Renovating
How Much Does a Bathroom Renovation Cost?
Should you go for an off-the-shelf or bespoke design for your new washroom? Read this expert advice to help you decide
The cost of a new bathroom can vary hugely and is affected by how you’d like your space to be designed. A custom-made scheme that fits beautifully into the room will, of course, require more investment than an off-the-shelf design, but it can be tricky to work out what you’re paying for. As part of our Bathroom Planning guide, two different bathroom designers and an interior designer lay out the costs* of a bathroom renovation and explain how to budget accordingly.
* Prices correct as of November 2022
Professional advice from: David Root of Roots Kitchens Bedrooms Bathrooms; Harminder Powar of BASI Bathrooms; Emma Merry of Emma Merry Styling
Starting your bathroom project? Read How to Plan for a Bathroom Renovation
* Prices correct as of November 2022
Professional advice from: David Root of Roots Kitchens Bedrooms Bathrooms; Harminder Powar of BASI Bathrooms; Emma Merry of Emma Merry Styling
Starting your bathroom project? Read How to Plan for a Bathroom Renovation
What factors affect the cost?
“When costing a bathroom, I’d say there are three tiers: bronze, silver and gold,” interior designer Emma Merry says. “For a bronze bathroom, you could pick up a vanity unit, bath and toilet as a package for £1,700 to £2,300, with standard chrome fittings and limited options on placement and sizing.
“The silver package would be an average family bathroom with one show-stopping feature, such as the brassware or vanity unit, and the remaining items as standard,” she continues. “This would be in the £3,500 to £4,600 zone. These bathrooms will last eight to 10 years before they start to show wear and tear.
“The gold tier bathrooms are bespoke designs that are made to measure. They maximise every inch of a bathroom space with the built-in vanity storage and the shower niches that fit in awkward cubbyholes created by low ceilings and beams.”
“When costing a bathroom, I’d say there are three tiers: bronze, silver and gold,” interior designer Emma Merry says. “For a bronze bathroom, you could pick up a vanity unit, bath and toilet as a package for £1,700 to £2,300, with standard chrome fittings and limited options on placement and sizing.
“The silver package would be an average family bathroom with one show-stopping feature, such as the brassware or vanity unit, and the remaining items as standard,” she continues. “This would be in the £3,500 to £4,600 zone. These bathrooms will last eight to 10 years before they start to show wear and tear.
“The gold tier bathrooms are bespoke designs that are made to measure. They maximise every inch of a bathroom space with the built-in vanity storage and the shower niches that fit in awkward cubbyholes created by low ceilings and beams.”
How does the price break down?
“About half of the cost of a room is on chosen products, such as shower enclosures, taps and tiles,” David says. “The other half is on labour and materials that will never be seen, for example floor substrates, remodelling and framework.”
“As a rough estimate, the bathroom suite costs 15% to 25% of the budget,” Harminder says. He adds that the fixtures are around 10% to 15%, and the installation (including delivery, fitting, plumbing and the removal of your old suite) is 45% to 60%. Painting, flooring installation and tiling take up 10% of the cost, while electrics uses 5%.
Find a bathroom designer in your area.
“About half of the cost of a room is on chosen products, such as shower enclosures, taps and tiles,” David says. “The other half is on labour and materials that will never be seen, for example floor substrates, remodelling and framework.”
“As a rough estimate, the bathroom suite costs 15% to 25% of the budget,” Harminder says. He adds that the fixtures are around 10% to 15%, and the installation (including delivery, fitting, plumbing and the removal of your old suite) is 45% to 60%. Painting, flooring installation and tiling take up 10% of the cost, while electrics uses 5%.
Find a bathroom designer in your area.
How can I set my budget?
“Decide what the room is worth to you,” David says. “It may be easy to say it’s not worth £25,000, but it’s worth more than £2,000, but you should decide on an actual value.”
He advises you set your parameters and suggests you ask specific questions. “Do you need a shower, a bath, or both? Do you need somewhere to charge a toothbrush? How much heating does the room need?” he says. “Will you be buying from lots of places and installing yourself, or do you prefer a turn-key service?”
Once you’ve set your parameters, it’s important to design to them, David says. “One decision will often affect subsequent choices. For example, a parameter for better lighting may lead to the obvious: adding new downlights. This may lead to having a new ceiling,” he explains. “Keeping the existing ceiling light and choosing cabinets with built-in lighting may cost less overall.”
To see more from any of the designers whose photos are featured in this article, click on the image, then on Learn More if you’re in the app, and follow the links to the professional’s profile.
“Decide what the room is worth to you,” David says. “It may be easy to say it’s not worth £25,000, but it’s worth more than £2,000, but you should decide on an actual value.”
He advises you set your parameters and suggests you ask specific questions. “Do you need a shower, a bath, or both? Do you need somewhere to charge a toothbrush? How much heating does the room need?” he says. “Will you be buying from lots of places and installing yourself, or do you prefer a turn-key service?”
Once you’ve set your parameters, it’s important to design to them, David says. “One decision will often affect subsequent choices. For example, a parameter for better lighting may lead to the obvious: adding new downlights. This may lead to having a new ceiling,” he explains. “Keeping the existing ceiling light and choosing cabinets with built-in lighting may cost less overall.”
To see more from any of the designers whose photos are featured in this article, click on the image, then on Learn More if you’re in the app, and follow the links to the professional’s profile.
How can I cut costs?
Our experts recommend choosing specific areas where you can offset the cost of larger investments. Harminder suggests choosing a suite at the cheaper end of the spectrum to stay below budget, or going for an affordable flooring type, such as vinyl rather than tiles. He also advises opting to do the easier decorating tasks yourself.
“There are savings to be made in the tiles,” Emma says. “For example, I would specify a fairly standard wall tile for use in the shower and then a show-stopping vanity splashback, as you only need to buy a very small number for that area.
“I also believe grout is very underrated,” she adds. “Simple cream tiles come to life with a blush grout.”
More: How to Cut the Cost of Your Bathroom Renovation
Our experts recommend choosing specific areas where you can offset the cost of larger investments. Harminder suggests choosing a suite at the cheaper end of the spectrum to stay below budget, or going for an affordable flooring type, such as vinyl rather than tiles. He also advises opting to do the easier decorating tasks yourself.
“There are savings to be made in the tiles,” Emma says. “For example, I would specify a fairly standard wall tile for use in the shower and then a show-stopping vanity splashback, as you only need to buy a very small number for that area.
“I also believe grout is very underrated,” she adds. “Simple cream tiles come to life with a blush grout.”
More: How to Cut the Cost of Your Bathroom Renovation
Should I factor in a contingency budget?
“The first thing you need to understand about bathroom budgets is the uncertainty factor: until you remove the old bathroom, you never know what you’ll find,” Emma says.
“I always advise clients add 20% on top of their budget to cover problems that may arise, such as pipe replacement or rotten floorboards,” she says. “If you can’t afford to fix a problem like this, the whole project fails and you’ve wasted your labour costs. Most installers won’t wait for you to save the money to fix the issue.”
Tell us…
Are you planning a new bathroom? Did you find this advice helpful? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
“The first thing you need to understand about bathroom budgets is the uncertainty factor: until you remove the old bathroom, you never know what you’ll find,” Emma says.
“I always advise clients add 20% on top of their budget to cover problems that may arise, such as pipe replacement or rotten floorboards,” she says. “If you can’t afford to fix a problem like this, the whole project fails and you’ve wasted your labour costs. Most installers won’t wait for you to save the money to fix the issue.”
Tell us…
Are you planning a new bathroom? Did you find this advice helpful? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The price of installing a new bathroom depends on the type of service you’re after. For example, bespoke designer David Root explains that typical costs for a complete room are between £25,000 and £30,000, while Harminder Powar quotes £5,000 to £8,000 for an average bathroom installation.
“This varies depending on the size, suite and style you choose,” Harminder adds. “For larger bathrooms and luxury designs, this figure may be higher.”
More: 8 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Bathroom Renovation