Exactly how much does a new bathroom cost and are there ways to save money? Quantity surveyor Tim Phillips' guide takes a look at how much to expect to pay for each element that makes up a bathroom
Just how much does a new bathroom cost? A fresh, stylish new bathroom can really transform the way you feel about your home and so is always high on the wish lists of self builders, renovators and those extending. But in order for your bathroom design to be a success, you need to know how much to budget.
Here, quantity surveyor Tim Phillips takes an in-depth look at what to expect to pay for a new bathroom in 2024. Perhaps you simply want a quick and easy budget upgrade for an existing space, or maybe it is a top-of-the-range bathroom for your brand-new self build — these will naturally be poles apart in terms of cost.
Our guide lays out the average prices you should expect to budget for, together with installation costs and a host of factors that will influence the overall price of your new bathroom. These factors are key to understanding how and where your budget can be affected and where you can save or spend to achieve your dream bathroom.
How much does a new bathroom cost?
In general, bathroom design ideas tend to be made up of a toilet, basin, bath and shower, which come in all sizes, shapes, finishes and, of course, costs.
In the case of a bathroom renovation which will usually involve the removal/disposal and replacement of the suite, new radiators, floor and wall tiles, plus new lighting, extractor fan and decorating, you can expect to pay a figure of around £6,000, including installation.
You can save on the above costs by taking care of the removal of old sanitaryware etc. yourself rather than paying someone else to do it.
If you’re self building, you won’t have any of the costs of removal and disposal. While you’ll need to introduce the waste, piping, electrics and structure of the room, this will be built into your overall build cost/m2. So you can expect your new bathroom to come in at just below the average cost.
"There is a certain amount of disagreement online when it comes putting a price on a new bathroom, with some sites quoting around £1,500 while others proclaim costs upwards of £10,000," says James Roberts, director at Sanctuary Bathrooms. "After comparing several quotes and conducting some research of our own, we settled on a rough average cost of £5,950 for a new bathroom, which includes the price of installation and the removal of any previous fixtures."
James Roberts
James is one of three directors of Sanctuary Bathrooms, working alongside his father and brother.
He joined the company in 2007 having previously studied to become a plumber
What are new bathroom costs made up of?
Whether you’re renovating or self building, there’s a host of factors that can reduce or increase your costs so it helps to break each element of a new bathroom down and look at the associated costs separately. The main elements include:
Professional services, such as plumber, tiler and electrician
Sanitaryware
Wall and floor tiles
Shower and brassware
Plastering
Decoration
Design
Lighting
Heating and extraction
Don't forget to factor in finishing touches such as light fittings. These Brooklyn Glass Funnel Wall Lights from Industville cost £89 each. (Image credit: Industville/@amazingtelly)
How much does plumbing for a new bathroom cost?
When renovating a bathroom, for removing and installing a typical suite to the same layout, you can expect to pay approx. £1,250 to £1,500. In the case of self builds, you will save the removal costs (£150-£200) and should also save on overall plumbing costs across your build, when you factor in your kitchen, utility, en suites etc.
According to Checkatrade, you should allow between £25-£40/m2 for first fix plumbing.
Reconfiguring the layout on a renovation will add to costs. New pipework will be needed, floor and wall finishes will most likely need to be renewed and if you’re relocating your toilet, moving soil stacks can be particularly expensive, adding a few hundred pounds to your plumbing installation costs.
Bathroom renovations can often work out to be a little more expensive than when starting from scratch, unless you are replacing like for like(Image credit: Ca' Pietra)
What do bathroom electrics cost?
The cost of your electrics will really depend on the bathroom you are fitting. You may just need a new ceiling light fitted (£50-£100), but most modern bathroom ideas incorporate many electrical options: extraction fans, power showers, dual fuel heated towel rails, shaver points, under-cabinet and mirror lighting — even waterproof TV screens.
Work on the basis that for the average new bathroom electrics cost around £600, although this figure can easily rise to between £800 to £1,200 if you plan on introducing or moving lighting for cabinets/mirrors, shaver sockets or extraction fans as you’ll have additional electrical costs for chasing out and installation and redecoration costs.
How much will my sanitaryware cost?
This is yet another area where your individual choices are going to hugely impact the kind of costs you are looking at.
While there are cheap bathroom suites out there costing as little as a couple of hundred pounds, there are also those that will set you back thousands. For example, you can get a budget straight bath for around £100, but you can also spend upwards of £4,500 on a Whirlpool bath.
"You need to ask yourself whether you want to splash out on luxury products, or to choose some more affordable fittings," says James Roberts. "As an illustration of how these price points can differ, we combined the cost of the most expensive products available on our website as a test and the total price came to just over £21,000."
If you want to get a general idea of how much individual sanitaryware costs, we have put together this quick guide with the help of the experts at Sanctuary Bathrooms:
Basin: From £80-£300+
Bath: From £110 to £5,000+
Toilet: From £80 to £400+
While cheap acrylic baths can be picked up for as little as £80 or so, for something more eye catching, you are looking at higher costs. This model is the Apollo Classic from The Albion Bath Co. and costs £3,995.(Image credit: The Albion Bath Co.)
The cost of showers
You really need to think through how to choose a shower when considering costs here. While electric showers might be the cheapest option, they may well not quite hit the mark in terms of what you need.
"There are many things to consider when choosing a shower," says Editor in Chief of Homebuilding & Renovating website and magazine, Claire Lloyd. "What plumbing system do you you have? Do you want a walk-in or over-bath shower? What kind of water pressure do you have?
According to Sanctuary Bathrooms, electric showers cost between £150-£450, while thermostatic showers tend to come in at £400-£600.
Don't forget to factor in costs for a shower enclosure too (unless you are going for the over-bath option). Work on average costs of between £250-£500.
Claire Lloyd
Claire is Editor in Chief of Homebuilding & Renovating website and magazine. She became Editor of Homebuilding & Renovating in 2016 and has been a member of the team for 15 years. An experienced homes journalist, her work has also appeared in titles such as Real Homes and Period Living.
She has a particular interest in green homes and sustainability, and interior design is a passion too; she has undertaken qualifications in this area.
After finishing a major renovation of a period cottage, she is now onto her next project: overhauling a 1930s property in the Shropshire countryside.
How much should I pay for taps?
At the very cheapest end of the price scale lie basic pillar taps which can be picked up for as little as £30 or so. That said, most people these days want mixer taps rather than one for hot and one for cold.
Sanctuary Bathrooms suggest budgeting between £100-£200. Remember you will need taps for your bath too if your bathroom layout includes one.
How much do bathroom tiles cost?
The cost of tiles can really vary depending on the material you choose and the supplier you opt for. Basic ceramic tiles can cost from as little as £5/m2, but if your budget permits, you can also pay over £160/m2 for designer glass tiles.
"There is some disparity when it comes to the price of tiles, with slate tiles being between £40 and £50/m² compared to glass tiles which tend to cost £110 to £160/m²," says James Roberts.
Really think through your bathroom floor tile ideas — the more complex the tile laying pattern, the longer it takes to complete, pushing labour costs higher than for the same area with a simpler pattern. If you’re tiling a large area, costs will naturally rise, but you can save money by choosing larger format tiles, as they are quicker to fit. Patterns such as herringbone will also need a lot more cuts, so wastage allowances should be increased from 10-15% to 20%.
Don't forget to account for labour costs if you plan on using a tiler. If you want to fully tile your walls and floor, you can expect to pay, on average, between £850 to £950 depending on the size of your bathroom.
Along with the cost of the tiles themselves, don't forget to factor in installation costs — the more complex the laying pattern, the higher these will be. These tiles are Harper Blue porcelain tiles from Porcelain Superstore. They cost £67.20/m2.(Image credit: Porcelain Superstore)
How much does it cost to heat a bathroom
The two most common ways of heating a bathroom tend to be heated towel rails or underfloor heating. If you’re introducing underfloor heating, the costs, installed, for a self build are around £20-40/m2. This is usually included in the build process and it’s the least expensive/best time to install it.
On renovations, the costs will be higher to retrofit (around £40-60/m2) and will be impacted by the nature of your existing floor. It can be expensive if floors need to be taken up and even the lowest profiles will require costly adjustments to doors and skirting.
Don't forget to add the cost of a decoupling membrane to prevent your new tiles cracking if you’re tiling on new concrete screeds or suspended floors.
Simple heated towel rails are the cheapest option, starting for as little as £30.
Heated towel warmers are a cheaper option for bathroom renovations than underfloor heating. This brushed brass model is the Harbour Status Flat Heated Towel Rail from Only Radiators, costing £179.99(Image credit: Only Radiators)
Tim Phillips
Tim Phillips is an experienced senior quantity surveyor and estimator and has worked in the construction industry for over 35 years. He has worked on many varied projects in this time, for corporates, public bodies and private residential clients, managing multi-million budgets.
For the past 13 years, Tim has worked on a freelance basis, whilst managing his rental property portfolio. He has extensive experience of undertaking his own full-scale house renovations. He is also a speaker and expert at the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows.
Along with the costs of all the individual items that go towards making up a bathroom, and the fees charged by the trades that will need to be involved, some people choose to enlist the help of a bathroom designer or interior design professional.
Obviously this adds to the cost of fitting a bathroom but if this is an option that appeals, what can you expect to pay?
"Commissioning an interior designer can take some of the stress out of planning the layout of your new bathroom, but their services come at a premium price," says Sanctuary Bathrooms' James Roberts. "While an initial consultation could cost a couple of hundred pounds, for complete design plans you can expect to pay between £500 and £2,500 depending on the size and scale of the remodel."
Look out for companies providing free, no-obligation bathroom designs if you want to minimise costs.
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Tim Phillips is an experienced senior quantity surveyor and estimator and has worked in the construction industry for over 35 years. He has worked on many varied projects in this time, for corporates, public bodies and private residential clients, managing multi-million budgets.
For the past 13 years, Tim has worked on a freelance basis, whilst managing his rental property portfolio. He has extensive experience of undertaking his own full-scale house renovations. He is also a speaker and expert at the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows.
