Fitting a new bathroom is one of the most common home projects we take on across South West London, and the first question is almost always about budget. The honest answer is that the cost varies widely depending on the size of the room, the spec you choose and the condition of what is behind the tiles. This guide gives you realistic ranges and explains what actually moves the price.
As a rough guide for a standard family bathroom in London, expect a budget refit to land somewhere around 5,000 to 8,000 pounds, a mid range project around 8,000 to 14,000 pounds, and a high specification or larger room from 15,000 pounds upwards. London labour rates and parking or access in areas like Wandsworth, Putney and Kingston tend to sit above the national average, so use UK wide quotes as a floor rather than a guide.
These figures usually cover removal of the old suite, first and second fix plumbing and electrics, tiling, fitting the new suite and making good. Always check whether a quote includes the suite and tiles themselves or labour only, as the two are often confused.
Two bathrooms of the same size can differ by thousands. The biggest variables are the quality of the suite and brassware, the amount of tiling, and whether you are moving plumbing. Relocating a toilet soil pipe or moving the bath to a new wall adds labour and can mean lifting floors.
Labour is typically the largest single line, often 40 to 60 percent of a refit, because a proper bathroom involves several trades working in sequence: stripping out, plumbing, tiling, electrics and decorating. A small bathroom is not always cheaper per day either, as the same trades are needed in a tighter space.
Materials are the rest. A waterproof backing board and tanking behind a shower, quality adhesive and grout, and a decent thermostatic valve are worth paying for. They are the parts you never see but most affect how long the room lasts.
You do not need to cut corners to keep costs down. The biggest saving is keeping the existing layout, since leaving the toilet, basin and bath roughly where they are avoids moving pipes and floors. Choosing standard sized units over bespoke and tiling to half height rather than floor to ceiling also trims the bill without looking cheap.
Be wary of the cheapest quote. If one figure is far below the others it usually means something has been left out, such as tanking, making good or waste removal, and that gap tends to appear as an extra later on.
A straightforward refit usually takes around one to two weeks. Moving plumbing, plastering or unexpected repairs can push this to three weeks, and the room is generally out of use for most of that time.
For a like for like replacement you normally do not need planning permission or building control. Adding a new bathroom, moving soil pipes or significant electrical work may require building regulations sign off, which we can advise on.
Either works. Supplying it yourself gives you control over the look, but having us source it means any faulty or wrong items are our responsibility to sort, and trade pricing can offset the convenience.
Tell us what needs sorting. Same-day quotes most of the time.