Bathroom Renovation Pricing Guide UK — Full Bathroom Renovation Costs and Labour Breakdown (2026)

Total Bathroom Renovation Costs by Specification

Total costs for a full bathroom renovation range from £4,000 to £15,000+ depending on specification, room size, the trades involved and how much existing infrastructure needs to change. Below are the three main tiers you'll encounter when quoting bathroom work.

• Budget bathroom — £4,000–£6,000. Standard suite from a builder's merchant (Ideal Standard or similar entry-level), ceramic wall and floor tiles, basic chrome fixtures. Strip-out, plumbing, tiling and electrics included. Assumes no soil pipe relocation and no structural changes.
• Mid-range bathroom — £6,000–£10,000. Better suite (VitrA, Roca mid-range, or branded equivalent), porcelain tiles, heated towel rail hardwired to the wall, quality taps and shower valve, thermostatic shower mixer. Finished to a noticeably higher standard.
• High-specification bathroom — £10,000–£15,000+. Premium suite (Duravit, Crosswater, Lusso or similar), large-format porcelain or stone tiles, electric underfloor heating, smart thermostatic shower system, brassware throughout. Often includes a wetroom or walk-in shower with frameless glass. Pricing can exceed £20,000 on larger rooms with luxury fittings.

These figures include labour for all trades (plumber, tiler, electrician, plasterer where required) and mid-range material costs. They do not include structural work, window replacement, or major layout changes.

Plumbing Labour Costs

Plumbing is typically the anchor trade on a bathroom renovation. The plumber carries out strip-out, repositions waste and supply connections if needed, and returns for second fix once tiling is complete.

• Stripping out the old bathroom. One day's plumbing labour to disconnect and remove WC, basin, bath and existing shower. Typical day rate £200–£400. Disposal of the old suite is additional — either skip hire or multiple van runs.
• Moving the soil pipe. If the WC is relocating and the soil pipe needs extending or rerouting, add £300–£600 for the additional pipe work. If the soil pipe runs under a solid floor, this can escalate significantly — always check before pricing.
• Installing the new suite. WC, basin and bath or shower tray: 2–4 days' plumbing labour (£400–£800). Shower enclosure or walk-in wetroom adds 0.5–1 day.
• Total plumbing labour: £600–£1,500 for a standard bathroom, excluding soil pipe relocation and any concealed pipework in walls.

Tiling Costs

Tiling is often the biggest single labour cost on a bathroom renovation and the area with the most specification variation. Tile choice drives both material cost and labour time — small mosaic tiles or complex patterns take significantly longer than standard 600x300mm wall tiles.

• Floor tiling — supply and fix: £30–£60/m². Labour only (customer-supplied tiles): £15–£30/m².
• Wall tiling — supply and fix: £25–£50/m². A typical bathroom has roughly 20m² of wall tiling area — around the bath, shower enclosure and behind the basin.
• Typical bathroom total (4m² floor + 20m² walls): £1,200–£3,000 supply and fix, depending on tile specification and layout complexity.
• Large-format tiles (600x1200mm or larger): £50–£90/m² supply and fix. These require more careful preparation, a flatter wall or floor substrate, and take longer to handle and cut — factor in the additional labour.
• Wetroom tanking: add £300–£500. A wetroom or walk-in shower requires a tanking membrane applied to walls and floor before tiling. This includes the tanking kit (£100–£200 materials) and additional labour to apply correctly.

Electrical Work

All electrical work in a bathroom must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations. Zones 1 and 2 require IP-rated fittings. Any new circuits must be notified to Building Control either by you (if you hold a Part P competent person scheme registration) or via a Building Control application.

• New radial circuit for electric shower: £200–£400. Includes a dedicated circuit from the consumer unit, appropriate MCB, and pull-cord switch. Required for most electric showers above 7.5kW.
• Extractor fan installation: £150–£250 including ducting to an external wall or roof void. A humidity-sensing fan adds £30–£60 to the unit cost. Proper ducting is essential — poorly installed fans cause condensation damage.
• Electric underfloor heating: £15–£25/m² supply and fit. For a 4m² bathroom floor, allow £60–£100 materials and 2–3 hours labour, plus a programmable thermostat (£40–£80 supply and fit).
• Heated towel rail hardwiring: £80–£150. Dual-fuel towel rails (central heating and electric element) require a fused spur or unswitched outlet — outside Zone 1 and 2, or in a suitable IP-rated enclosure.

Other Trades

Depending on the scope of the renovation, you may need additional trades on site before tiling can start. Budget for these when managing the full project.

• Plasterboarding and skimming: £300–£600. Required on a full strip-out where walls need rebuilding or where old plaster is in poor condition. Moisture-resistant (MR) board should be used in wet areas. Allow a day's work for a standard bathroom.
• Carpentry: £200–£400. Fitting a vanity unit, boxing in pipework, fitting a new door or adjusting an existing one. Often underestimated — boxing in a soil stack neatly takes longer than it looks.
• Painting and decorating: £200–£400. If not all walls are tiled, painted areas need preparation and two coats of moisture-resistant paint. Ceiling painting is typically included.
• Project management markup: 10–15%. If you are managing multiple sub-trades on behalf of the customer, price for that coordination. Chasing a plumber who's a day late, arranging access, and resolving disputes between trades is real work — it should not be absorbed into your fitting rate.

Bathroom Suite and Shower Enclosure Costs

Materials account for a significant proportion of total bathroom renovation cost. Understanding suite price points helps you advise customers on where their budget is going and where they can save without compromising the finished result.

Programme and Managing Multiple Trades

A standard bathroom renovation takes 5–8 working days across all trades. The exact duration depends on drying times, tile specification and how efficiently sub-trades are sequenced. Running the job over more days than necessary is expensive — dead time between trades is your problem to solve when you're managing the project.

A typical sequencing for a full bathroom renovation:

• Day 1: Strip-out. Plumber disconnects and removes the old suite. Skip or disposal arranged.
• Days 2–3: First fix plumbing and electrics. Plumber reroutes supply and waste to new positions. Electrician runs any new circuits, positions fan ducting, installs underfloor heating mat.
• Day 3–4: Plastering or boarding. MR board or skim coat applied and left to cure (24–48 hours minimum before tiling).
• Days 4–6: Tiling. Floor and walls tiled, grouting completed, tile adhesive and grout cure time respected.
• Days 7–8: Second fix. Plumber fits suite, connects waste and supply. Electrician fits fan, heated towel rail, thermostat. Carpenter fits vanity unit and boxing. Final sealant applied.

The most common delay point is the gap between plasterboarding and tiling — insufficient cure time leads to tile adhesion failure, which is expensive to put right. Do not let customers pressure you into tiling before the board or skim is properly dry.

How to Quote a Bathroom Renovation

A site visit is non-negotiable before pricing a full bathroom renovation. Quoting from photos or customer measurements consistently leads to underpriced jobs. When you visit:

• Measure the room. Floor area and wall heights, plus the specific dimensions of tiled areas. This is what your tiler will price from.
• Check existing waste positions. Where the WC soil pipe exits the floor or wall, and where the basin and bath waste run. Moving any of these adds cost.
• Assess wall construction. Solid brick, timber stud or partition block all affect how tiles are fixed, how pipes are chased and how long first fix takes. Timber stud walls adjacent to a wetroom require tanking regardless of what the customer thinks.
• Check the ventilation route. Where will the extractor fan duct to? Through an external wall, into the roof void, or via a longer run? A longer duct run means a more powerful fan and more labour.
• Agree the specification before pricing. A customer who says "mid-range tiles" may mean very different things. Get tile choices confirmed — or at least a budget per square metre — before you commit to a fixed price.

For complex renovations, consider quoting with provisional sums for items you cannot confirm until work starts: the condition of existing pipework, whether floor joists are sound, or whether old wall tiles are adhered directly to plasterboard (which requires replacement rather than simple removal). State clearly in your quote what these sums cover and what will trigger a variation.

Fixed price versus itemised breakdown: both are valid. A fixed price is simpler for the customer but requires you to have absorbed all the risk. An itemised breakdown is more transparent and makes it easier to discuss changes without the whole quote unravelling. For bathroom renovations above £7,000, an itemised breakdown with a clear exclusions section tends to build more confidence.

Common Bathroom Renovation Problems and How to Price for Them

Bathrooms are one of the most likely rooms in a house to conceal water damage, aged pipework and substrate problems. Experienced bathroom fitters know to build contingency into their quotes and to communicate the risk clearly to customers before work starts.

• Water damage behind tiles. When old tiles come off, the substrate is often wet, mouldy or structurally compromised. Replacing damaged plasterboard, treating mould and re-boarding takes a half to a full day. Allow a provisional sum of £200–£500 and state it explicitly in your quote.
• Floor structure damage from leaks. A slow leak from a bath or shower tray can rot floor joists over years without any visible sign. Probe the floor around the old bath before pricing. Joist repair or sistering adds a day's carpentry labour (£200–£400) plus materials.
• Lead or steel pipework. Older properties may have lead supply pipes or steel waste runs. Replacement with copper or plastic adds plumbing time — particularly if the lead run extends back into the main supply stack. Budget £200–£600 depending on the extent.
• Inadequate existing drainage. If the existing waste run has poor fall, or if the customer wants to move the WC to a position where gravity drainage is marginal, a macerator pump (£300–£600 supply) may be required. Always check fall and pipe diameter before committing to a new WC position.
• Walls significantly out of square. Old houses are rarely square. If walls are more than 10mm out of square across the length of a tiled run, tile layout planning becomes complex — grout lines will visibly converge or diverge. Factor in additional setting-out time and discuss with the tiler before finalising your quote.