Tiler pricing in Dunedin
What tilers charge in Dunedin (typically $50-$105/hr), the local factors that move the rate, and a sample quote you can use as a starting point.
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Dunedin tiler pricing
What tilers should charge in Dunedin
Dunedin tilers serve Maori Hill, Roslyn and Macandrew Bay premium bathroom and kitchen renovations, University of Otago Scarfie student rental turnaround bathrooms, Healthy Homes Standards 2019 bathroom retrofit work, and a small commercial fit-out market in the Octagon and George Street. Heritage timber villa and stone tenement substrates need cement board, decoupling membrane or full substrate replacement. NZ Building Code E3 (internal moisture) requires bathroom waterproofing. Imported Italian and Spanish porcelain ships 6 to 10 weeks to Dunedin.
Hourly rate
$50-$105
per hour, weekday daytime
Call-out fee
$35-$75
within standard radius
After-hours
1.5-2x
evening, weekend, holiday
Job pricing
What to charge for common tiler jobs in Dunedin
Real-world price ranges for the jobs local tradies quote every week. Use the table as a starting point for your own quotes and adjust for parts, access, and your overheads. All figures in NZD.
Site visit and measure
What's included
Most tilers visit free for jobs over $1,500. Detailed CAD plans for patterned floors may be charged.
Kitchen splashback (per sqm)
What's included
Includes tile cuts around outlets, edge trim, grout, and 1-2 days labour. Mosaic or natural stone adds cost.
Bathroom wall tile (per sqm)
What's included
Includes waterproofing membrane on wet areas, tile, grout, and labour. Patterns and small format tiles cost more.
Bathroom floor tile (per sqm)
What's included
Includes waterproofing, screed if needed, tile, grout, and labour. Large format porcelain or anti-slip rated tiles cost more.
Full bathroom retile (walls + floor)
What's included
Includes strip-out, waterproofing, screed, tiles, grout, silicon, 5-7 days labour. Bath/shower replacement priced separately.
Kitchen floor tile (per sqm)
What's included
Includes prep, tile, grout, and labour. Skirting cut-back, threshold strips, and edge trim quoted separately.
Outdoor patio tile (per sqm)
What's included
Includes anti-slip rated porcelain or natural stone, drainage falls, exterior-grade adhesive, and labour. Pool surrounds cost more.
Floor screed prep (per sqm)
What's included
Self-levelling compound to fix uneven floors before tile laying. Required where deflection >5mm. Add if floor is concrete-rough.
Tile removal (per sqm)
What's included
Includes strip, debris removal, and substrate clean. Cement-bed tile removal runs higher than thinset.
Dunedin quote factors
What to factor into your Dunedin tiler quote
Local context that should shape what you quote as a tiler in Dunedin. Temperate cool maritime (coldest of NZ major cities except Queenstown). Mild summers (Dec-Feb, 18-22°C, rarely above 25°C), cold winters (June-Aug, 4-10°C days, regular overnight frost, occasional snow at sea level), moderate rainfall (~750mm/year, drier than Auckland/Wellington), persistent strong southerly wind. Earthquake risk moderate (Alpine Fault).
Premium hillside tier
Maori Hill (9010), Roslyn (9010), Mornington (9011), Macandrew Bay (9014) and St Clair (9012) clients want large-format porcelain (600 x 1200mm and bigger) and book-matched marble. Quote per-sqm install NZ$120 to NZ$220 plus tile (NZ$80 to NZ$450 plus per sqm material). Herringbone and hexagon laying patterns add 25 to 40 percent labour. Add GST at 15 percent.
NZ Building Code E3 bathroom waterproofing
NZ Building Code E3 (internal moisture) requires tanking and waterproofing in wet areas and wet rooms. Quote tanking (Mapei Mapelastic Aquadefense, Bostik Aquablock or Sika Sikalastic) at NZ$55 to NZ$95 per sqm as a separate line on every bathroom job. State 'E3 compliant' on the quote. Improperly tanked wet rooms cause downstairs leaks through heritage timber villa floors and body corporate claims.
Heritage substrate prep
Pre-1925 Dunedin timber villa and stone tenement stock has lath-and-plaster walls and original rimu or matai floorboards on joists at variable centres. Quote substrate prep on every heritage job: cement board overlay (NZ$45 to NZ$80 per sqm), decoupling membrane (Schluter Ditra or Mapei Mapeguard at NZ$40 to NZ$65 per sqm) or full lath-and-plaster replacement with plasterboard (NZ$80 to NZ$140 per sqm). Pre-quote as contingency; substrate condition is unknown until strip-out.
Scarfie student rental turnaround bathrooms
University of Otago student rental landlord portfolios drive a turnover-bathroom market. Quote per-bathroom (NZ$3,500 to NZ$6,500 with basic ceramic and labour, E3 compliant tanking) at landlord portfolio rates. Volume work; build retained agreements with 3 to 5 student-rental landlords for a December to February refresh cycle. Healthy Homes Standards 2019 ventilation compliance adds an extractor fan line.
Heritage encaustic and Victorian tile
Original Victorian encaustic and geometric tiling in heritage Otago bluestone tenement entrances, fireplaces and stair risers needs resource consent before removal on Category 1 or 2 heritage listings. Reclaimed Victorian encaustic tile sourcing and matching adds specialist labour at NZ$220 to NZ$450 per sqm. Niche specialist work; build a portfolio.
Imported tile lead times
Italian (Marazzi, Marca Corona, Coem, Florim), Spanish (Porcelanosa, Apavisa, Saloni), Portuguese and Turkish premium porcelain imports run 6 to 10 weeks to Dunedin (longer than Auckland because of South Island freight). Domestic (Tile Warehouse, Tile Depot stock): 1 to 3 weeks. Quote lead time on the contract; resource consent (4 to 8 weeks) often runs in parallel on heritage work.
Sample quote
A real Dunedin tiler quote you can copy
Full bathroom retile, walls + floor + shower niche, mid-range porcelain. Replace the line items and rates with your own; the structure stays.
Strip-out existing tile and grout (walls 22sqm, floor 6sqm)
Floor screed and level prep
Waterproofing membrane (Ardex or similar, walls and floor wet areas)
Wall tile (22sqm, porcelain 300x600 customer-choice)
Floor tile (6sqm, anti-slip porcelain 600x600 customer-choice)
Pencil trim in shower niche and external edges (8 linear m, brushed nickel)
Grout (epoxy, neutral grey, all joints) and silicone in corners
Tiling labour (4 days, 1 tiler)
FAQ
Dunedin tiler pricing questions, answered
Common questions about tiler pricing in Dunedin, with answers framed for tradies pricing their own work.
Per-sqm install (labour only): NZ$60 to NZ$110 for standard Dunedin (Forbury, Concord, Brockville, Mosgiel). NZ$80 to NZ$140 for Maori Hill (9010), Roslyn (9010), Mornington (9011), Macandrew Bay (9014) and St Clair (9012). NZ$120 to NZ$220 for large-format porcelain in premium pockets. Add tile material (NZ$40 to NZ$450 plus per sqm depending on tier). State substrate prep, tanking, install and grouting as separate lines. Add GST at 15 percent.
NZ$6,500 to NZ$18,000 plus GST for a typical Dunedin heritage tenement bathroom (5 to 8 sqm wall and floor tile, full strip-out). Includes substrate prep (NZ$45 to NZ$140 per sqm), E3-compliant tanking (NZ$55 to NZ$95 per sqm), tile install (NZ$60 to NZ$140 per sqm), tile material (NZ$40 to NZ$450 plus per sqm), grouting and silicone. Maori Hill and Roslyn premium bathrooms NZ$14,000 to NZ$32,000 plus.
Yes. NZ Building Code E3 (internal moisture) requires tanking and waterproofing in wet areas and wet rooms. Quote Mapei Mapelastic Aquadefense, Bostik Aquablock or Sika Sikalastic at NZ$55 to NZ$95 per sqm as a separate line. State 'E3 compliant' on the quote. Improperly tanked wet rooms cause downstairs leaks through heritage timber villa floors and body corporate claims.
Yes on every pre-1925 heritage job. Lath-and-plaster walls and original rimu or matai floorboards on joists at variable centres need cement board overlay (NZ$45 to NZ$80 per sqm), decoupling membrane (Schluter Ditra or Mapei Mapeguard at NZ$40 to NZ$65 per sqm) or full lath-and-plaster replacement (NZ$80 to NZ$140 per sqm). Pre-quote as contingency; substrate condition is unknown until strip-out.
Not without resource consent on Category 1 or 2 heritage listings. Original Victorian encaustic and geometric tile (entrances, fireplaces, stair risers) is part of the heritage character and protected. Quote resource consent (NZ$1,200 to NZ$3,500) and an 4 to 8 week consent timeline. Reclaimed Victorian encaustic tile sourcing and matching adds specialist labour at NZ$220 to NZ$450 per sqm.
Hourly rates are $50 to $90 in the US, £28-65 in the UK, A$55-110 in Australia, R180-500 in South Africa, and C$50-95 in Canada. Most tilers prefer fixed-price per square metre because it is more transparent and forces a clear scope conversation.
A standard 6-7sqm bathroom (walls + floor + shower) takes 5-7 working days from strip-out to grouting, plus 24-48 hours for waterproofing membrane cure and another 24 hours before the room can be used. Larger or pattern-heavy bathrooms run 7-10 days.
You can, and many customers do for design control. Just confirm with the tiler 1-2 weeks before start so the tile arrives on site in time and the colour matches across boxes. Customer-supplied tile usually voids tile-failure warranties; workmanship warranty stays.
For jobs over $2,000, get 2-3 quotes. Compare tile brand, waterproofing inclusion, substrate prep, pattern and edge detail. The cheapest quote often skips waterproofing or substrate prep, leading to failure within 3 years.
Ceramic is the cheapest and softest; OK for walls, marginal for floors. Porcelain is denser, harder, and frost-proof; the best all-rounder. Natural stone (marble, travertine, slate) is premium-priced, beautiful, and needs sealing before and after grouting.
Keep going
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