​How can I accurately cost my new bathroom?

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
Bathrooms, Gracious Luxury Interiors Gracious Luxury Interiors Classic style bathroom
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If you’re currently dreaming of a new bathroom, what would you expect to pay? £1,000? On average, the cost of a new bathroom varies around £3,000, but this can vary depending on whether you start from scratch, replace an existing suite, DIY most of the project, or how many luxurious touches you opt for. 

Take into account that some suppliers advertise complete suites for under £200 – however, it is not always clear what is included, which is, of course, something you should be crystal clear on before any work commences. 

To help you stay in control of your budget and keep your dreams as realistic as possible, let’s take a look at some ideas on the costs associated with a new bathroom design.

1. The cost of a bath

Low-end: £70 

Average cost: Approx. £400 

Top-end: £1,400 – £10,000

The cost of a new bath, which is usually sold separately from the rest of a bathroom suite, depends mainly on what it’s made form. The very cheapest baths are usually made from thin acrylic.

Should you be on a tight budget and want value for money, basic steel baths tend to be more durable than the very low-cost acrylic designs. They can start from around £120.

But once you enter the realm of cast iron, timber, composite and stone, the prices really start soaring.

2. The cost of a shower

Low-end: £50 

Average cost: £60 – £500 

Top-end: £500 – £2,000+

Electric showers are among the cheapest options. They provide water separately from the mains cold water supply and heat water on demand.

Next up on the price range are bath/shower mixers, with prices starting from around £150. The shower hose and head are combined with the bath mixer tap, which is how the temperature is adjusted.

A manual shower mixer (from £60) has the hose and spray coming out from a wall unit, with a temperature control included. 

However, if luxury touches are what you’re after, digital showers, shower towers, columns and cabins are what you should be looking at – all offering a multitude of sprays and jets at a cost from  £250 – £2,000 upwards.

3. The cost of shower enclosures

Low-end: From £70 

Average cost: £80 – £300 

Top-end: £550+

Shower enclosures are trickier to cost than showers and baths. A very basic inexpensive enclosure (with a couple of glass side panels and a door, or a quadrant enclosure with double doors) can cost as little as £70—£80. However, the costs of a shower tray still need to be added, which can start from £60. 

For a complete ‘wet room’ style enclosure (including a walk-in tray and frameless shower screen), reserve about £550 in your budget. A frameless fixed enclosure with no door will set you back around £200.

Bear in mind that wet room kits can also be purchased, which include everything you need to form a platform, drainage and waterproofing equipment (this, however, excludes tiles). These can cost around £500—£600.

4. The cost of a bathroom basin

Low-end: From £50 

Average cost: £60 – £150 

Top-end: £300+

At the budget end of the market are ceramic pedestal basins which start at around £50. Basins which are designed to sit in or on a vanity unit allow for storage. These can cost you around £90, but remember to also factor in the cost of the unit they sit on or in. 

Even though most basins are ceramic, other materials also provide options, such as glass, metal and stone. Of course these cost more than your standard ceramic basin, depending on the material, size (the most common basin size is 550 mm x 400 mm) and provider.

5. The cost of a toilet

Low-end: From £60 

Average cost: £200 – £400 

Top-end: £500

Regular floor-mounted, low-level WCs start out around £60. Traditional-style, high-level toilets are another option, as are more modern-looking, wall-mounted WCs. These usually see the cistern and pipe work concealed within a frame in a stud wall which, of course, influences the final price.

6. The cost of taps

Pillar taps (taps with a single-source supply of cold or pre-heated water) are the cheapest option, costing from £30 per pair. 

Mixer taps that have separate controls for hot and cold flow tend to be next up the scale, from £45, with monobloc mixers (where flow and temperature are both controlled from one lever) usually at the top, from £50 up to the low £100s.

7. The extras

Of course additional touches should also be factored into your budget; touches which include tiles, heated towel warmers, lighting, and frames for baths to be built into.

Don’t forget labour costs either. A plumber should be able to retrofit a bathroom in two or three days, as well as remove the old one. The general asking price for this should be around £1,000.

And how much would tiling a small bathroom take? About three days, and at a cost between £350 and £800. Obviously these prices will vary depending on the tiles and sanitaryware you specify, which is why you should take your time shopping around, checking out customer reviews and comparing quotes from different suppliers.

Now you have an idea on costs, but have you ever wondered: What mistakes do people make designing their bathroom?

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