Ask three London homeowners what they paid for a new bathroom and you will get three very different answers, often thousands of pounds apart. That is because the final bill depends far more on the state of your existing plumbing, the spec of your fittings and the quirks of your property than on the size of the room itself. This guide sets out realistic figures for London and South West London, and explains where the money actually goes.
For a straightforward like for like refit of a small to medium bathroom, most London homeowners should budget somewhere between £6,000 and £10,000 including labour, materials and mid range fittings. That assumes the layout stays the same, the existing pipework is sound and there are no nasty surprises under the floor.
A fuller renovation, where the layout changes, walls are re boarded, underfloor heating goes in or a bath is swapped for a walk in shower, typically lands between £10,000 and £16,000. High end projects with premium tiles, bespoke vanity units and designer brassware can comfortably exceed £20,000. At the other end, a simple refresh such as a new suite on existing pipework with modest tiling can sometimes be done for £4,000 to £6,000, though this is increasingly rare in older London housing stock where hidden problems are common.
Labour is usually the biggest single line, often 40 to 60 per cent of the total. A full bathroom refit involves several trades in sequence, including a plumber, tiler, electrician and sometimes a plasterer, and London day rates are higher than almost anywhere else in the UK. Moving the soil pipe or relocating the toilet is one of the most expensive single decisions you can make, so keeping sanitaryware roughly where it is saves real money.
The property itself matters too. Much of South West London is Victorian and Edwardian terraced housing, where floors are rarely level, walls are rarely square and pipework may have been altered several times over a century. Lead pipes, rotten joists under a leaking bath, or old electrics that fail modern regulations all add cost once the room is stripped. A sensible contingency of 10 to 15 per cent on top of any quote is not pessimism, it is planning.
Spend on the things that are hard to change later: waterproofing (tanking) in the shower area, quality shower valves, decent extraction and proper tiling labour. A cheap valve buried in a tiled wall is a false economy, because replacing it means breaking the tiles out. Good tiling on well prepared walls is what makes a bathroom look expensive, more than the price of the tiles themselves.
You can save without much visible difference on the sanitaryware itself. A mid range British or European suite performs much the same as a designer one, and large format porcelain tiles at £25 to £40 per square metre can look every bit as good as tiles at three times that price. Reusing an existing bath and having it professionally re sealed, or keeping the current layout, are other painless savings.
Ask for an itemised written quote that separates labour, materials and any provisional sums, and check exactly what is included. Some quotes exclude tiles, sanitaryware or waste removal, which makes a low headline figure misleading. Confirm who supplies what, whether the price includes making good to plaster and decoration, and how unexpected findings, such as rotten timber, will be priced if discovered.
A realistic timescale for a full refit is two to three weeks with the bathroom out of action for most of it, so ask how the work will be sequenced if it is your only bathroom. Finally, check the installer is happy to certify any electrical work and that any new shower or wet room area will be properly waterproofed and guaranteed in writing. A reputable local firm will talk you through all of this before asking for a penny.
Most full refits take two to three weeks from strip out to final decoration, depending on drying times for plaster and tile adhesive. Simple like for like swaps can be quicker, while layout changes or wet rooms take longer.
Yes, usually by a significant margin. Keeping the toilet, basin and bath in their existing positions avoids moving the soil pipe and rerouting water supplies, which can save well over £1,000 in labour and materials.
A standard bathroom refit needs no planning permission. However, new electrical circuits, some drainage alterations and structural changes must comply with Building Regulations, so use an installer who can arrange the correct certification for electrical work in wet zones.
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