Shower Installation Cost 2026

Shower quotes vary enormously because the phrase covers four different jobs. Swapping a shower head is an hour's work. Installing an electric shower where there was none means a new circuit from the consumer unit. Building an enclosure means tiling, tanking and drainage.

This guide separates them, and covers the constraint most people discover too late: your water system decides which types are actually available to you.

Cost by Type

Replacing like for like

Labour: £150 to £350. Swapping an existing shower for a similar one in the same position, using the existing supply and, for an electric unit, the existing circuit. Half a day.

Electric shower, new installation

£400 to £700 fitted. The unit itself is modest; the cost is the dedicated electrical circuit, which must run from the consumer unit with the correct cable and protection, plus a pull cord isolator. This is notifiable electrical work and needs certifying.

Mixer shower

£250 to £600 fitted, assuming hot and cold supplies are already close by. More if pipework has to be chased into walls. A thermostatic mixer is worth the small premium — it holds temperature when a tap runs elsewhere.

Power shower or pump

£500 to £900 fitted. Only applicable on a gravity-fed system with a cold tank and cylinder. The pump needs a suitable location, a supply, and a fused connection.

Digital shower

£700 to £1,400 fitted. The processor unit usually sits in a loft or cupboard, so cost depends heavily on how accessible that space is.

Full enclosure

£1,500 to £3,000. Tray, screen, tiling, waste and often a new supply run. This is a small building job, not a shower swap.

What Your System Allows

What you can legally and practically fit is constrained by the water fittings regulations, summarised by the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering. This is the part that decides everything else, and it is worth establishing before you choose a shower.

Combi boiler

Mains pressure hot and cold. Suits mixer showers and digital showers designed for high pressure. You cannot fit a shower pump — pumping a mains supply is not permitted and will not work properly. Electric showers work but are usually pointless, since you already have instant hot water.

Gravity-fed system, tank in the loft

Low pressure. Suits power showers and pumps, which is exactly what they were designed for. A standard mixer may be disappointing unless the tank sits well above the shower head.

Unvented cylinder

Mains pressure hot and cold, usually excellent for mixers and digital showers. No pump needed or permitted.

If you are unsure which you have, look for a cold water tank in the loft — that means gravity-fed. A large insulated cylinder with no loft tank usually means unvented. No cylinder at all normally means a combi.

The Costs People Do Not Expect

• The electrical circuit. For an electric shower this is often more than the shower. Cable route, consumer unit capacity and certification all factor in.
• Chasing walls. Concealed pipework looks better and costs more, and it means replastering and retiling afterwards.
• Waste and falls. A tray in a new position needs a waste run with adequate fall, which sometimes means lifting floors.
• Tanking. Any tiled shower area needs proper waterproofing behind the tiles, and Water UK member companies rank escape of water among the costliest domestic claims. Skipping it is the most expensive saving available.
• Upgrading the supply. Old 15mm pipework feeding a modern high-flow shower will disappoint regardless of the shower you buy.

Choosing Sensibly

• Buy the valve, not the finish. A good thermostatic valve is the difference between a shower you enjoy and one you fight with. The tile choice is not.
• Match the shower to the system rather than the other way round. A high-flow head on a gravity system without a pump will trickle.
• Fit an extractor fan if there is not one. Ventilation is what stops a new bathroom growing mould within a year.
• Check the flow rate before buying. Time how long a running tap takes to fill a two-litre jug — that tells you more than any brochure.

If your existing shower is weak rather than broken, the cause may not need a new shower at all. Our guide to low water pressure in a shower covers the usual culprits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I fit an electric shower myself?

Replacing like for like on an existing circuit is within reach for a competent DIYer, but the electrical connection is notifiable work in a bathroom and needs certifying. A new circuit is definitely an electrician's job.

Why can't I fit a pump to my combi?

A combi already delivers mains pressure, and pumping a mains supply is not permitted under the water regulations. If flow is poor on a combi, the cause is the incoming supply or the boiler's flow rate, not a missing pump.

Is a digital shower worth the extra?

For precise temperature control and a tidier wall, yes. Functionally a good thermostatic mixer does the same job for less. The processor also has to live somewhere accessible for servicing.

How long does a shower installation take?

A like-for-like swap is half a day. A new electric shower with a circuit is usually a full day across two trades. A full enclosure is three to five days including tiling and drying time.

Getting It Specified Properly

The most common shower complaint we are called to is a good shower fitted to the wrong system. We cover Milton Keynes and the surrounding area for shower and bathroom installation, and we will tell you what your system can actually support before anything is bought. Get in touch.