New Bathroom Cost UK 2026: Real Prices

Bathroom quotes vary more than almost any other home improvement, and the reason is rarely the taps. Two quotes for the same room can differ by thousands because one includes moving the soil pipe and the other assumes everything stays where it is.

This guide breaks the cost down by what actually drives it, so you can read a quote and understand what you are being charged for.

The Broad Ranges

For a standard UK family bathroom of roughly 2.5m by 2m, fitted with mid-range products and nothing structural moving:

• Budget refit, like-for-like: around £3,500 to £5,000
• Mid-range refit: around £5,000 to £8,000
• High specification, or layout changes: £9,000 upwards
• Wet room conversion: add roughly £1,500 to £3,000 for tanking and drainage

These are national figures and they move with region, access and the state of what is behind the existing tiles.

Where the Money Actually Goes

Labour — usually 40 to 50 per cent

A full refit is typically five to ten working days, and it is not one trade. Strip-out, first-fix plumbing, electrics, plastering, tiling, second-fix and making good are separate skills, and on a small job one or two people cover several of them.

This is the line that varies most between quotes, and the one worth understanding rather than simply comparing.

Sanitaryware and brassware

Toilet, basin, bath or shower tray, taps and shower valve. You can spend anywhere from a few hundred pounds to several thousand. The functional difference between mid-range and premium is smaller than the price gap suggests — the exception is the shower valve, where a good thermostatic unit is genuinely worth paying for.

Tiling

Often underestimated. The tiles themselves may be modest, but labour is charged by area and awkward cuts, mosaics and large-format tiles all take longer. Full-height tiling on all four walls can double the tiling element against half-height on two.

The things you cannot see

This is where quotes diverge, and where surprises come from:

• Moving the toilet. Soil pipe runs and falls are governed by Approved Document H, so the pipe has to move with it and keep its fall, and if that means lifting floors or going through a wall, it is a significant job rather than a small change.
• Rotten floorboards or joists. Common under old baths and showers where a leak has gone unnoticed for years. Nobody can price this before the floor comes up.
• Rewiring. Bathroom electrics are governed by zones, and older installations often do not comply. Extractor fans, shaver sockets and lighting may all need attention.
• Plastering. Removing old tiles frequently takes the plaster with it, so walls need reskimming before anything new goes on.
• Waste and supply pipework. Old lead or steel pipe found during strip-out has to be replaced, not reconnected.

Wet Rooms Cost More, and Here Is Why

A wet room is not simply a shower without a tray. The floor has to be tanked — waterproofed as a continuous membrane — and formed to fall towards the drain. Get either wrong and the water goes into the structure instead.

The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering publishes guidance on wet room construction and tanking standards. That extra work is where the cost sits. It is also the single worst place to economise, because a failed tanking membrane is only discovered when the ceiling below it stains.

How to Compare Quotes Properly

Price alone tells you very little. Ask each quote the same questions:

• Is it itemised into labour, materials and waste removal?
• Does it include making good — plastering, decorating, flooring — or does that come after?
• Who supplies the sanitaryware, and is it named by model?
• What happens if the floor turns out to be rotten? Is there a stated hourly rate for unforeseen work?
• Are the electrics included and who certifies them?
• How long, and will the room be usable during it?

A cheap quote that excludes making good and assumes sound floors is not cheaper — it is less complete.

Where You Can Sensibly Save

• Keep the layout. Leaving the toilet, bath and basin where they are removes the biggest variable in the job.
• Tile selectively. Full height in the wet areas, half height or painted elsewhere.
• Spend on the valve, save on the finish. A quality thermostatic shower valve matters daily; a designer basin does not.
• Do the decorating yourself once the trades are out.

What not to economise on: waterproofing, the extractor fan, and the shower valve. All three are expensive to revisit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a bathroom refit take?

Five to ten working days for a standard refit, longer if the layout changes or a wet room is involved. Plaster and tanking both need drying time that cannot be rushed.

Do I need building regulations approval?

Usually not for a like-for-like replacement, but electrical work in a bathroom is notifiable and new drainage or structural changes may require it. Your installer should tell you which applies.

Why are quotes so different for the same room?

Almost always scope rather than margin. One includes plastering, waste removal and making good; another assumes you handle those. Compare what is written down, not the headline figure.

Should I buy the fittings myself?

You can, and it sometimes saves money. The trade-off is that if something arrives damaged or is the wrong size, the delay and the fix are yours rather than the installer's.

Getting a Straight Quote

We cover Milton Keynes and the surrounding area for bathroom plumbing and installation, and we would rather tell you what a job actually involves than win it on a number that changes later. Get in touch for an itemised quote.