Bathroom Renewal Costs Bingo...

You probably don't want a builder for that kind of job.

£5k. A week.

The user blazing saddles recently posted, perhaps a couple of weeks ago, some helpful comments on this as it's his day job.  Will see if I can find the link as I know that I posted.

Here's the thread I think:

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/the-impossibility-of-finding-a-painter-and-other-tradesmen

I'm pulling up a chair - we've a 1.8x2m bathroom needing doing shortly

How long is a piece of string?  How expensive are the bits and bobs you need?  I paid hundreds of pounds for a shower tap thingy and bought a cheaper bath filler which I now regret.  Its astonishing how quickly taps and the like can add up to eye watering sums. Bathfiller, shower taps and accessories, sink tap could easily be £1000+  Bathroom suite can be a few hundred or a few thousand

Replacing all the plasterboard?  Again to what standard do you want it doing ie skimmed and tanked or tiles straight on the plasterboard?  Extractor fan - crappy little one or big powerful one with remote fan?

I have redone two bathrooms in recent years.  Done mainly to a high standard but the few cheaper options I went for I now regret.  Rubbish fan in one needs to be replaced and cheapo bath filler needs to be replaced

Mainly done Diy with a pro tiler who was expensive but meticulous.  I could not have got the same finish and his work makes other bathrooms I see look really poorly done.  Because of that its hard to be sure what it would have cost to get it all done by a pro but given the amount of my time and the cost of materials I would guess getting someone in to do it to the same standard would be somewhere around £7000 for the small one, fair bit more for the bigger one.  Both were completely stripped out and replastered / part reboarded

Sorry OP, got meself confused and that wasn't the thread I wanted although it will be helpful.

I had a quote of just shy of £8k for a full refit of my bathroom (which is smaller than your ensuite...). I'll be doing it myself I think.

Everything seems to start at £10k now!

So I'm saying £13k! 🙂

Location is Cheshire

over £10k?

Just paid £4300 just for the fitting and tiling of our ensuite, bath suite, tiles and taps on top.

Size of the bathroom didn't make much difference to the fitting cost when we compared it to our friends

An acquaintance of mine spent £22k on his ensuite and dressing room.

Any guidance appreciated and doing it DIY is not an option.

Can you use a hammer and chisel?

With it being en-suite (implies you have access to another bathroom) you could do a lot of the ripping out yourself and leave the disconnecting of sinks etc to a plumber. Could save you a few quid.

I’m pulling up a chair – we’ve a 1.8x2m bathroom needing doing shortly

Pfft I have a 1.7x1.3m bathroom I am startin to get prices for.

Let's see who can get the highest per squareetre quote.

Current highest quote from Wickes is 7.5k...

That was just a fact finding mission had no intention of going witha store

Pfft I have a 1.7×1.3m bathroom I am startin to get prices for.

Sounds more like a cloakroom than a bathroom 😉

We paid around £5k for a downstairs loo re-decoration just before lockdown. Given how the costs of everything has gone up, for an ensuite with shower I would reckon on £8k.

Thats something I’d supply and fit for less than £3k. Assuming its mid range fittings etc. If you are going for platinum plated taps, then it’d be £10k.

Seriously, I’d be looking at £1500 for me, £1500 for parts.

including replasterboarding ?

Sounds more like a cloakroom than a bathroom 😉

I know, it's hilarious how small it is. It's also hilarious what the last owner put in it, I can practically do laps in the basin.

Upside though, pricing per metre units are normally the actual price.

It has also made me really really realise that a small bathroom makes so much sense. It's big enough for two people to wash a dog in the bath. And gets toasty warm at the drop of a hat.

I might actually be a bit of a nightmare because I want specific stuff to make it feel less "caravan shitter"

Alan, fancy a week's stay in Peebles?...

5 day's labour £1500.

Fittings plus materials £1000 - £3000 depends where you shop.

Thanks for all replies so far!  Would you expect a job like this to be a one man effort or would it need builder/plumber/tiler/spark all coming in at different times?

A couple of successful guesses as to price so far!!  Clue, it ain't being done by alanl, unless he's available!!?

Alan, fancy a week’s stay in Peebles?…

Commuting distance!

I’m in Fechan from Mid-september. I’m not sure how much time I’ll have, so cannot commit, I’m rather busy.

The plaster walls, I’d be tempted to line it with concrete/waterproof board before tiling. It gives a good flat surface for the tiles, and doesnt rot away liek plasterboard if it ever gets wet (it shouldnt get wet!). A 2m square room works out at around £200 for the boards.

We had someone in doing a load of work to our heating a couple of years ago (going from cold / hot tanks running on gravity to a system boiler with pressurised hot water tank) and he said we would be looking at £8k ish for a budget ish bathroom replacement. Our bathroom isn’t big - has a bath with a shower over it (700mm x 1680mm bath), toilet, sink, towel radiator thing. Mental.

I think I’m going to have a go at it myself, other than plastering (need an artexed ceiling plastered over, fix any holes where tiles come off and will have tiles put back on, then a finished surface to be painted where no tiles are going). Going to part tile/  part painted walls, just replace the electric shower like for like as only a cold water feed there and probably antico type floor.

I think it’s still going to cost quite a few thousand for parts as don’t want to go too cheap and have to replace again anytime soon.

The previous owners went cheap and the toilet flush isn’t the best / bath is plastic and marks easily / floor is laminate which is daft in a damp bathroom / tiles were put in by someone who must have done it in the dark etc etc. As we have a seperate en-suite and seperate wet room I should be able to take my time over the tiling etc.

Just having a quick look on victorianplumbing.co.uk

You can get an en-suite bathroom suite (toilet, basin & shower enclosure) for between £400 and £1000. Let's go £500 for argument's sake.

Thermostatic shower with fixed overhead and handheld with flexihose is ~£150.

Mixer tap for the basin is ~£60

Tiles to cover 2m x 2m ( 16m^2 total) vary between £25 - 80/m^2, let's go £40/m^2 + 10% overage so £704

Towel rail = £99.95

Vanity unit under basin could be anything between £110 and silly money, lets go £240

Mirror with LED surround and shaving socket = £200

Lighting, I'm assuming ip65 LED downlights x 4 @ £10 each from screwfix = £40

So that's as near as dammit £2000 just for the bathroom fittings themselves, without going daft for the likes of Porcelanosa.

A day to rip out the old bathroom and prep for the new one - around £300 + I'm guessing at ~£200 for a skip.

1/2 day each for plumbing and wiring - around £200 per trade + whatever is needed for the plumbing/wiring, maybe another £100 = £500

New plasterboard e.g. Knauff moisture resistant is around £20 a sheet and you'll need at least 7 = £140 plus a couple of days for fitting and tiling = around £750 total

Fitting of bathroom suite could be done in a day, so another £300 ish.

Painting would be another day @ ~£300

That's another £2350 in labour, at what would be cheap day rates where I live.

Stick on another 20% for VAT plus the usual sundries, wear and tear, organising the subbies, etc. that gets added onto every main contractor bill and I reckon your quotes will be starting at around the £6k region.

FWIW, with almost no prior DIY experience I replaced our 2m x 2m downstairs bathroom with new suite and tiling on every wall and I spent less than £1000. That was shopping around for the best deals on basin, toilet, shower tray and a major discount on the last few boxes of a big grey tile from B&Q that ended up costing me about £6/m^2. Took me about a week all in.

EDIT - I run analytical laboratories and not a building/plumbing company so take the above with a healthy pinch of salt. I may have forgotten to mention the requirement for hydrocoptic marzelvanes in your toilet flushing mechanism, or how correct tanking of the shower area is needed to prevent water getting into the shower tray's lunar waneshaft.

We're also looking at replacing an ensuite roughly similar size.

Checked out a couple of bathroom places, seemed to suggest I'd be look £6.5k and upwards for them to do a full supply and fit. That would be nothing fancy.

I did 2 bathrooms c 5 years ago, moved the sink and removed a bidet.  Was 5k per bathroom, mid price units, tiles, sink, new window, decent taps

I d say double it now as I did all the chasing about.

Look good tho

Here goes... we're getting ours re-done right this week (and next) bringing ourselves from the 1980s into the 21st century.
The room is small - about 2.5m x 1.5m. With the quirk of the room going part way into the eaves (so in cross section it's got one of the top corners cropped off at 45 degrees).

Added faff is its an old stone cottage, 3ft thick walls, thinner floor voids than a normal house (exposed beams downstairs) etc..so just more faff.

The floor boarding to be renewed (got wet / rotten), replaster all round, etc.

Toilet, sink+cabinet, shower enclosure, illuminated cabinet, nice new coloured towel radiator, lighting, fan. New shower tray, new glass screens.  We bought not-cheap tiles (so about 18m sq total surfaces) + a some mosaic 'tiles' and a niiice thermo shower and rail/ shower head (those were not cheap at all from Hansgrohe).  New exterior DG window too, whilst we're at it.

We got an estimate from John Lewis.  £22-24k !!!!!!!!!  **** that. Ludicrous..

Got the stuff from a combo on Willbond and Easy Bathrooms. Picked up some waterproof laminate flooring cheap (and remainder will get used in the porch).

I reckon we're going to spend about £12.5k total.

- £3.5 in the 'big' parts (bog, sink, shower tray + glass screens + shower + radiator  + flooring.

£900 on the tiles.

Labour + 'small' materials (inc new 3.5ft x 2.5ft window, lighting floor boards ) is gonna be about £8k

So looking like circa £12.5k for the lot.

Not done 'cheap' - we want it to last as we're in this house until we're in a home or in a box. But I can't see it have been reduced much even if we'd have gone cheap...maybe save £400 with cheap tiles and not fully tiled, maybe save £200 if we'd got a cheapo shower.

But the bulk of the ££ is 2 weeks of labour and repairs to the flooring + walls to make it good to start with.  We know the guy and his work is good.

( £1500  a week labour  and a grand on parts ? Sounds dodgey-bodgey or slumland landlord style to me)

2.6x2m bathroom here - just DIYed it. Only thing I'm paying someone to do is lay the flooring, as I could do it, but didn't want to cock it up 😆 and end up paying for it twice.

Toilet and sink reused, as they're nice, modern units the previous owner put in.

New shower (all in one cubicle - won't leak, and very easy assembly), replaced some water damaged 22mm chipboard flooring, new tiling around sink, new blinds, new mirror unit + shelves, new light fittings.

All-in cost of fittings and materials + flooring and fitting is £1150.

Time spent approximately - 30 hours. So paying someone the going rate would probably add £1000-1500?

Did it quite simple, but looks pretty nice. Modern but not ott.

prices are pisstaking.  do it yourself.  no need to replace the plasterboard.  if you have to you could overboard with cement tile backer this makes tiling super easy.  acrylic seal and then some tanking stuff for proper belt and braces.  I did my ensuite in a week with no prior experience.  I also had to raise the floor level and adjust a cast iron stack to add to the fun.  electrics should be able to reuse existing connections unless it's very very old.  nothing that needs doing requires major brain power.  it's all on YouTube, you will just need to take your time.

if you are tiling your yourself the hardest part is planning the layout.  and a tip.  complex built ins with cubby holes and large format tiles will mean alot of cutting!

£1500  a week labour  and a grand on parts ? Sounds dodgey-bodgey or slumland landlord style to me)

£1500 a week plus VAT is the going rate round here for fitting.  My installs start at £6.5k generally

2-3 weeks work in things like this…

Blazin - assume you not Cheshire based?

Ohhh Can see me stubbing my toe on that step up

£1500 a week labour and a grand on parts ? Sounds dodgey-bodgey or slumland landlord style to me

Just had mine done and this is pretty much accurate.

Few hundred more on parts, and then more for plastering as well.

About £3k all in, but got to do the floor still and paint the walls.

This is the other side of Manchester BTW

10 years ago, so prices will be a bit out…

En-suite bathroom
Basin and toilet. £300
Walk-in shower £900
Shower head £200
Thermostatic mixer £230
Tiles £500
Paint £50
Flooring £400
Underfloor heating £150
Radiator £120
Lighting £60
Labour £3,000
Sundries £100
Sub-total £6,010

I stripped out the old bathroom and capped off the plumbing so the fitter just came in and fitted the stuff I’d bought.

Blazin – assume you not Cheshire based?

no, Leicestershire.

Ohhh Can see me stubbing my toe on that step up

I stubbed my toe just looking at it. Looks good but would look terrible after I took a hammer to it in revenge 😆

quote from earlier in the year, for 2m x 2m complete replacement of units, full tile etc.

Toilet, sink, shower cubicle, towel rail etc.

£4,000 labour

£7,250 for the parts, albeit nice ones.

North Yorkshire.

would it need builder/plumber/tiler/spark all coming in at different times?

You'd probably need a separate electrician to ensure it's done to the regs, especially in a bathroom but one good tradesman should be able to do all the rest. Might need a lift if there's a heavy shower base. Heck, I did our bathroom to a decent standard* and I'm not exactly a good tradesman!

*actually I've never been very satisfied with the tiles, but the boss doesn't notice the basic mistake I made, so no biggie.

Just done a similar sized bathroom, Edinburgh, mid range stuff. Just over £7k, that was among the cheapest of our quotes, some over double that

I'm feeling better about our price. 1.8*1.9M full replacement of fittings, tiling, flooring, lighting. £3500 for parts and £1400 for labour.

The guy doing it did our kitchen last year so we know he does decent work.

In the sweepstake I am gong for £9800

£11,750.

Just finishing our en-suite. All DIY so no labour. Total cost of materials was around £3500. This did include a glass pocket door, new window and a complete rebuild of the floor and cubicle/room though. Fittings were the cheapest I could find, not a s****y wall hung bog in sight - cos they suck big time! The shower was not replaced.

Mine was just under £12k approx. 4 years ago, as has been said though a lot depends on the fittings you buy (and the tiles - it turns out tiles can be eye-wateringly expensive).

Would you expect a job like this to be a one man effort or would it need builder/plumber/tiler/spark all coming in at different times?

I used a plumber who specialised in bathrooms & kitchens (had previously used him to replace a boiler and was happy with the work). Took 2.5 weeks and he mostly just PM'd it (occasional visits to check progress) but he had 2 full time plumbers/fitters + an apprentice working on it and sub-contracted out the tiling, carpentry (boxing in pipes and a couple of other bits), electrics (in-line extractor & down lights), painting and sealing/caulking. Some of those bits he said he could do/used to do himself but getting specialists in he regularly works with ends up with a better job (and they do it faster), probably true but no doubt increases costs.

It still wasn't perfect, floor tiles started moving soon after, shower was plumbed the wrong way around (fortunately I noticed before they'd tiled & sealed around the side of bath) and the wall-hung toilet moves slightly (enough to crack a tile below it - although to be fair this is more to do with my shoddy cheap house only having 3 sheets of plaster board bonded together for most of the internal walls - rather than stud walls the toilet/cistern frame was designed for).