Shower replacement with tiling price - advise me

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

I need a new shower - the whole thing, new tiles, surround etc.

I'm in the SE fairly near London so pricey neck of the woods trades wise.

I have three quotes, two of which I am considering as I liked their previous work on insta more than the third.

The cheaper of the two I am less keen on because while the work pics he's done look good overall I have noticed some little niggles which would bother me in my bathroom - corners with incomplete grout, not quite perfect edges. I do want a decent finish that will stand the test of time.
This guy works with an employee's and the two of them do everything - plumbing, tiling and anything else needed. He reckons the whole thing - ripping out old shower, old tiles, old surround, probably making wall behind good, building in two shelf nooks, retiling and fitting new shower and surround will take just two days and has estimated £1060 on this basis.
I am worried that either he has underestimated the time, or will rush it. So it may end up costing more or not being finished properly.

The other guy subcontracts to a specialist tiler. He has quoted £900 for his labour exc. materials and the tiler has quoted £718 inc. materials. Time estimate is 4-5 days.

I will be buying the shower, tray, surround and tiles, and disposing of the old stuff they remove.

My feeling is to go for the second one, because I didn't find any issues with the finishes on his previous works pics and it seems a more realistic time estimate. The tiling price seems quite high though - it's two walls, large 300x600 tiles, two built into the wall nooks, total area will be 5.3m2. Is £718 high for this?

Any advice overall?

We did the exact same project in 2018. It can't be done in two days. The old shower has to be demolished, rubbish removed, new plumbing hardware installed (mix valve, shower head, etc. which I noticed you didn't count in the cost. Setting the tiles is time consuming, then more time for the grout to cure. The second quote is more realistic.

Are you installing a new glass shower door? That's an additional cost as well. While waiting for the to complete we just put up a rod and shower curtain.

Thanks Miss I know that the aesthetics will be extra - I have accounted for this. I will be buying the new complete thermostatic shower, glass surrounding unit, shower tray and tiles.

That's really useful to know that the second is realistic and helps me to gulp at the price but go with my instinct. I really don't want a false economy of getting a less good rushed job that might not last. I'd like this shower to last for a long time!

Our project, all in with materials and labor, was about $10k, so I think you're getting a screaming deal, even with the second quote. This was in New York.

Just tiling out the shampoo nooks took a couple of hours. It's very fussy work.

Crikey, I'm guessing your fittings were somewhat (a lot) more premium than mine will be 😂
Yes - it's a good point that the nooks will be tricky and probably push the tiling price up.

South East. I asked local Handy Man / Plumber to quote on (7 x 8ft bathroom) removing tiles from 1.5 walls, plaster make good, retile 1.5 walls, replace sink, toilet and radiator in like for like positions so no tricky pipework. I was quoted £4,280 just for labour. I politely declined! I reckon 6 days work tops. And, yes he did want the job as he kept asking about it.

OP I'd have been extremely happy with your quotes, albeit the second is more realistic and I'd prefer a specialist tiler.

Just looked it up. We paid 1300 in a cheaper part of the country, no tiling as we put in shower board, but including all materials.
I think your first quote is rather optimistic.

@BewareTheBeardedDragon

Crikey, I'm guessing your fittings were somewhat (a lot) more premium than mine will be 😂 Yes - it's a good point that the nooks will be tricky and probably push the tiling price up.

Ours were Kohler, brushed nickel and about $1400 for the set - mixing valve, control, shower head, metal flex hose, hanger piece, etc. Kohler is the top of the top in American made plumbing fixtures and comes with a lifetime warranty.

I found some pictures. The rectangular tiles are called subway tiles here, as they're used in the NYC tube system. We had a hard time finding a blue decorative tile for the shampoo nooks that matched the blue paint in the bathroom, but these came pretty close.

The first picture was taken when the door frame was in but not the door. The workers dropped it when they were installing it, so we had to wait while they obtained a replacement. That's why you see a shower curtain in the first picture.

Very nice Miss!

Ok - you've all made me feel much better about doing this. I really do need a new shower, the old one you can't change the temperature and it's stuck on too hot, and the glass door has slipped on its hinges so one day will break when opening or closing amongst other issues.

It's time for an upgrade, Beware

I'm so glad we did ours. It was a lot of money, but every time I get in it I feel like I'm in a posh hotel. We used a woman contractor who was just lovely to work with. She wasn't the cheapest bid we got but she did a fab job and you get what you pay for.