The forest district house
Frenchs Forest, Belrose, Davidson, Forestville and Killarney Heights were developed largely from the 1960s to the 1980s on the ridge between Middle Harbour and the beaches. The typical home is a brick or brick-veneer family house, often split-level on a sloping block, with bushland or a reserve nearby.
Around the Northern Beaches Hospital precinct and along Warringah Road, newer apartments and townhouses have added a different kind of stock.
Split levels and floors
Split-level houses matter for bathroom work:
- Upper-level bathrooms on timber floors allow plumbing changes and step-free showers more easily.
- Lower-level bathrooms on slabs keep wastes largely where they are, unless the slab is cut.
- Bathrooms above living areas need extra care with waterproofing, because a leak shows up on a ceiling below.
Forty years of family use
A 1970s Frenchs Forest bathroom has usually been lightly updated once and heavily used always. Commonly found:
- Shower-over-bath or a small recess with a failing or absent membrane
- Separate toilet with a high-level cistern or a dated close-coupled suite
- Original vanity with a swollen particleboard base
- Tiling to shoulder height and painted walls above
- Asbestos cement sheeting possible in houses built or altered before about 1990 — tested before demolition
Common changes include merging the separate toilet into the bathroom, replacing the bath with a large walk-in shower, and adding a family-sized double vanity. See bathroom renovations and vanities and storage.
Bushfire-prone land
Large parts of the forest district border Garigal National Park, Davidson Park and bushland reserves, and many properties are mapped as bushfire prone.
For a bathroom renovation, this matters when the work reaches the outside:
- Replacing or enlarging a window — the new window may need to meet bushfire construction requirements for the site's assessed level
- Adding a skylight or roof vent — the same consideration applies
- Extending the bathroom — new construction on mapped land is assessed accordingly
Internal work — tiling, waterproofing, fittings — is generally unaffected. The planning certificate confirms whether the property is mapped.
Humidity without the salt
The plateau is cooler and less salty than the beaches, but not dry. Shade from tall trees, bush humidity and slow winter drying keep bathrooms damp. The fix is the same: an exhaust fan ducted outside on a run-on timer, mould-resistant paint and good grout. Fittings do not face the same corrosion as on the coast, which can open up a wider choice of finishes.
Family bathroom priorities
- Two basins for busy mornings
- A bath retained for young children, or a larger shower for older kids and adults
- Hard-wearing laminate vanities with drawers
- Plenty of towel hooks
- Slip-resistant floor tiles
Hospital-precinct apartments
Newer apartments near the hospital and along Warringah Road are more likely to need an update than a full rebuild. Strata rules still apply. See small and apartment bathrooms.
Costs
Main bathrooms $27,000–$45,000 and ensuites $18,000–$32,000 as a 2026 guide. Merging a separate toilet adds some wall and plumbing work. See the cost bands.
Nearby
Also serving Belrose, Davidson, Forestville and Killarney Heights. See Brookvale and Dee Why toward the coast.
Call 02 4705 5289 or send the bathroom details through.
Up and down the beaches
Questions people ask before they commit
Does bushfire-prone land affect a bathroom renovation in Frenchs Forest?
An internal bathroom renovation is generally not affected. It becomes relevant if the job replaces or enlarges an external window, adds a skylight or extends the room on land mapped as bushfire prone, because those elements may need to meet bushfire construction requirements for the property's assessed level. The planning certificate shows whether the land is mapped.
What are typical Frenchs Forest bathrooms like?
Many houses date from the 1960s to the 1980s: a main bathroom with a bath and separate shower or shower-over-bath, a separate toilet, and sometimes a small ensuite added later. Split-level designs are common, so bathrooms may be on an upper timber floor or a lower slab level.
Is salt air a concern in Frenchs Forest?
Much less than on the beachfront. On the plateau the main moisture issues are general humidity, shade from bushland and slow drying in winter. Ventilation still matters, but corrosion-rated fittings are less critical than in Manly or Collaroy.
Can I combine the separate toilet into the bathroom?
Often. Removing the wall between a separate toilet and the main bathroom creates a larger room with space for a walk-in shower and double vanity. The wall is checked for load and services first. Some families prefer to keep a separate toilet for busy mornings.