How Much Does a New Bathroom Cost? UK Renovation Costs Explained
Updated: 22 hours ago
Most UK bathroom renovations typically cost between £6,000 and £12,000 for a standard family bathroom, fitted, with simpler like-for-like refits from around £4,000 and larger or high-spec rooms running to £15,000 and beyond. The spread comes down to three things: how much of the room changes, what you choose to put in it, and what the builder finds once the old suite comes out.
These are typical UK market figures, not a quote. Every bathroom is different, which is why our bathroom fitting in Kettering team, like any fitter worth using, sees the room before putting a number on it.
What sits inside a typical bathroom price
A full bathroom renovation is really several trades in sequence. The total usually breaks down into:
Strip out and disposal: removing the old suite, tiles and sometimes plasterboard, plus skip or waste removal.
First fix plumbing: new pipe runs, waste connections and any valve or pipework changes behind the walls.
Electrics: extractor fan, lighting, shaver socket or heated towel rail wiring, done and certified by a registered electrician.
Boarding and plastering: tile backer board or plaster where the walls need it, and waterproofing around the shower.
Tiling: walls, floor, or both. Often the biggest single labour item after plumbing.
Second fix: fitting the suite, brassware, furniture, towel rail and accessories.
The products themselves: toilet, basin, bath or shower, tray, screen, taps, tiles, vanity and lighting.
Products can be anything from a budget suite of a few hundred pounds to several thousand for a freestanding bath and designer brassware. Labour tends to be the steadier part of the bill.
Bathroom fitting labour cost
Labour to fit a bathroom in the UK typically runs from around £2,000 for a simple like-for-like swap to £4,000 or more for a full strip-out with new pipework, tiling and electrics. Tiling alone is commonly priced per square metre, so a room tiled floor to ceiling costs noticeably more to fit than one with half-height tiling.
Labour rises with every change to the layout. Keeping the toilet, basin and bath in the same positions means the existing waste and supply points can be reused. Move the toilet across the room and the soil pipe has to follow it, which can mean lifting floorboards, rerouting through joists or boxing in a new run.
What pushes the cost up
A few decisions account for most of the difference between a £6,000 bathroom and a £15,000 one.
Moving things around: Relocating the toilet is the most expensive single move, because of the soil pipe. Moving a bath or shower is easier but still means new waste runs.
Swapping a bath for a shower: Popular, and usually worth it, but a low-profile tray or a level-access floor needs the waste to run at the right fall, which can mean work below the floor.
Wet rooms: Tanking the whole floor and creating a fall to the drain is more labour than fitting a tray. Our guide to the wet room explains what goes into one.
Full-height and large-format tiles: More area to tile, and large porcelain tiles need flatter walls and more careful setting out.
What's behind the walls: Rotten joists under an old leaking toilet, lead or corroded pipework, or walls that won't take tiles all turn up at strip-out. A sensible budget holds back a contingency for them.
Electrics and heating: Adding underfloor heating, a new towel rail circuit or feature lighting adds electrician time and certification.
Typical cost by type of job
As a rough guide to UK market prices, fitted:
Like-for-like refresh (same layout, mid-range suite, partial tiling): typically £4,000 to £7,000.
Full renovation of a standard bathroom (strip-out, new suite, full tiling, extractor): typically £6,000 to £12,000.
Layout change or bath-to-shower conversion: add more labour for pipework and flooring; many projects land between £8,000 and £14,000.
Larger or high-specification rooms (freestanding bath, wet room area, designer finishes): commonly £15,000 and above.
An en suite is usually a smaller room, but creating a new one where none existed adds the cost of new supply and waste runs, ventilation and sometimes a stud wall.
How long the work takes and why it matters to the price
Labour is priced on time, so a job that has to wait for plaster to dry or for a second visit costs more than one that runs straight through. We break down each stage in how long it takes to fit a bathroom, and the layout changes above are what usually stretch it.
How to compare bathroom quotes
Quotes that look far apart are often pricing different jobs. Before choosing, check each one covers:
Strip out and waste removal
Any pipework or waste changes, and who makes good the floor afterwards
Tiling area (walls and floor) and who supplies the tiles and adhesive
Electrical work and an electrical installation certificate
Extractor fan and where it vents to
Plastering or boarding
Supply of the suite, or fit only
A single itemised quote from one company that manages every trade is usually easier to compare than three separate trade prices. It also puts responsibility for the finished room in one place.
Is a new bathroom worth the money?
A tired bathroom is one of the first things buyers notice, and a well-fitted modern bathroom helps a house sell. It rarely adds back more than it costs on its own, though. We looked at what valuers actually say in how much value a new bathroom adds.
Bathroom cost questions, answered
Is it cheaper to buy the suite yourself?
Sometimes, but it shifts risk to you. If a product arrives damaged, is missing parts or doesn't suit the pipework, the fitter's time still has to be paid. Many people choose products themselves but let the fitter order them.
Do you need building regulations approval for a new bathroom?
A straight replacement usually doesn't. Adding a bathroom where there wasn't one brings in drainage and ventilation rules, and electrical work must be carried out and certified by a registered electrician.
What contingency should I allow?
Around 10% of the budget is a common allowance for what turns up once the old bathroom is out, especially in older houses.
We design and fit complete bathrooms with our own team, from strip-out to the final seal, and you can see a finished example in our bathroom fitting project in Corby. Every price we give is itemised after a site visit, because a room we haven't seen can't be priced properly.
We cover Kettering and the surrounding towns, with bathroom fitters in Northampton too, and if you're planning a new bathroom you can get in touch to arrange a visit.
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