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Property/DIY

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Original poster

New bathroom help!

20 replies

MushroomMama · 03/02/2016 14:15

We need to put in a new bathroom and I haven't the slightest clue how you go about it

It needs a new suite and an extractor fan and I think possibly the artex re doing as its mouldy due to lack of extractor fan! Tiles are ok as is flooring

We are currently saving for it but not a clue of a figure to save to

Any advice for clueless me would be much appreciated!

OP posts:

UndramaticPause · 03/02/2016 15:19

Jumping in for the replies! We are in the same situation and have a plumber coming over this week. We've saved £5000 and are under the impression this will be sufficient for a largeish midrange suite and tiling

morningtoncrescent62 · 03/02/2016 18:48

I'm paying just over £4000 for mine which includes tiles and flooring, though it's quite a small space, and I'm only having the minimum area tiled. I was a bit at how much the quotes varied. One person quoted me £10,500! The lowest quote was nearer to £3000 but the quote wasn't particularly detailed (so I didn't know what cost what) and I didn't particularly like the guy - I had a lot of questions and he seemed irritated by them, whereas the one with the middling quote was very patient and friendly and didn't make me feel stupid. And I didn't in any case want bottom-of-the-range products which will need replacing quickly. It's difficult, though, if you don't know what you're doing, and I worry that I'm so transparently out of my comfort zone that anyone can take me for a ride. Good luck!

LBOCS2 · 03/02/2016 18:56

I think we spent about £5,500 altogether - about £4.5k on the labour and about another 1 on fittings and tiles (all of which I sourced myself). It's a teeny bathroom but we moved everything about which obviously cost a lot more, labour wise - plus all the walls were half tiled.

Borderterrierpuppy · 03/02/2016 22:23

Ours was £5000 that was everything though, fixtures fitting new soil pipe ect. I was definite about my budget as we had not a penny more.

Original poster

MushroomMama · 04/02/2016 08:53

Thank you! I guessed between about 4-5k I guess we will be saving for a while yet!

We've got just a shower at the moment with a pump thing attached so that's all got to be removed so I guess that'll ramp up the costs!

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yomellamoHelly · 04/02/2016 10:48

We're SW London and was told £7k to redo our bathroom (incl. tiles and flooring, lights, fan etc..... - hasn't been touched for 35 years). It remains on the "to do" list!

Original poster

MushroomMama · 04/02/2016 10:50

I'm in the north of England so I guess it might be a tiny bit cheaper!

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SansaClegane · 04/02/2016 14:02

We're in the SE and had our bathroom redone about 1.5 years ago for £8.5k.
That said,we had it completely redone - tiles, flooring, white suite including an expensive 'Bette' steel bath tub, airing cupboard (which is in our bathroom) re-built, re-plastered; and the price included all bathroom cabinets as well.
We had it done by a professional bathroom company - they sourced the things we wanted and employ all the various tradesmen who were needed. So all in all, I don't think it was too bad especially as their first quote was £12.5k
You could always get someone out to give you a quote, and then you know how much you need to save?

gruffalocake2 · 04/02/2016 14:33

We're in hot spot of SE and I've managed to do it for £3k. £1.4k on labour including tiling and laying vinyl tiles. The guy is a sole trader and doesn't do VAT (under the threshold) which made it cheaper. If you can find someone like that through recommendation it will save a lot. I also sourced my fittings (nice quality carron bath, grohe taps etc.) online which is saving more than sourcing through plumbers themselves. You could go unbranded and do it cheaper though.

I recommend Soakology for online bathroom stuff (vanity/bath). Also try the plumbing websites for taps as they are cheaper/better for the money than Homebase etc.

Original poster

MushroomMama · 04/02/2016 16:06

Thanks for the tips!

I'm fairly new to the area so only know the mums at school and they all live in housing association houses so have no need for plumbers! They've been a great help with regards to carpet fitters though!

I think my plan of action is to book some design appointments with various diy places and see what they have to say. Would be worth asking on local selling pages for recommendations for plumbers?

Thanks once again I'm totally clueless after renting since I left home so it's been a great help

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snowgirl1 · 04/02/2016 16:58

When I redid the bathroom in my previous house, I went to a bathroom design place and they said the minimum was £10k - even for my tiny bathroom.

So I got some graph paper, drew a scale plan of my bathroom and got a bundle of bathroom fitting brochures from the local plumbers' merchant and planned my bathroom - the guy in the plumbers' merchant checked that I'd ordered everything I needed. Then got a plumber to fit it. The plumber knew an electrician for the lights, so he sorted out the other trades that I needed. Cost about £5K, but I went for an expensive bath (with wide end for a shower and curved glass shower screen) and expensive 'hung' toilet.

19lottie82 · 04/02/2016 22:52

I'm in Glasgow and was quoted £7k to refit a 6' X 6' bathroom! Another company quoted a similar price!

I then got a recommendation from a friend for a builder who fitted the suite and tiles I had purchased (£1400) for £1800.

If you use a fancy bathroom company you will pay...... So think outside the box!

Original poster

MushroomMama · 05/02/2016 08:08

I know but I literally know no plumbers here argh! Would checkatrade be a good point of call? I need someone reputable and trustworthy because once I have the money I won't be able to replace it for quite awhile so I don't want to be shafted!

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morningtoncrescent62 · 05/02/2016 17:41

Mushroom, you could try asking local letting agencies whether they can recommend anyone. They'll usually have reliable local contractors/small firms on their books who they use a lot, and they might be willing to pass on recommendations. I've heard mixed things about checkatrade, and I'd always rather go with personal recommendations if there's any way you can get them.

UndramaticPause · 05/02/2016 18:22

Ask friends and family for recommendations

poocatcherchampion · 05/02/2016 21:51

Good ideason this thread. I am pricing up bathrooms and had £10 in my head for 2. Although we will tile ourselves so it might get less

Original poster

MushroomMama · 06/02/2016 12:17

Family live in the south and my step dad would of done it but we are a 5 hour drive away now!

Friends mostly rent the one that owns isn't doing their bathroom as it was done when they moved in.

Letting agent is a great idea I didn't think of that! I need to chase our old one up actually as they have our deposit!

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UndramaticPause · 06/02/2016 13:16

Just been bathroom shopping and hit every major place in out town for estimates and they ranged from 3k all in to 35k!! So it seems it really is a case of think of a number and treble it add a few zeros and double that

roundandroundthehouses · 06/02/2016 13:21

I've just been quoted 3.5K for labour and I imagine we'll spend another 1K or so on the tiles, fittings, etc. that we need to supply. That includes battening and skimming old Artex ceiling, tiling floor to ceiling, putting levelling compound on sloping floor as well as fitting the units we supply (which are all staying in the same place). Medium-sized bathroom.

rubybleu · 06/02/2016 18:41

We visited Bathstore and they quoted £7.5k on labour alone. I was incredulous as whilst we have a large bathroom, we were replacing like for like.

We visited our local 'end of line' bathroom supply place, they rang a fitter they recommended, and the labour cost came in at £3.5k. We also paid about the same as discounted Bathstore fittings but got good quality Hansgrohe etc fittings. This is London btw.

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