How much is a new bathroom?
Working out how much a new bathroom is going to cost can seem like a complicated calculation, as the final price tag is dependent on so many factors, but if you break down the whole job into its component parts, it is possible to come up with a very accurate estimate. How much your final figure adds up to, will also be very much dependent on the amount of work you yourself carry out, and this is clearly the area where big bathroom savings can be made.
The tables below gives you a checklist to go through which will help you work out bathroom costs in terms of both materials and labour. It’s a pretty long list, but if you print the page out, work through it carefully filling in your figures, you’ll be able to come to a fairly accurate estimate of how much a new bathroom will cost you.
Bathroom Costs
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Your Bathroom Requirements
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| Plumbing | Â |
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Bath, basin and toilet £ __________ |
If you’re buying a complete “all-in” suite, check what’s included – you’ll often have to buy taps etc. as extra. |
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Taps and wastes £ __________ |
Following on from above, taps and wastes could be extra, and they can often cost more than the actual suite. |
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Toilet seat £ __________ |
A seat may not be supplied with your new toilet, or you may prefer a different style. |
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Shower and tray £ __________ |
Showers, meaning the actual shower valve itself will often be separately priced to the tray, and enclosure. So if you see a ‘shower deal’ for £200, remember you’ll probably have to add on the tray, tiles, and maybe even the shower head to this price. |
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Screens/enclosures £ __________ |
Following on from above, unless it’s an all in deal, the enclosure or shower screen (if above a bath for example) need to be accounted for. |
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Towel rail/radiator/underfloor heating £ __________ |
Depending on bathroom size, you may get away with just a towel rail, but generally you’ll need a radiator and towel rail in your bathroom. You may also consider underfloor heating working off the central heating system. |
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Pipes, connections, plumbing sundries £ __________ |
Even for the most simple changeover of a bathroom, you’ll always need the odd new valve, lengths of supply and waste pipe etc. |
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Labour costs £ __________ |
Depending on your DIY competence, you may save money by doing some of the work yourself. See my plumbing guides and bathroom fitting guides for more information. |
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Total Plumbing Cost £__________ |
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| Electrics | Â |
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Extractor fan £ __________ |
If you haven’t got one, you’re going to need one. |
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Lighting and pull cord £ __________ |
If you’re changing the lighting remember to buy fittings suitable for bathroom use. |
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Shaver socket £ __________ |
Not essential for everyone, but could be for you. |
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Underfloor heating £ __________ |
Electric underfloor heating is also an option that you may well consider. |
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Bonding/earthing £ __________ |
With a new bathroom, always check with a qualified electrician on whether or not the bonding and earthing arrangements in your home need to be improved for safety reasons. |
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Labour costs £ __________ |
Under Part-P of the Building Regulations, a bathroom is considered a high risk area, and so the work must be carried out, and tested by a qualified electrician. So there’s no real room for making any DIY savings here. |
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Total Electrics Cost £ __________ |
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| Accessories | Â |
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Toilet roll holder, shelves, toothbrush holder etc. £ __________ |
You may need no accessories as what you have is fine. However, you may go down the route of renewing all those little bits and pieces to complete your new bathroom look. |
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Window dressing £ __________ |
Curtains or blinds? |
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Mirror £ __________ |
Again, you may be reusing, but otherwise a new one needs to be added to the costing sheet. |
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Labour costs £ __________ |
This is definitely an area where you can make savings with some DIY. For more information about fixing into different surfaces, see my guides – ‘Fixing into tiles’, ‘Drilling into porcelain tiles’, ‘Fixing into masonry walls’ and ‘Fixing into hollow walls’. |
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Total Accessories Cost £ __________ |
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| Decorating/Tiling | Â |
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Paint £ __________ |
Definitely needed for ceiling and woodwork, but the amount on the walls will depend on how much tiling you’ll be doing. |
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Wallpaper £ __________ |
Not ideal for a bathroom, but still possible. |
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Tiles/adhesive/grout £ __________ |
You may not need any, or at the other extreme you could be going floor to ceiling. Also remember the cost of adhesive and grout, and have you got a decent tile cutter? |
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Decorating sundries £ __________ |
Whatever the finish, remember sandpaper, filler, cloths, dust sheets, brushes, the odd new hand tool, and the list can go on. Generally you won’t need to go out and buy everything, but just be aware of the bits and pieces that will be needed. |
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Labour costs £ __________ |
Another area where savings can definitely be made on the DIY front. Check out my ‘Wall tiling guides’Â and ‘Paint and wallpapering guides’. |
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Total Decorating/Tiling Cost £ __________ |
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| Flooring | Â |
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Sub-floor £ __________ |
Whatever flooring you choose, it’ll need the right sub-floor. For example, you can’t lay tiles on floorboards so you’d need to lay a ply, or cement board sub-floor of suitable thickness. Likewise, vinyl will need either a ply or hardboard subfloor, but not as thick as for tiles. Carpet needs underlay, a wooden or laminate floor (check it’s suitable for bathrooms) will also need at least an underlay. Therefore you must add on the cost of the sub-floor into your calculations. |
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Vinyl £ __________ |
Whether tiles or sheet vinyl, remember any adhesive that may be required. |
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Wood/laminate £ __________ |
It’s got to be suitable for bathrooms, and if it’s a ‘floating floor’, remember the cost of sundries such as spacers, any scotia moulding for around the edge, and the general fitting tools required (normally sold in kits). |
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Tiles £ __________ |
Remember the adhesive and grout in your cost, and sundries that may be required such as a bonding primer, spacers etc………and a decent tile cutter, grout spreader etc. |
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Carpet £ __________ |
As mentioned above, remember the underlay, and make sure you choose a carpet that has a good chance of standing up to bathroom conditions. |
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Labour costs £ __________ |
The costs will again be dependent on your DIY abilities. In general, carpet fitting and sheet vinyl fitting are for me, the trickiest jobs to provide a professional finish. Sorting out a sub-floor, wood, laminate, and tiled floors are more likely areas where you can make use of your DIY skills. Check out my ‘Flooring guides’ for more information. |
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Total Flooring Cost £ __________ |
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Building work |
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Demolition £ __________ |
Remember you’ll need to remove the old suite, and dispose of it. Are there any walls that need building/moving? Or maybe it could just be a case of removing old tiles for example. Will you need a skip? |
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Studwork £ __________ |
You may be adding a shower cubicle, which is likely to be constructed of studwork. In such cases, cement board rather than plasterboard would be my preferred option for covering the studs. All will incur a cost – remember the fixings. |
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Plastering/rendering £ __________ |
Depending on wall conditions, you may need some rendering or plastering to make good wall surfaces. |
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Carpentry £ __________ |
Will you need to fit any new skirting board, do any boxing in of pipes, or you may even be changing the door and/or handles? Are any floorboards rotten/split and need repair or replacement? |
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Labour costs £ __________ |
You may be able to do some work yourself, but any structural work will certainly need professional advice/help, and plastering is not a favourite for most DIYers. |
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Total Building Work Cost £ __________ |
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Fill in each section cost below, and total up to get your final figure |
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£ __________ Total Plumbing cost £ __________ Total Electrics cost £ __________ Total Accessories cost £ __________ Total Decorating/Tiling cost £ __________ Total Flooring cost £ __________ Total Building work cost |
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£ __________ TOTAL COST OF NEW BATHROOM
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The above table doesn’t include everything that may be required in deciding how much a new bathroom will cost, but it includes all the standard features and questions you should ask yourself. Anything extra, and you can simply just add it to the list. As always, only tackle jobs that you are comfortable with, and seek professional advice where needed.
For some inspiration and ideas, as well as information on such factors as the best order of work to follow, please check out my guide ‘Planning a bathroom’.
