Should I trust plumber to supply everything for bathroom renovation?

[Mydoghealsmyheart]

I’m trying to get bathroom refit quotes and one plumber has given the total cost for everything (electrics, plumbing, tiling, shower, vanity unit, etc). I asked for details of what he’s intending to fit, eg specific shower/basin/enclosure/taps etc and he’s listed everything from a brochure which he gave us. It is a bit like Howdens in that there’s no prices given for individual items and I’m now thinking should I purchase everything myself and then get someone to fit it?

Tell him that you’d like to see a breakdown of the prices so you can see if your choices are sensible.

Hell no. Pick your own, he will go for the cheapest option to make the most profit. He doesn't care about what it looks like - a toilet is a toilet right? Um no. Please don't leave it to him - you are paying for it, it's your bathroom, you decide.

Have you seen any other work he has done? Did he supply references?

DPs cousin is a plumber who does bathrooms and he does everything in house

We are doing a full Reno so had electricians, plasters, tiles etc on site but no he uses his because he wants that wall perfectly smooth, the tiling perfectly done, the electrics done on his schedule etc. He has his team and they do things to the level and standard he requires. So I wouldn’t assume it’s going to be cheap or a bad job. It could be completely the opposite.

I agree with PP, it's probably a good thing so he knows its quality and going to be functional. No harm in getting him to show you the items first though so you can confirm you're happy with them (also realise doing so will probably incur a cost as it will take him extra time to do it). Has he got good recommendations?

My tried and trusted plumber for many years works this way.

Points you to local plumbers merchants which also has a good size showroom attached.

you choose what you want, as well as items on display they can get pretty much everything in well known quality brands such as Roca, Ideal Standard, Grohe etc.

tell bloke behind counter Dave the plumber is doing the fit. Bloke produces comprehensive list of everything you need including connections, plugs, overflow the lot. This includes all prices. he keeps list behind the counter and gives you a copy.

Dave the plumber checks it when he next calls in to make sure everything is on it and adds any extra bits of copper piping, plastic bits or fans he might need.

Everyone happy? Customer pays merchant direct. Dave collects all kit and fits, customer pays Dave for labour.

Ps Dave doesn’t do tiling, he says it’s trade on its own and recommends Peter whose atone served tiler. Peter will measure up and tell you how many tiles you need. You get your tiles and Peter will fit using his own adhesive and grout that he knows is quality. You pay Peter for his labour and adhesive/grout.

The company we used for our bathroom refurb chose everything for us, according to a brief plan/list of preferences we gave the Plumbing Manager. There were no prices in the brochure but a full breakdown in the quote. He was quite honest about the fact we could have got some items cheaper but project managing a bathroom refurb just isn’t my thing, so I was happy to go with what he suggested. The fitter was amazing and any problems like a wobbly shower base were sorted by them, rather than us having to send back and replace.

Thanks for the replies. I’ve just got this niggling doubt that the absence of itemised prices is wrong when we’re paying so much for the bathroom. But like others, I would appreciate someone else being responsible for choosing the right parts, sizes etc. Would a plumber accept a job where the customer says they want to choose and buy the parts themselves?

Make sure you see at least photographs of the fittings. I didn't and the plumber fitted the cheapest he could find. I am unsteady on my feet and the shower had cube shaped controls at hip level. I was covered in bruises from the sharp corners. My walk in shower base was like walking on lego which played hell with my arthritic feet. He said it was like that in order to be non-slip. Thankfully it was faulty so he had to change it and I have a much better one now. I have recently had a new shower installed and chose it myself so no more bruises.

Has he gone ahead and chosen the sink/shower/taps etc?!

I would want to go to a showroom and select these things myself in my price range and to my taste.

I wouldn't be arsed about non cosmetic things as long as they were good quality such as screws/piping etc

Would a plumber accept a job where the customer says they want to choose and buy the parts themselves?

Yes, I believe most do, from the research we did before choosing this company. In fact, the Plumbing Manager seemed a little surprised we didn’t mind him choosing according to our rough spec. We had to buy the tiles, but he told us what type would be more expensive labour-wise. Flooring, shower paneling etc he showed us a range to choose from and luckily they could source what we needed. I know we could have got it all cheaper, especially the bath, but as the first bath arrived cracked I’m really glad it was their problem to replace and not ours!

I’m definitely leaning towards choosing and buying ourselves. We’ve been quoted £11 k for the bathroom, including everything apart from tiles and flooring. It’s a tiny, tiny bathroom and everything, plumbing wise, is staying where it is.

I can't believe anyone would let their plumber choose the sanitary ware, taps, shower valve etc without having any input themselves!

All bathroom (or whatever) components are not created equal and there's no way I'd let my tradesperson - however good they were at their job - make those decisions for me.

We've always chosen our own fixtures before having our plumber fit the room out, although we do the plastering, tiling and decorating ourselves.

We tend to shop around for the items we want although I don't deny it helps that we know the difference between cheap Chinese stuff and the decent brands...not everyone will have this knowledge at their fingertips admittedly.

At a previous house we purchased fairly high end bathroom stuff (Hansgrohe Axor Montreux, Villeroy & Boch, Duravit and Dornbracht) for our ensuite and cloakroom and our plumber complained about 'crap German bits' and that he couldn't understand the - English - instructions 🙄 Suffice to say we used a different guy for the other two bathrooms!

can't believe anyone would let their plumber choose the sanitary ware, taps, shower valve etc without having any input themselves!

Well, my bathroom is now lovely, best room in the house
The fitter and apprentice commented on the quality of the fittings. I mean, I didn’t just say “I’ll have a tap….and a vanity unit, ah and a bath….” and didn’t look at the links he sent me. This is a large, well established local company who do gas, electrics, everything. They suggested a few tweaks we hadn’t thought of and they were right (incurring more work for them, which they didn’t charge us for). We’ve used them for years for various things and trusted their judgement. One visit to a bathroom showroom convinced me that schlepping round choosing fittings just isn’t my idea of fun.
We’re using the same fitter for a new kitchen. I’ll probably choose the stuff for that myself, tbf.

what do I look for when choosing all the items? How can I know they’re of decent quality?

Get your plumber to recommend a plumbing store then go there and chose, and pay.
I assumed everyone wanted to design their own bathroom!
You can just let plumbing store know what you want or your budget- it's shopping just like everything else!
The plumbing store will know what extras you need, pipes, wastes etc.
Have your plumber/ fitter check your list in case there's anything you missed.

If you buy ‘sanitary ware’ & there’s a problem later on the plumber will not be responsible.
if the tradesman buys & fits it & there’s a problem….it’s up to him to sort out.
A reliable tradesman will pick items he knows he won’t have bother with at a later date!

If I was getting a bathroom fitted I would want to go to a showroom, see everything in person and select from a range of options available.

I wouldn't want to have items fitted that I'd only ever seen in a catalogue, nor would I want a plumber to select these items with no input from me. It's not the plumber that's going to be using the bathroom and living with it daily.

Whatever else I think it's safe to assume that your plumber would be making a profit on the fixtures and fittings you choose. Howdens etc. operate like that which is why builders and kitchen fitters like to use them.

We're starting to have our en-suite redone this week where the fixtures, fittings, tiles and flooring were all chosen by the plumber when the previous owner was unwell. It was only fitted 4 years ago and style wise it's a dogs dinner of the cheapest possible options, the flooring is coming up and the vanity unit's laminate is peeling away. I just wouldn't if I was you and that's before you get to the £11k quote which seems ridiculous.

As an example including fixtures, fitting and tiling for our small bathroom it cost £6k and our en-suite is costing £4.5k.

When we had our bathroom completely redone we bought the tiles and the non bath fittings (mirror, towel rail, light, toilet roll holder etc..) separately.

We got the sanitaryware (bath, sink, under and over sink storage, shower screen etc..) on our plumber's account from a mercahnt. Basically he gave us an intro, we went to the warehouse and chose the things we wanted (using his measurements and recommendations based on our conversations) and then it was all totted up on an itemised bill and charged to his account.

My BIL had an issue with his toilet and let the plumber choose a replacement. It's square! It looks horrible as you come into the room, it's difficult to clean and uncomfortable to sit on. Choose your own sanity ware and taps as a minimum.

The plumber will get the fittings at a trade price and then probably add a mark up which is included in the price you pay. Or they may not add a mark up and thereby charge you a more competitive price than anyone else.

That’s why there aren’t any prices in the brochure.