Bathroom refit headache

[Mearth]

Excuse my long post but I wanted to get the details in.. here it goes..
This is my first time to have a bathroom refit. I wonder whether anyone has any idea about paying someone to get it done?
My bath is 6ft x 6.5 ft x 7 Ft (high) needs to install an extractor fan and refit a ceiling light.

replacing a straight bath tub, basin and toilet in the same position and putting in the electric shower

I have had numerous bath fitter, builder and handy man via mybuilder, trusted trader, etc to give me quotes.
I am not finding it easy to know what is a reasonable price and what to expect.
I have ruled out the first 3 quotes :
1/ came and told me not work guarantee as the bathroom will be used a lot
2/ double the price then the quote I have been given
3/ Estimate and declined to give me a quote

I started my search again, and this guy said he has been doing house renovation for 20 yrs and gave me a daily rate of £200 and will take 6 - 8 working days excluding redoing the replastering that will be extra and again doesn't want to give me a fixed price.

I had another bathfitter I was going to use but now he says he will be sending in a subcontractor to do the work once he has got someone.

I would like the Bathroom quote to include:

• To strip back the room, removing current bathroom suite, all tiles and flooring back to floorboard, removing any damaged or blown render/ plasterboards.
• To install 4 spotlights and an extractor fan.
• To make good and fully re plaster ceiling
• To make good, re board and plaster walls where necessary and in preparation to tile.
• To replace current radiator forheated towel rail.
• To fit new bath in existing position.
• To fully tile and grout floor, bath walls

• To fit new basin and WC in existing positions.
• not to fit new shower screen or new shower (not budget but will reinstall exisiting) electric shower.
• To fit , bath panel, mirror etc. basin and WC.
• To fit a threshold, trim and rehang door if necessary.
• To paint ceiling, remaining walls and woodwork.
• To apply silicone to relevant areas.

This price includes the disposal of all related waste.

I expect all of the above work to be completed over the course of 8-10 working days.

The customer will be expected to supply the bathroom suite and furniture, valves, taps, all tiles, flooring, the fan and spotlights.
Tradesman to supply all building materials including any timber, pipe, fittings, plasters and adhesives.
All appropriate surfaces such as carpets and doorframeswill be covered with sheets or

My questions:
Is there anything I have missed from my ' Bathroom quote' list ?
How do I find a tradesman who can do the job?
How many days should a job like this to take? (I was told it will take 14 days as it will take 3 days for the plasters to dry?? )
What is the going rate for the quote above in Bromley (London) area?
Is it an idea to get a plumber and a tiler to do the job?

Do work guarantee comes with it? if so, what?

Thanks for reading, I am a bit worry getting it wrong. Look forward to hearing back.

From your list, you’re looking for a plumber, an electrician, a plasterer, a tiler and a painter/decorator. You’d be doing well to pull that together in 10 days! Good luck.

Hello Knittedfairies, I have not heard back from this tradesman.. and started looking at others.

When I was at the tiling shop I got a tiler contact and enquired whether he has an installer. Both visited initially did not do any measurements until I asked how would they know the size? I have seen some photos of one project they have done. What that be good enough to get them to do the bathroom? As the installer has suggested to remove the old bathroom now, replaster walls, floor and ceiing fit the new tub and wait for the tiler back in 3 weeks and tile the bathroom and the rest can be installed.

£200 a day labour!!! They,re having a larf!!! How many workmen is that for?
I.ve had a few kitchen and bathrooms fitted recently by an excellent filter and pay £ 20 per an hour per workman ( I'm Brighton based).

Check whether you need to have the walls replastered that are going to be tiled. a good tiler should be able to deal with a fairly rough surface

Godowneasy, hence the headache. I have filtered out a few. This particular 'all rounder' said that the plaster wall.sound fine but cannot tell until the old bath is out and if need be he will add on, and I am still waiting for a fixed fee. Others quote includes replastering walls, and ceiling but more expensive. But I think a fixed price and time frame will be better. I do not find it easy selecting a reliable and experienced tradesman, any whether they will turn up.

it is just one guy.. hence I think a fixed price make more sense.

Your man that said he may need to add on for plaster sounds ok..all building work comes with "unknowns with what lurks beneath". In this case he doesn't know the state of the plaster. If he quotes with and without having to plaster the walls this is fine. (This is why I tend to do my own demolition / investigation before I get the guys in). Yes it will take three days for plaster to dry so you may not have workmen doing much if anything during those days. Good luck in finding someone. It's a minefield!

We had a general builder that brought in trades when needed

I.e. He set up the plumbing work and the plumber looked over it and made the final fittings

Builder striped the room and refitted other than the tilling

We ordered the fixtures

This is where the issue lies, they make good profit in the fixtures!

Total refit was £3000 plus the kind which I still haven't ordered

But it was a slow process! Some companies do it all - why not ask in FB for recommendations? It looknup renov8 or a building company online

I've recently had everything on your list done and it cost about £3500 in total.

The tiler was most expensive at around £45 per square metre.

Ours took 2 weeks.

We've just had a bathroom refit for a similar sized bathroom and it cost us around £7k. Higher end fittings than we had before but took them 10 days and had all different skill sets in and completely re-tiled. Ask on local Facebook groups for recommendations too.

OP, where are you based? We've just had similar + kitchen done by a general builder who did an excellent job in 10 days. I would highly recommend him. If you are in the East Midlands, dm and happy to pass his details on.

Ive just had my bathroom redone which is a similar size and it was about £4k all in. I got the shower online as it was far cheaper than anywhere else, and I got the floor tiles and paint.

My decorator got a plumber friend in to do those bits, so he took out the old suite, installed the new one, came back and replumbed the bath and shower as the original old plumbing had the hot and cold the wrong way round. My decorator had to put back up two plasterboard walls as the old came down when he took the tiles off, plaster the whole room including ceiling, repaint, tile the walls, the floor, replace the skirting board, put two shelves up, and he got an electrician in to replace the light with four spot lights.

It took ten days in total, would have been a bit quicker but the bath suite was due on the Friday and didn’t arrive until the Monday lunchtime. My decorator charges £80 a day, and a bit more when he does tiling.

It is really helpful to hear different experiences - feel a bit less overwhelmed.
I am based in SE20, SE London

The bathroom is ok to use for a 30 years old some tiles are a bit loose. I wanted a new one for peace of mind.

The installer / fitter was saying move the stop cock, electric shower not safe in the bathroom, etc. I kept asking how much..
I got a verbal quote he said he is charging me 1/3 less than what is on the market due to the small size bathroom and my budget (which is great but I am a bit nervous)
and whether I still wanted a full quote I said yes.

Juicyfrooty - good to know. I was told £900 (labour only) for tiling 17m/squared all walls and floor (I am supplying all materials tiles, adhesive)

Godowneasy - It seems the tiler is just doing the tiling. The installer / fitter has his own team do the plastering.. It is ashame I am not local to you otherwise would love to have get your tradesman.

Venys - Good to know, as the quotes I have so far says' if necessary replace plaster walls' which is included in the price.
I wonder would it save much money to remove the tiles myself, bearing in mind, it is 10 cm x 10cm wall to wall.
My issue is that I am anxious of having things ripped out and not sure when it will be completed.

GreenTulips - helps me to see what are the steps and who does what so I know what needs to happen..
Sounds great you had a General builder - when I tried to googled general builder, it is either for roofing etc but not bathroom refit. And I think the market must be really good as I got turned down a lot - as they only can take on full house renovationas.
Your Total refit was £3000 just labour? I did try a well known store for bathroom suite and fitting, thinking for a peace of mind but it seems the price kept going
up when I was getting a basic range..35% increase of my budget and had to start over =)

I will check out FB etc

Juicyfrooty - re your costings are you base in SE London - as the costs do vary (a lot) it seems

Mummabearfoyrbabybears - I am not familiar with FB - how do I go about asking a local FB group?

GrumpySausage - it is good of you to offer - I am base in SE 20, London

Southwest12 - Are you base near SE20? sounds fab £4K all in.. I had a quote of £3.5k all in (this is the same guy who offered daily rate if I don't want him to supply material but he was not able to tell me what suite he will be supplying)

I have some other questions
is it good idea to be there when work is carried out? or will it slow down the work ?
I am not getting a new shower screen or new shower (no budget and also water pressure is 0.2 bar - strange that only 1 of 7 tradesman was interested in water pressure.. I wonder whether I am limited with this type of toilet is it doesn't look modern but I would rather have a toilet that flushes than not.

Armitage Shanks Compact Cistern L/L BI Syphon White
www.plumbase.co.uk/armitage-shanks-compact-100007818-3562316a

and

Armitage Shanks Sandringham Magnia Low Level Pan HO White
www.plumbase.co.uk/armitage-shanks-sandringham-100007642-2228606?replacement=1

The guy who was interested in the water pressure - I was going to get him to do the work but he has only given me a written estimate of 'remove old and refit new bathrooom' and will not give me a quote or further breakdown - am I being over cautious of ruling him out?

1. me and DH took down the tiles
2. builder removed old suite and van arrived to collect and tip
3. builder repositions the pipes - taps were moved from end to middle due to fixed shower screen and we needed to use the tap shower attachement for hair and dog - would recommend)
4. bath toilet and sink in position
5. replastered where necessary
6. tiler - bath loo was moveable so he could get round - 2/3 days work 16sqm - half tiles - 7)plumber for second fix to attached above including shower - ours is a bar shower works on pressure and is brilliant
7. builder back to fit bath planel screen light and mirror
8. flooring as we wanted vinyl
9. shelves and blind - this has taken months as I'm in charge!!! Can't find the right shade of blue

We had

The loo from b and q
Shower screen bath and shower q and s supplies
Tiles were ordered online
Flooring local company
Tiler was £500 he supplied the grout and edging etc we supplied the tiles
Builder was £900

So half labour half firxtues bloody expensive Bluetooth mirror

GreenTulips - your plan sounded great ! It is looking like I need to find separate trades people to come and do jobs individually - a bit f nervous of being told it is not their job..

I have just applied to join the local FB group . I am thinking to pick out things I need and then order when I get a reasonable written quote with breakdown.

Removing the tiles, I was told to be careful not to damage the walls. what container did you use for your old tiles?

The walls and wood work need to be repainted, too. I was told to wait till bathroom finished first ?

I'm based in east Anglia, costs were as follows...

£700 for plumber for Labour and the materials they used ( we supplied the bath basin, loo and taps)
£200 plasterer
£720 tiler ( we supplied tiles, he supplied all grout and adhesive)
£340 electrician, he supplied 4 spot lights one of which is a built in extractor fan.

All other costs were for the bath, basin, loo and tiles. No pipework had to be moved, everything was kept in the same positions.

I feel I have made some progress.
Fitter A. (daily rate of £200 and will take 6 - 8 working days excluding redoing the replastering that will be extra and again doesn't want to give me a fixed price.) has come back as he is suppose to start today, I am still waiting for a fixed price.

Fitter B and tiler has come back and gave me more details of the quote but it has gone up by £600?? I will negotiate it.

Questions.

1. Should I wait till I have a written quote via email not text and all agreed before work starts?
2. How to arrange access for the fitter if they (customer) have to go to work? give them keys?
3. Time frame of work completion?
4. When to pay?

Juicyfrooty - that's really helpful with the costings

Extractor fan - I am still looking for one that is powerful but not too noisy ( apparently, be good if it doesn't sound any louder than a 'pin drop')

Quote for fitting and supply fan:
Drill hole £100 and Fit fan £75 and supply £35..
If I get an electrician in, at what stage do I need him to fit the fan?? I am guessing I still need to get the fitter to drill hole??

I wanted to share some info I have found to cut back on costs of refitting a bathroom:

How to remove your bathroom:
www.hippowaste.co.uk/blog/how-to-remove-your-bathroom/

Also, the council maybe able to collect your old bath suite and tiles for a fee ..

The plumber coordinated all the different trades for us, I wouldn't have had a clue what order things needed doing.

The plumber came on the first day and took out the old bathroom (DH had already ripped off all the old tiles)

Day 2 the plumber came and reboarded parts of the floor that had rotted away and installed the bath and loo (temporarily) the plasterer bonded the walls as well.

Day 3 the plasterer fully plastered all walls and ceiling.

Day 4 & 5 was the tiler, he did the floor and the bath panel whilst the plaster dried

Day 6&7 the tiler did the walls

Day 8 the electrician installed the spot lights and extractor

Then there were a couple of days of the plumber finishing everything off, siliconing everything etc

We had ours done - bit smaller than yours and a lower ceiling height, nothing really being moved bar a radiator that was moving and being changed for a towel one... was quoted 5 days and it took bang on 5 days although it did resemble a bit of 60 minute makeover in there toward the end with someone chasing the floorer around the room with a sealant gun in his wake.

That was fully tiled 1980s era (the whole bathroom was a prime exhibit of every 1980s interior decorating fad) going to fully tiled and with most of the plaster on the wall falling off when the first tile was removed, everything being taken out and replaced down to the grotty pull cord in the light. We did go through one specialist local bathroom company though so they had all the trades to hand and did all the coordination of it themselves. Also had all waste removed and since the access to our street is shit - they had to do that by putting it in their van to skip down at their site rather than having an on-site skip. We paid £5k but we're nowhere near the SE. Oh yeah - off your list they didn't paint the ceiling - but there are some reasons 6 foot 7 DH comes in handy and ceiling painting is fairly high on that list hence it still not being done 3 months later

We had similar done last year. Cost us 3500. We had a renovation company in who provided all different trades. Found him on trust a trader and he's since done loads more work for us.

I am actually not a fan of FB recommendations as it is often the builders partners doing the recommendations. I get most of my tradies from mybuilder - haven't found too many fake references there. I understand the bit about tearing it all apart and not knowing when it will be fixed again - I get to live in a building site for years because of this. You find all sorts. But we recently had one wall tiled in our bathroom, and just got the builders to do the removal and factored in putting in aqua panel on the wall as part of the job. So no surprises. Don't use QS supplies - had an absoolute nightmare with them when it turned out our bath was custom. (Not known to us at time of ordering). I would personally go for a builder that had his own subcontractors as getting in individual tradies might cause logistical problems and delays. The guys never turn up when you agree they should turn up.

Juicyfrooty great to see your plan, as I feel more comfortable and 'can come across as I know what I am talking about' .

I am not sure whether what I am about to write will make sense to anyone, but I was told by another tiler who will be working with a plumber, that the plumber is going to rip out all the plaster boards and old bath suit. The tiler will then come in and install new boards and NO NEED TO PLASTER but will glued the tiles straight on to the the boards?? does this make sense? I don't know what he is talking about but it doesn't sound familiar.

The plumber says he will remove and install new bath suite / plumbing and drill a hole and fit extractor fan
PROCESS
rip the board of walls ->put in plaster, reboard and good surface and tiling

put new boards up
fit bath which needs to go into before tiler can tile
then tile floor ->
Plumber then fit bath panel -> toilet -> sink
extractor fan make the hole and tile around the hole.
one week (7 days) to complete the job

Tiler says similar to the above it says it will take 2 weeks to complete
and my comment above 'not need to plaster the board just glue tiles straight on the board'??

RainbowFairiesHaveNoPlot : If you don't mind me asking all new bath is 5cm larger than my old bath (width 685mm) so I have to find a new radiator that will fit. Any recommendations of a towel one?? as I have been looking on Screwfix and from the older reviews they leak after a couple of years =(

That was fully tiled 1980s era (the whole bathroom was a prime exhibit of every 1980s interior decorating fad) going to fully tiled and with most of the plaster on the wall falling off when the first tile was removed, everything being taken out and replaced down to the grotty pull cord in the light. We did go through one specialist local bathroom company though so they had all the trades to hand and did all the coordination of it themselves. Also had all waste removed and since the access to our street is shit - they had to do that by putting it in their van to skip down at their site rather than having an on-site skip. We paid £5k but we're nowhere near the SE. Oh yeah - off your list they didn't paint the ceiling - but there are some reasons 6 foot 7 DH comes in handy and ceiling painting is fairly high on that list hence it still not being done 3 months later

Cpjoli I am glad to hear you had some positive experience with trust a trader and done loads more work for you. I have not much luck on that front, they seem really busy and it seems my job is too small..
lot
Venys - good to know your thoughts of FB and QS supplies as they both look good.

Each time I think I have found something suitable I realised it doesn't fit, or no good for low water pressure. I am only after basic functional range, I can't imagine how it is for others.

I was given a quote of £1000 for full walls and floor tiling- I had to invite him to take measurements and it seems I am ordering 2m/sq more tiles .. I then realised if I order more, the labour will costs more, so I challenged him to say why I need that much tile and the volume was reduced and so was the labour costs.