How Much Should You Pay to Have a Bathroom Fitted?

The costs in this article available for 2020.

Choosing the right bathroom relies on choosing a range of items including obvious aspects such as the bath, shower, and sink, but also smaller design details like grout colour, light switches and the toilet flush. This article will help you understand the average basic costs for each item. There are also some recommendations included in this article for you to save money.

The price of your designer bathroom will be decided by three main factors:
– Firstly, the main and most important cost is that of the new bathroom suite being installed. This amount includes the cost of the individual components, for example the bath, shower, toilet, tiles etc. On average you can expect this to be between £500 – £2000.
– The second major cost is for labour. This will depend on how long the job takes and the number of workers it will take to complete it. You can expect to spend £800 – £3000.
– The final costs to consider are the ones for removing the old bathroom; retiling if necessary and the extra accessory items such as taps, towel rails etc. This aspect can cost between £600 – £2400.

These main costs do not include design planning, or underfloor heating which would cost you extra. So, on average you can expect to spend anywhere between £1900 and £7400 to install a completely new bathroom, or if you are just swapping a few items without any new tiling or flooring you may find you can get the job done for as little as £1500.

It is important to bear in mind that cost can vary significantly depending on location. If you live in a highly populated area there may be more competition and hence you might get a better price as tradespeople compete against each other. If you live in London, or the South East, however, you can expect to pay up to 20% more than the average cost as you will find the average wage is higher in your area.

The Average Costs of Individual Bathroom Items

Toilet: Installing a new toilet, as a replacement for an existing one, is relatively straightforward. The toilet itself can cost as little as £50, and the installation can cost between £100-150. If the new model is significantly different to the existing one, then costs may increase.

Bath: The tub itself can vary from £100 for a simple acrylic tub to more than £1000 for iron or clawfoot baths. Additionally, accessible walk in baths or whirlpool style will also cost more. The fitting is, similarly to the toilet, quite a simple job, and will usually cost a few hundred pounds.

Tiling: Most often your tilers will tile the room themselves, so the price will be part of the overall fee. The tradesperson may even be able to purchase the materials through a trade account so this could save you money. The tiling itself will usually cost around £50 per quare metre.

Underfloor heating: It might not be for everyone, but underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular in modern bathrooms and a great way to warm up the room in cold months. There are 2 types of underfloor heating; wet and dry. Wet styles work like a radiator and run hot water through pipes under the floor. Dry styles use heat mats or wires under the tiles to achieve the same goal. Dry styles are often easier to install but are less cost effective in the long run. Regardless of which type you choose; underfloor heating generally costs £100 per square meter.

How to Keep the Costs Down

There are a few things you can do to keep the costs as low as possible, without sacrificing on the aesthetic of your designer bathroom.

Whether you’re buying the bathroom yourself or in store, make sure you shop around to ensure you are getting the best price on the materials. You might, for example want to look out for deals, or hold off on your project commencement date if you think there will be a sale coming up soon.

Secondly, make sure you hire reliable tradespeople. This will ensure the process goes smoothly and will prevent you facing additional costs if something goes wrong and you have to find a new tradesperson. You may want to get quotes from a few people to make sure you pick the best price.

While it is, of course, important to keep costs within your budget it is also important to avoid scrimping as this may cost you money in the long run. Make sure you pick quality products from reliable and trustworthy brands to ensure your bathroom has a good life expectancy and a great finish.