bulky floor-mounted cabinet that made the room feel smaller than it was. Nothing was broken — it was simply dated.

What we did:

• Replaced everything with large-format 60x120cm marble-look porcelain tiles
• Installed a frameless shower screen in 10mm tempered glass
• Fitted a ceiling-mounted rain shower with a separate handheld set
• Mounted a wall-hung vanity with a backlit LED mirror
• Re-did the waterproofing before tiling — condos above other units cannot afford leaks

Why it worked: Condo projects live or die on logistics. Our team handled the management approval, lift protection, and strict weekday working hours, so the owner never had to chase anyone. Design-wise, the frameless glass is the single upgrade that changed the room the most — our shower screen guide for Malaysia explains the framed vs frameless trade-off in detail.

Transformation 3: PJ Apartment — Small Bathroom, Smart Budget

Budget: RM5,500 | Duration: 5 days | Tier: Budget (RM5,000–8,000)

Before: A compact apartment bathroom of barely 1.5m x 2m, wrapped in dark green tiles from the 1990s that swallowed all the light. The owner assumed a proper renovation was out of reach on her budget.

What we did:

• Kept every plumbing point in its original position to save cost
• Laid large-format light-toned tiles with matching grout to reduce visual lines
• Replaced the basin with a slim semi-recessed model to free up floor space
• Added a simple clear glass partition instead of a shower curtain
• Upgraded to a bright ceiling light and a larger mirror

Why it worked: This is proof that a budget-tier bathroom renovation can completely change how a small space feels. The tile choice alone made the room appear nearly twice as large. If your bathroom is on the small side, our small bathroom renovation ideas cover more layout tricks like these.

Transformation 4: Bangsar Bungalow — Premium Master Bathroom

Budget: RM28,000 | Duration: 14 days | Tier: Premium (RM15,000–30,000+)

Before: A large but oddly planned master bathroom — a corner bathtub nobody used, a cramped shower stall, and a single small basin for a couple sharing the room every morning.

What we did:

• Reimagined the entire layout around how the owners actually use the room
• Installed a freestanding bathtub as the centrepiece
• Built a walk-in rain shower zone with a full-height frameless screen
• Fitted a double vanity so two people can get ready at once
• Added a natural stone feature wall washed with indirect LED lighting

Why it worked: At the premium tier, the money goes into materials and design rather than fixing problems. Because the house is landed and the bathroom sits above its own wet area, we still applied the same full waterproofing system — every BathBro bathroom carries our 10-year waterproofing warranty, regardless of budget.

Transformation 5: Johor Bahru Semi-D — Bathtub to Walk-In Shower

Budget: RM12,000 | Duration: 9 days | Tier: Mid-range (RM8,000–15,000)

Before: A built-in bathtub the family had used perhaps five times in ten years, taking up a third of the floor and collecting dust behind a mouldy shower curtain.

What we did:

• Removed the bathtub and hacked out its tiled base entirely
• Re-waterproofed the whole wet zone — removal always exposes the membrane beneath
• Re-tiled with a mosaic accent strip running through fresh neutral tiles
• Installed a walk-in shower with a clear glass shower screen
• Fitted new modern tapware throughout

Why it worked: Removing an unused tub is one of the highest-impact mid-range projects we do. The room gained a generous walk-in shower and lost nothing the family valued. Thinking about the same change? Our bathtub to shower conversion guide walks through the process step by step.

Comparing the Five Bathroom Renovation Projects

Two patterns stand out. First, keeping the existing layout is the biggest money-saver — both budget projects left every plumbing point untouched. Second, premium budgets mostly buy better materials, glass, and fittings, not secret techniques. The fundamentals underneath are identical on every project.

What Every Good Bathroom Renovation Has in Common

1. Proper waterproofing — the invisible work that protects everything above it. Every project here got a full membrane system and ponding test, backed by a 10-year warranty. Our guide to bathroom waterproofing in Malaysia explains why this is non-negotiable.
2. Tile choice matters — large-format, light-toned tiles consistently make small rooms feel bigger and cost little more than small ones to buy.
3. Lighting — a bright ceiling light plus a mirror light transforms the mood of any bathroom for a few hundred ringgit.
4. Storage — wall-hung vanities and recessed niches keep counters clear without eating floor space.
5. Glass over curtain — a shower screen is worth the upgrade in every single project above. Curtains leak, stain, and date a bathroom instantly.

How Long Does a Bathroom Renovation Take?

Across these five projects, the range was 5 to 14 days. A typical breakdown:

• Hacking and tear-out: 1–2 days
• Plumbing and electrical: 1–2 days
• Waterproofing, curing, and ponding test: 2–3 days
• Tiling and grouting: 2–4 days
• Fixture installation and finishing: 1–2 days

Be cautious of any contractor promising a full bathroom in 3 days — the usual shortcut is skipping the waterproofing curing time, and that is exactly the corner you cannot afford to cut.

Bathroom Renovation Budget Tiers in Malaysia

• Budget (RM5,000–8,000): Same layout, new tiles, new standard fittings, full waterproofing. The Cheras and PJ projects both sit here.
• Mid-range (RM8,000–15,000): Better tiles, a shower screen, a vanity, and minor layout changes like a tub removal. The JB conversion is a textbook example.
• Premium (RM15,000–30,000+): Full redesign, frameless glass, premium fixtures, feature walls, and designer lighting — the Mont Kiara and Bangsar projects.

BathBro teams operate across all 16 states in Malaysia. Browse our service locations or jump straight to the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur pages to see coverage near you.

Start Your Own Bathroom Transformation

Every project on this page began the same way: a homeowner sent us a WhatsApp message with a few photos of their current bathroom. Do the same — snap two or three photos, tell us your rough budget, and we will reply with an honest assessment of what is achievable and a free, no-obligation quote. Your before photo could be the next one in this gallery.