Bathroom Refit Cost Guide - Home Improvement Costs

The average cost to refit a bathroom is £3,000 to £4,500. If you choose an inexpensive suite and do the work yourself, cost can be less than £1,500. For a luxury suite installed by a specialist bathroom fitter, the price might exceed £6,500.

How much is a new bathroom – the old bathroom stripped out and the new bathroom supplied and fitted? This bathroom cost information is your guide to prices and staying within budget. Need help with bathroom and plumbing jargon? Don’t forget to read our bathroom jargon buster next.

An Overview of a Bathroom Refit Cost

	Low Cost	Average Cost	High Cost
	£1,500-£3,000	£3,000-£4,500	£4,500-£6,500+
DIY Labour	Some or All	Some or None	None
Bathroom Size	Small/Average	Average/Large	Large
Suite Only/Full Refit	Suite or Full Refit	Full Refit	Full Refit
Flooring Type	Vinyl or Tile	Tile	Tile
Fixture Quality	Basic or mid-quality	Mid-quality	Mid-quality or Luxury

Costs at a glance are found in the table above.

Below, you’ll find:

A detailed list of fixture, wall and floor prices
Cost factors that will help you determine where in the cost range your new bathroom will fall
Permitting requirements
Advice on whether refitting the bathroom is a DIY possibility
Time it takes for fitters to do the work
Refurbished bathroom prices from other readers
The opportunity to get free quotes from proven bathroom fitters

Fixture, Floor and Wall Prices

If you want to know exactly where your money will be spent, this table sorts out replacement bathroom prices.

Not all costs in the table will apply to your bathroom refitting project. The “+” signs indicate that the cost of luxury items can exceed the given ranges. The sky is the limit.

Bathroom Item	Cost Range	Factor
Stripping old bathroom	£275-£550	Size of Bathroom
Electrical work	£200-£350	Whether you’re changing outlets or adding light fixtures
Plumbing work	£650-£1,000	Number and type of fixtures, whether plumbing is moved/added
Bathroom suite	£300-£2,500+	Quality, material and elegance of the fixtures
Taps	£35-£200+	Type and finish
Shower enclosure	£100-£600	Size, quality and features
Wet room/wall kit	£225-£575	Style and quality
Tiling	£700-£1,200	£24-£48 per squre metre based on tile type, size and size of bathroom
Vinyl flooring	£150-£425	Style, size of bathroom
Lighting	£50-£200+	Number and quality of the fixtures

Bathroom Refit Cost Factors

Bathroom installation cost is £1,500 to more than £6,500, a wide range. This section is designed to help narrow the cost estimates for the bathroom you’re planning.

DIY or Fitters: It is possible to save the labour cost of removing the old bathroom by hiring a skip for disposal and doing the work yourself. This can include removing the bathroom and light fixtures, tearing out tiling or other wall/flooring materials.
The Size of the Bathroom: Size determines the amount of tiling or other flooring/wall materials. It can also influence your selection of fixtures. A small bathroom might allow for a shower enclosure only and a pedestal basin. A large room can accommodate both a shower and a bath plus a vanity unit with two basins.
Electrics and Plumbing Work: If you’re not moving, upgrading or adding plumbing or wiring, your expenses in this category will be minimum.
Bathroom Suite: All the fixtures can be purchased separately or in a suite. Bath material affects cost. Acrylic baths cost £130-£300 but aren’t terribly Steel, from about £165, is moderately priced and long-lasting. A cast iron bath costs £700 and can top £2,000. A jetted bath costs £600-£850 installed. The cost range for basins is £50 to more than £350 based on material and size. An average cost is £90-£110.
Tiling: At £24-£48 per square metre, how much tiling you choose will have a major impact on cost. You can save here by choosing a vinyl floor and using wet wall kits or a shower enclosure instead of a tiled shower.
Extras: While not included in the list above, there are additional features you might enjoy in your new bathroom. An extractor fan installed costs £125-$250. Underfloor heating cost range is £400-£900. A multi-jet shower ranges from £250-£350. A combi boiler shower costs more — £400-£525. If you plan to use a lot of hot water luxuriating in your refitted bathroom, a new boiler might be necessary. They start at about £1,000 but can range to £4,000 for a combi boiler to meet all your hot water needs.

Is Refitting a Bathroom a DIY Job?

Gutting a bathroom doesn’t take special skills – just caution not to damage plumbing or electrics.

Leave the work to bathroom fitters if you don’t have experience with shutting off electricity and water supplies.

We recommend hiring a bathroom fitter for the plumbing and electrical work, installing fixtures, tiling and the finish work. You’re spending quite a lot of money on your new bathroom, and you want it to be “perfect.”

Besides, if anything does go wrong, and you did the work yourself, you’ll be responsible for the cost of repairs or have to live with crooked lines of tile. When you hire the work done, you should receive a warranty on the products used and the installation workmanship. Don’t engage a fitter that doesn’t back up the work.

Planning Permission Requirements

You will not usually require planning permission for a new bathroom, unless it’s part of a house extension, or if you change plumbing or electrics, in which case you may need part P approval for electrics and part H approval for plumbing. There is a very helpful guide to building regulations in the U.K, alternatively see the U.K. planning portal for more information. Expect the cost to be £50-£100 for each. You will not need a permit if you are simply replacing old fixtures.

Time Schedule

Refitting a bathroom is not a quick job. Here’s an overview of what you can expect.

Stripping out the old: 1/2 day to more than 1 day depending on the size of the bathroom and the materials in it. You’re likely going to need to factor in the cost to hire a skip for the rubbish.
Plumbing and electric work inside the walls and floor:1-3 days depending on the extent of the work. This is called “first fixing.”
Plastering the walls: 2-3 days
Tiling: 1-2 days depending on the extent of the tiling.
Second fixing: 1-2 days. This work involves fixing the vanity, basin, taps, toilet, shower enclosure, etc.
Finish work: 1 day. The final details like fixing mirrors, sealing the bath and basin and cleaning your new bathroom to make it sparkle take about a day.