Bathrooms are one of the favourite spaces that Brits love to freshen up with a renovation. Why? Well, everybody spends at least some time in the small room. Why not make that time as pleasant as possible? But how much will a bathroom renovation cost?

The average cost for a bathroom renovation can range from £1,000 up to £6,000 or more depending on the scale of the job.

Where does all the money actually go?

In this post, I’ll break it all down so you can decide where you want to splurge and which luxuries are within reach. All to help you understand a bathroom renovation cost and budget like a boss.

Let’s get into it!

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What are the Main Cost Factors for a Bathroom Renovation?

You can separate your bathroom renovation costs into three main categories. Learn where you can shave down the project and what items have a more firm price point.

1. The Size of the Future Room

While a cramped 3-piece bathroom will have the same fixtures as one with extra elbow room, the overall space significantly impacts the cost of the entire project. More cubic metres translates into more floor tile, more wall to paint, more lighting fixtures, longer plumbing pipes, and more labour costs. In many cases, that size is not something that you have any control over.

Double the size and you can expect to almost double your final costs.

2. The Amount of Work Needed to Prepare the Space

This is an area where you do have significant control. If you are just swapping out the sanitaryware and splashing a fresh layer of paint on the walls, you could keep the bathroom renovation cost as low as £1,000. When you tear down the walls and want to introduce a new floorplan, you can watch your budget soar well over the £6,000 mark.

If you need to move pipes, update the electrical wiring and outlets, repair structural damage, or create new partitions, you may need to pay multiple licensed contractors, apply for permissions, and extend the time allocated to complete the job.

3. The Quality of Your Chosen Finishes and Sanitaryware

Finally, you can source a new basin, toilet, and bath at your local home improvement store for less than £500. However, if you want a multi-head shower, jetted tub, natural stone counter, and custom marble tiles on the walls, the finishes will stretch the budget up to £2,000 to £6,000.

Before calling in any bathroom remodelling company, make sure that you have a firm budget in place so that you can avoid adding impulsive upgrades that can put your project in financial peril.

Breakdown of Your Bathroom Renovation Cost

Demolition Day

After Demo Day is over you will feel totally psyched! So much happened in a very short time. The walls came down, floor and wall tile ripped out, the old fixtures tossed in the skip, and only a bare bulb remains dangling from the ceiling. The cost of the demolition and removal of all the debris will only put a small dent in your budget. Now brace yourself and get ready for delays, days when nothing seems to happen, and mounting bills as time goes by.

How much you pay for demolition will vary significantly. Disposal and labour rates in London are typically 10-20% higher compared to a small village in the Yorkshire dales.

Cost: £300 to £1,200
Time Taken: One to two days

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Tiling Totals

Whether you are laying a tile floor or creating a surround for the bath and basin area, the same process applies. The surface must be clean and level. The tile grid must be measured and marked. Then the tile adhesive is applied to the area and then tiles are pressed into the adhesive. The tile will set for a day or two and then grout is pushed into all the open seams. A water-resistant sealant may be applied to protect the tile and grout. 

You can find tiles in ceramic, stone, concrete, and porcelain.

Larger tiles cost more and take less time to lay. Smaller tiles cost less but require more labour to install.

Average Cost: £65/m² or £200 to £800

Time Taken: One to Five Days depending on the size of room, materials, and intricacy of tiling pattern.

Bath

The bath is installed after the pipes and structural elements of the room are complete. The ledger board must be in place so that the spout and drain will match up to the tub when it is shifted into position. A traditional straight bath is nailed to the floor and surround and then the supports are hidden by panelling. If you are adding a freestanding bath, you may need to bolt it to the floor. A silicone sealant closes off all the gaps around the edges.

If you are installing a jetted tub, additional electrics must be installed to support switches and pumps. The floor may need to be reinforced to support the additional weight of a full bath.

Average Cost Installed: £500 to £3,000

Time Taken: About a day

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Shower Fixture

If you are retrofitting a vintage bath that never had a showerhead, you may want to upgrade the plumbing to add a shower mixer. There are two main options available, a mixer shower or an electric shower (with different options available within these).

An electric shower will take a cold water pipe and heat the water at the showerhead, giving you a warm shower.

This is great if your flat does not have its own water heater and tank. It can save on energy but may disappoint as the water may not get as hot as you would like. You can purchase an electric shower for about £50 and it will take your plumber an hour or two to install.

You should install a mixer shower at the same time as the bathtub and taps as it uses the same hot and cold water supply. The shower pipe may run up inside the wall or attach to the surface. This is your opportunity to opt for multiple showerheads, go for a rain shower, or select a hand-held spout with massaging pulses.

The cost will vary based on the finish more than the actual moving parts of the kit. Trending looks like gold or brushed nickel tend to charge an extra £25 to £50.

It is wise to make the surface-mount vs. hidden pipe decision before work begins on finishing the bathroom to prevent confusion and delays with contractors.

Average Cost Installed: £250 to £600

Time Taken:  Two to eight hours

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Shower Enclosure

Now you are adding an enclosure to your bath or opting for a walk-in shower. If you are deciding on the either/or for a bath vs. shower, they are comparable in final costs. A standalone shower can fit into a smaller space than a bath. If you only need an enclosure to help turn the bath into a combo unit, that can be as easy as adding a glass divider, door, or shower curtain to your tub.

A walk-in shower requires the installation of at least a shower tray–the waterproof floor and drain combination. There are also complete shower enclosure kits that include the tray, door, and walls in a single unit. This offers the fastest installation.

If the floor will be tiled and is being retrofitted from a dry room, this requires a wet-room tray installation. This will increase your total cost between £1,000 and £1,500 and add up to a week to the timeline. Don’t forget to add in the cost of a door and potentially wall tiling or wall panels.

Average Cost Installed: £600 to £2,000

Time Taken: Two days to a week

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Toilet (WC)

Most people will be perfectly happy with the £100 combination toilet you find in the majority of homes in the UK. But you can find a toilet with a vintage wall-mount cistern, ones with a built-in bidet, lights, auto-opening lid, and handles that match your taps. You can opt for a high mount for taller individuals or a low mount if it’s a bathroom for the kids.

Replacing the toilet in the same spot requires installing the wax floor seal, hooking it up to the supply line, and bolting it to the floor. Of course, it needs a test run before it is open to the public.

The only reason that installing the toilet would take more than a few hours is if you had the toilet relocated. In which case you will want to take into consideration the time and materials needed to run the new water supply and drain.

Average Cost Installed: £200 to £500

Time Taken: Four hours or more if you need new pipes.

Basin (sink)

When shopping for your basin, your cost will be determined by the pedestal or vanity that is supporting the actual basin and taps. A wall-mounted basin with no pedestal or cabinet will run about £50 and takes a couple of hours to bolt into place. It is an affordable choice for a small bathroom in a flat or cloakroom.

An average basin and cabinet combination will run you about £150. If you opt for a natural stone basin, custom woodwork, or decorated porcelain your price could run as high as £600. You may also pay for a custom countertop and backsplash.

Installing the basin can include mounting the cabinet to the wall, connecting taps to the water supply, and sealing the edges with silicone.

Average Cost Installed: £100 to £300

Time Taken: Two to four hours

Taps

Usually, your taps are one of the last things to be installed in your newly renovated bathroom. They provide the final frosting to all your fixture selections. You can find a real bargain by opting for builder-grade tap kits that are often installed in affordable housing. They will look fine and work for the foreseeable future.

If you would like added bling, you can find taps in the latest shapes and styles from chrome to black to gold. Prices range from £30 to £150 and the taps take less than an hour to be bolted into place.

It will take the same amount of time to install fancy finishes vs. affordable options. So, your money goes directly into the appearance of the bathroom. The taps need to be attached to the basin, bath, or cabinet. Finally, you connect them up to the water supply using flexible pipes.

Average Cost Installed: £100 to £300

Time Taken: Two hours

Heating

If the original space was unheated, it will cost more to bring your new bathroom up to snuff. However, if you are simply improving the heating supply or adding some luxurious heated accessories, the cost should not send your budget into orbit. The following prices are based on an upgrade, not a new heat install.

Radiator

Replacing the old broken radiator with a new one will run you about £200 for the new equipment. Installing it should take a few hours. The technician will need to drain your heating system, unbolt the old unit, install the new one, and refill the system.

Cost Installed: £400 to £600

Time Taken: Half-day

Heated Towel Rail

How awesome would it be to step out of the shower and wrap yourself in a warmed towel or robe? A heated towel rail only needs to be bolted to the wall and plugged into an outlet. It can be a last-minute addition to your design.

Cost Installed: £80 to £200

Time Taken: One hour

Under-floor Heating

You’ll need to add this upgrade to the to-do-list before you start laying the flooring. You may also need to add a circuit to accept the switch and wiring for the electrically-powered radiant heating coil. A plastic grid is laid on the subfloor and the coil is attached to the grid. You then install your tile or laminate floor on top. Costs and labour are in addition to your traditional flooring expenses.

Cost Installed: £250 to £600

Time Taken: One to two days

Extractor Fan

The fan can be part of an overhead lighting fixture or mounted in the exterior wall. You may need to pay for an electrician to install a box and switch. Installing the fan requires mounting it to an electrical box, installing the cover, and connecting the exhaust hose to an outside vent.

Cost Installed: £250 to £350

Time Taken: One to Four Hours

Lighting

Were you always squinting while applying your makeup or doing your morning shave? Adding a pair of sconces next to the mirror or amping up the lumens on the overhead light is a real option. Add a light in the shower. Ambient LED strips under the cabinet for better night time vision? Review your plans with an electrician before building work begins to ensure you meet all electrical codes.

Cost Installed: £80 to £500

Time Taken: Two days split between the wiring and final installation

Final Thoughts…

There you have it! An in-depth guide into how much a bathroom renovation costs.

While we all want to get good value for money and save where we can. It’s not always about saving the most money possible. You should allocate your budget to the items of importance to you and quality of service and installation.

Investing wisely can mean paying out once and enjoying your bathroom for years and years. Cutting corners to save money upfront can mean some costly surprises in the long run.

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