Bathroom quote - is this a fair price?

[Mawbags]

Hi folks, just had the shock my my life with a quote from builder.

He has given me a quote for installing a bathroom inc separate shower moving a wall by 80cm and installing RSJ....Tiles throughout on 3.3x2.5 room....And reinforcing floor which is rotten...

12k

Is this ridiculous? I was expecting about 8 or 9? We’ve had him before and he’s very good but his last quote was 3800 before we decided to extend the bathroom and reinforce the floor.

(We’re in the north west)

I paid that for a bathroom renovation in London, but fairly certain I was over-charged. I didn't have any structural work done, but switched a bathtub for a walk in shower, the floor of which needed to be raised for waste pipes. I had my toilet moved and a bespoke vanity and tall cupboard made, and the whole room tiled (including floor).

Seems wayyy too much. I'm spending 4.5k on the bathroom and it's having a complete over hall.

8k for reinforced floor and moving the wall ! Get another quote for just that work.

Ok thanks

I was kind of hoping people would day it’s ok but really... it’s NOT

I am going to get two other quotes.

I have a total distrust of builders following some shit experiences so wanted this guy as he’s always been slightly pricey but honest.

But I think 12k is taking the piss

Yes, you should deffo get more quotes, and be sure to ask for an actual quote rather than an estimate - estimates really are just a guide and allow the builder to add £££ on top.

I'd get a broken down quote with costs allocated to each part of the work, including the cost of materials. Ensure you have a written contract which specifies a clear deadline. Pay a small amount upfront (maybe enough to cover materials) but the rest on completion providing you are satisfied that the work has met the brief.

We had a quote of £16k for a similar job ... Pretty sure they just didn’t want to! They also said it would take 6 weeks.

We had a quote of £16k for a similar job ... Pretty sure they just didn’t want to! They also said it would take 6 weeks.

Wow. I've also heard that some tradespeople deliberately overcharge if they don't want to take on the job, or if they feel the owners will be difficult.

6 weeks seems ridiculous - were they only planning on working a few hours a day?

Agree @Smallgoon it seemed pretty crazy! Luckily (in a way) lockdown then happened so we couldn’t do any work and we can’t really be without our only bathroom either ... so will get some new and hopefully more reasonable quotes in the future.

Totally overpriced..get loads more quotes.. expect to pay a fee to get the rsj signed off maybe with building control ??..but that's not hundreds.!!..my aunt paid about 3 k for total new bathroom excl moving a wall...she did source all fittings herself so saved there also.

Does that include the bath/shower etc or just the fitting?

If it includes the actual fixtures and they're mid range, I don't think it's a bad price.

Nope, it is literally just the Labour!!

I’ll paste in the quote

For the bathroom the job will have the following sequence:

Cover with protective foil landing, stairs, bedroom.

Remove toilet,sink bath and tiles

Prepare the wall between bathroom and bedroom with supporting acrow props

Cutting for a RSJ beam
Fit the RSJ beam

Remove the cupboard from the bathroom wall
Close the opening and relocate the pipes.

New partition wall between bathroom and bedroom
Remove the floor boards
Reinforcing the wood joists

First fix plumbing for toilet,sink,radiator,bath and shower.
Fit a pump for more presure

Refit 18mm plywood and 6mm cement board(floor) Plaster the ceiling
New spot lights
Extractor fan

Built a raised platform for the bath with the led lights ( front step)
Tile the floor
Fit the bath

Fit the shower tray and build some niche for storage (led lights inside)
Tile the walls
Paint the ceiling
Second fix plumbing for toilet,sink,radiator and shower screen.

My price is labour only no materials and no rubble removal.

£12800

I don’t want to bin off a very competent tradesman but I’m so unwilling to pay this much

In general I’d say it’s a ridiculous price

My bathroom was 7.5k but that included everything. I think labour was around 4.5k. This also included moving a wall/building a cupboard, fitting new door etc. No floor work though, not an expert but imagine that might be pricey..?

We were charged almost 7k through wickes and that was with a 15% discount on fitting. I thought that was madness given it was a tiny bathroom and nothing complicated except for a wall hanging vanity which required extra structural support. The fitter was beyond useless though. Took almost 2 months and we had to get someone else in to fix leaks.

Wow, if that's the cost, just for labour, I'm afraid you're being had. Get more quotes

I would be getting my diy clothes on and doing all the prep myself. It's really not hard to rip a bathroom out and do loads of the other stuff on there.

Ok, I will start looking for somebody new