Novalé Bathrooms

They do a nice job until something goes wrong, 4 years in and we now just live with the fact our diverter in our shower/bath doesn’t and hasn’t worked for 3.5 years … we have to jiggle the lever constantly until it finally switches 80% to either the shower or bath. Novale were quick to pass on the responsibility to a previous partner and have never heard a word from them since Show details

I cannot recommend Novale more highly. From the first moment when the boss gave us a good quote through the various phases coordinated by our superb site manager, Bryan, we were informed daily of progress ( with photos) and any questions we had were answered immediately and fully. Bryan was both highly competent and gave us complete confidence… Read more ·  1

that the work would be high quality. But his friendly manner and his high level of emotional intelligence made the whole experience a pleasure, something that is surely rare in a building project. Andrew Gonczi

The team was super easy to work with — professional, friendly, and really knew what they were doing. Everything ran smoothly, and the quality of the work is top-notch. The place looks amazing now, and we couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out. Big thanks to everyone at Novale — highly recommend if you're looking to upgrade your space! Show details ·  1

Novalé Bathrooms – Our Experience Intro When we signed up with Novalé in July 2025, my wife was pregnant and we desperately needed a bathroom completed by October 2025. We were willing to pay a premium for peace of mind and a company that claimed to deliver a “stress-free” renovation. I first contacted the sales director through Novalé’s online… Read more

enquiry form in June 2025, sharing photos of our already-demolished bathroom and explaining our tight deadline.

They confirmed October completion was possible and sent a quote of around 35k (labour only – we had to buy all the fixtures and fittings ourselves).

We compared alternatives: one option was to project-manage trades ourselves for about 20k; another builder could start immediately, included more scope, and while slightly more expensive up front, was cheaper overall because they passed on builder-margin savings. Despite that, we chose Novalé for their promise of quality, structure, and accountability.

Early issues The first red flag came almost immediately. The sales director’s written promise that sheeting was “all included” suddenly became “sheeting but you do the sanding.” When we challenged this, a “sanding – 2 hours” line appeared in the contract. It seemed like scope was shrinking before work even began.

We also signed a 3.4k Preliminary Agreement to produce detailed plans. That seemed excessive for basic bathroom drawings — we’d recently obtained full architectural plans for an entire house renovation for less — but we paid it in good faith.

No sooner had we signed than the friendly sales tone disappeared. Internal hand-offs caused information loss, contradictions, and a series of unjustified variations.

Supply & Install Novalé strongly encouraged us to use their “Supply & Install” service, claiming it was free because they kept the builder’s discount and would manage deliveries to guarantee smooth progress. We were told we could still order outside their preferred supplier list “without issues.”

In practice, the only list ever provided was the same “preferred supplier” brochure list. We asked twice for the wider list mentioned in their brochure, but our designer simply resent the same one.

When we sourced some items ourselves, she ignored the earlier assurances, said we’d be charged a builder’s margin on top of full RRP (even though the contract contained no such clause), and told us we’d have to handle delivery ourselves.

At the same time, more and more items were moved to us to supply — mainly those Novalé wouldn’t earn commission on. It was frustratingly inconsistent with their pitch that the service ensured control and smooth delivery

Around this point the focus of conversations shifted away from design and quality to variations, margin, and cost-saving for Novalé. It felt like less work for them, more work and expense for us.

Escalating costs One clause in the contract required us to pre-approve variations up to certain amounts — for example, if something cost an extra 500 they could add it automatically. There were four different auto-approval levels. We hadn’t even started the build and the cost had jumped from about 35k to nearly 50k despite almost nothing changing.

Our designer later mentioned managing fifteen other bathrooms at once and casually suggested January start dates, even though October delivery was the reason we’d signed. By this point we were losing faith that Novalé had the capacity to deliver.

We received repeated variations for items previously confirmed as included: laundry works, ceiling extractor, all electrics, smart-toilet buttons, ceiling shower, wall-mounted taps, heated towel rail, door carpentry – and more. Even after providing past emails proving these were agreed, Novalé refused to remove most of the charges. One variation was $660 for a carpenter to install two simple timber battens to hold a laundry outlet box.

Plans & delays We had also grown concerned about delays to the design plans. We offered to pre-pay for PC items early to prevent holdups but were told plans must be finalised first, which seemed fair. When the plans finally arrived almost a month late, we were excited but disappointed. So many clearly communicated requirements were missing that my wife sent reminders, only for the designer to show us unfinished plans just to tick a box.

We met before going on holiday to review everything, and my wife carefully wrote up the agreed changes to make completion easy. Sadly, this turned into another unfulfilled promise. When we got back, there were no completed plans — only more incorrect invoices and pressure to approve PC items. We again asked for the finished plans we’d already paid for, but they refused and continued pushing for more payments.

Based on advice, this appeared inconsistent with the contract and risked triggering the full construction agreement and its variation provisions. At that point we felt the only option was to raise a complaint and request a face-to-face meeting to move forward constructively.

Complaint process We asked for a meeting with our project manager, who had encouraged us to reach out if issues arose. He seemed genuine, but the owner then stepped in and said she had been involved in our project for weeks — something we hadn’t been told. That effectively cancelled our scheduled meeting, as she said she would handle the complaint herself but “didn’t feel like calling.” Shortly after, the sales director informed us he would now handle the complaint as the owner was now unable.

Novalé refused to provide the completed plans we had already paid for and instead introduced a new condition: they would only provide partial plans or a refund if we signed a confidentiality agreement preventing us from sharing our experience publicly. We declined, as there is no such clause in our signed contract.

How we left things We asked Novalé to refund $1,718 — half of the $3,436 Preliminary Agreement fee — so we could split the losses 50-50 and move on, allowing my wife to focus on a stress-free end to her pregnancy.

We felt this was a modest and reasonable request given Novalé’s failure to deliver the completed plans and the significant financial losses we’d already incurred. They refused.

We have therefore given them until December 2025 to process the refund so we can put this matter behind us and focus on family. We’d be loath to involve Fair Trading, but if no resolution is reached, we’ll have no choice but to ask for their help.

Costs vs reality Our initial 35k “labour-only” quote became a 45k “fixed-price includes everything” quote, and then rose again to almost 55k before construction even began.

Half the room was stone tiling, which increased labour by about 6k. Add-ons of $75 per sqm for stone, another $75 for irregular shape (herringbone), and another $75 for sealing meant our rate went from an estimated 100–150 per sqm to roughly 350–400 per sqm — almost double Sydney’s top-end rate.

Our PC items added 30–40k more, pushing the project close to 100k — for a 3 × 2 m bathroom that had already been demolished. Even then, we were told to handle deliveries and still do the painting (and probably the sanding).

Summary Novalé’s brochures are glossy and their sales process polished, but our experience fell far short of the professionalism and reliability promised. The owner’s involvement often overrode staff judgment, which didn’t empower the team to build trust or resolve problems. The Supply & Install service added little value, and their internal hand-offs created confusion, waste, and cost that ultimately fell on us.

Given Novalé’s constant reference to ISO 9001, we were surprised to find no effective complaint process and no willingness to accept feedback — a core requirement of that certification.

We entrusted Novalé with our 100k bathroom and were left without a bathroom, without the completed plans we paid for, and without confidence in their willingness to resolve issues. If you do decide to go with Novalé - Insist on a full breakdown across each trade area. Without it, you’ll have no transparency on what’s included. - Get written confirmation that the price is truly fixed and that no variations will be raised without your written approval. - Triple-check the contract includes everything you were promised — and check again. Once you’re handed to another team, the contract is all that matters. - Have a Plan B for any promised deliverables like start dates and plans. - Think carefully before choosing their Supply & Install service — we found design support added little value and product knowledge was limited compared to in-store assistants. - Get multiple quotes for comparison. - Ask to speak with recent Novalé customers with similar projects. - Ask what their dispute-resolution process is, and what happens if they can’t deliver as scheduled

*** Update *** Shortly after posting this review, I received a formal “Concerns Notice” from Novalé alleging defamation and demanding that I remove the review. The letter did not request correction of any specific factual point — it simply threatened legal action and sought deletion of the entire review, citing potential damages “well in excess of $150,000.”

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Combined with earlier pressure to sign a confidentiality agreement before Novalé would release our paid-for plans or issue a refund, we found this pattern of behaviour deeply distressing and intimidating. In our view, it helps explain why our experience with Novalé felt so different from the uniformly positive online reviews we saw beforehand.

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We will be forwarding these attempts to suppress honest reviews through to the relevant consumer authorities.

I had a fantastic experience with Novale for my bathroom renovation. The team was professional, efficient, and easy to work with. Sam, the Site Manager, was extremely helpful and supportive—especially when things out of their control resulted in the project needing to be paused due to unexpected delays. Sam's communication and patience made a… Read more ·  1

stressful situation much easier. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for a high-quality, stress-free bathroom renovation!

Very professional service. Reliable, quality and timely bathroom renovation. Easy to work with and just a quality end to end project. Show reply

We recently used Novale Bathrooms and couldn’t be happier with the result. The whole process was smooth and professional, and the quality of the finish is outstanding. A special mention to Andrew, who was incredibly helpful throughout – he took the time to explain options clearly, guided us through each step, and made sure everything ran on schedule. Show details ·  1

Bill and I would like to say a HUGE Thank You to the entire team at Novale. Today was handover day and we are thrilled with the end result of our bathroom. Marc has been such an amazing Site Manager…. So professional, thoughtful and friendly. He kept us informed of every step throughout the project and responded promptly to any query. He is a real… Read more ·  1

asset to Novale. Jamie- Maree helped us with product selection and the process was so easy. Jamee-Marie was also friendly, professional and considerate of our requests.

Everyone made each step so easy for us. The project kept to schedule, in fact, ahead of schedule towards the end. All your tradies were highly professional and respectful.

We have now had three bathrooms completed by Novale and we continue to recommend the Novale team to all our family and friends.

Thank you again for everything, you should all be proud of the work you all do.

Bill and Robyn.

Absolutely fantastic to deal with from start to finish. Extremely professional and helpful staff. Finished bathroom is amazing. Highly recommend novale to anyone considering a bathroom reno. Show reply

Novale Bathrooms completed 2 bathrooms and 1 toilet renovation in 4 weeks. Their level of workmanship is 5 Stars! They are extremely professional, and their level of detail is exceptional. Special mention of Wayne Telfer - our Site Manager for 4 weeks. He is phenomenal and gives 150% effort all of the time! Show reply

Novale has come through again! Following the completion of our bathrooms late last year we recently had an issue with one of the toilets which was still under warranty. Despite that Novale came to the rescue and fixed it promptly such that we didn’t have to engage with what might have been a more involved process. Thanks so much Sam and Glen for always being so helpful! Show reply

Novale are the best in the business when it comes to renovations. They did my ensuite and family bathroom. The quality in the delivery from end to end was second to none. They were consultative, professional, helpful. A phenomenal family run business. Show reply

We have received excellent service from Novalé. Our renovation has been a surprisingly enjoyable experience — from the first meeting with Steve and Ben, our discussions with designers Jamie and Ireland, our daily interactions with site manager Andrew and the friendliness, professionalism and fine attention to detail of all their tradespeople. … Read more ·  1

We were given a schedule for the whole project complete with details of what was to be achieved over each of the fourteen working days of the building work; we were told when we were likely to be inconvenienced and exactly when we could expect water or power to be turned off.

Andrew kept us fully informed not only with progress photos and reports each evening but also information on who to expect the following morning and the exact time they would arrive. A couple of unexpected minor issues were dealt with speedily and without fuss. Each evening the tradies would clean up any mess, one of them even returning because he had forgotten to sweep our garage floor.

Needless to say we are very pleased with the beautiful end result.

5 star review with a twist! – I spent 2 years interviewing bathroom companies and settled on Novale . A decision which proved to be a good one despite the fact we did encounter a hiccup, i have learnt over years when doing renovations that in the real world things can get in the way, Novale proved to be well equiped to deal with such incidents in a very professional manner. … Read more ·  1

Everything was going according to the daily plan job sheet, displayed on a printed out colour chart attached to the wall, the trades always arrived on time on the day booked as displayed on this wall chart , we were at the finishing line checking the plumbing in the 2nd bathroom and discovered that there was a blockage , this sort of thing in construction can happen but its the way it is handled by the company is what matters. The project manager Kristian took immediate action to rectify the problem, he was cool calm and collected, however he would not cut corners just to get the job done quickly, instead he employed experts to come in with x rays and the like to workout the best most effective method required to fix things. It took two weeks before all was perfectly rectified . The project manager Kristian is to be commended for understanding it was not just about them he understood it was also stressful for me. He either came in or called me everyday to give progress reports followed up by an e mail at days end informing me, for my records, of where they were at. I was never kept wondering! Last and most important are the trades, every single tradesmen treated me with total respect especially when sometimes I would ask annoying questions, they would walk me through what was going on without attitude and as a result I am extremely happy with the finished product. Compared to other bathrooms that i looked at before employing Novale I now feel as if I,m staying in 5 star hotel ! O and it came in on budget!

Exceptional results – We just had our bathroom and ensuite renovated in western sydney and very happy with the results and the expertise of the various trades, workmanship and management of our project. Communication was continuous and concise. Couldn’t have been happier with our project manager (Sam). He always listened to our questions and explained everything… Read more ·  1

happening with the process. Sam didn’t make false promises and ensured every step was up to or exceeded standard and our expectations.

Great overall service – We are very happy with our bathroom renovation which was recently completed at our apartment in Pyrmont. We wish to thank the Novale team for their attentive and professional service throughout the whole process. Communication was clear and timely and there was no issue too big for the team to handle. The service standard from the initial… Read more ·  1

consultation to the final check was outstanding.

Our consultant provided great advice on the design of our bathroom and our Onsite Manager managed the process very effectively. He had a professional, caring and flexible approach and treated our renovation like it was happening at his place which was very much appreciated. His attendance, availability and advice really made the whole process manageable. The trades people also did a great job.

Thank you again Novale for providing a great service and we have no hesitation in recommending your services to anyone who is willing to listen.

All the continued success!

Warm regards Sherman and Anastasia

We absolutely LOVE our new bathroom!! – We absolutely LOVE our new bathroom!! From our first meeting with George & Zoe our minds were made up. We were confident to go with with Novale, knowing our home would be in excellent hands, and felt no need to even obtain comparative quotes. The entire experience was pleasant and non intrusive and stayed on track. Scott our project manager was… Read more ·  1

exceptional and we were pleased he was assigned to us. George, Zoe, Jason and everyone behind the scenes along with admin & marketing (and all the respective trades) were great. Our tiler, in particular was exacting and extremely skilled. Overall the entire crew were very professional, knowledgeable and thorough. Highly recommended! Thank you again Novale.

Novale have been absolutely fantastic with our bathroom – Our bathroom needed to be redone, as we had cracked tiles everywhere, and it was cold and dark. We spoke to Joe and Laura from Novale and worked on designing the bathroom we wanted, and everything from there was fantastic. Now, we've had a pretty rough time with some tradies. They don't show up, they do poor jobs, etc. I really didn't want to… Read more ·  1

spend a lot of time lining up the builder and plumber and tiler and plasterer and electrician and painter, so the great thing with Novale here was that they did all that for us, and pretty much kept to schedule, despite it being far more work than initially anticipated.

The initial consultations with Joe and Laura were great. We thought that things like underfloor heating might not be possible, but they had a solution. Talk to them about what you want, and you might be surprised!

We ran into issues - the floor was completely rotten, and the walls were not straight. Joe, Laura and Brad didn't blink an eye - they just got it all fixed up. Brad in particular worked long days to keep to their schedule, which was such a relief. We could also see the quality of the work. Everything was sturdy. We didn't have to worry about a thing, they just got it done. The tiling also turned out to be a little more work, and Trent the tiler worked through the weekend to get it done so that they stayed on schedule. All of their tradies have done a fantastic job, under Joe and Laura's watchful eyes.

Despite all the extra work that was required, they were on time apart from the shaving cabinet, which really wasn't their fault. (It was delayed in Melbourne due to the second COVID outbreak.) Even then, that only delayed things by one day. Really fantastic work.

Novale advertises "stress free bathroom renovations". We have two young kids, so stress is a part of our life. We didn't want more stress, and despite everything that they found in this old house, they genuinely delivered on a stress-free experience. We're immensely thankful for this. Our cold, dark bathroom is now a much brighter and warmer, and is solid to boot.

I'd highly recommend chatting to Novale if you need a new bathroom.