Cheapest way to get a new bathroom

[zdjptee]

Any tips for getting a cheap bathroom and where from - we live in london? Moved into a new place and although we priced in a new bathroom but discovered new problems that need fixing. The bathroom still needs doing but we now have a lot less cash. I've never put a new bathroom before or have any idea where to get them but we live in London so everything is very expensive. So if you had a new bathroom recently how much was it? What are your best tips what to save money on? And where to source everything from? Total novice here.

I found a lot of mine on Facebook. Also, Google lens us your friend for searching for the cheapest retailers.

Lastly, don't forget to try cashback sites and use a cashback card when buying. I got £1k back when renovating our kitchen last year.

Depends where you are in London :) Where we used to live, unused bathroom stuff used to come up all the time on local Facebook groups (though we did border onto a la-di-dah area).

Ooh what is a cash back card? Haven't thought about Facebook, great idea, will have a look.

Save on fittings. Do not skimp on plumbing work, that will come back to bite you.

We are in London and had our small bathroom completely redone in 2018 and it was £6.5k.

Also how urgent is it? If it is ugly but functioning can you want a bit longer and save more?

We lived with our very ugly 1980s bathroom for three years until a few disasters (leak from upstairs, failed seals, blocked waste pipe that required the plumber to pullg out some built in cupboards to locate and fix) forced our hand.

We got the big ticket items (bath, sink, cupboards) from a plumbers merchant on our plumbers trade account.

Tiles from wallsandfloors.com

It is possible to spend £££££ on bathrooms. We went with basic plain white, solid sanitaryware. Not exciting but it does the job.

@zdjptee I use Chase, they give cashback on purchases, not sure who else does.

I'd leave it until you have more funds. It's a mistake to skimp on a bathroom. You don't need ridiculous luxury stuff but you do need reasonably high end fixtures and good quality fittings AND (very importantly) a bathroom fitter who knows what theyare doing.

Do it right and you won't need another bathroom for many many years.

I've had so many friends get bitten by a cheap bathroom. They don't last. My neighbours kitchen ceiling came in due to a slow leak in the bathroom. That was from a 10yo bathroom. Mines lasted more than double that before needing replacing. Ive got at least 2 more friends have had to rip out a 10 yo bathroom that hasn't lasted because they did it on the cheap.

There's so much badly made bathroom stuff. You really need to get advice from a sensible professional as to where you can skimp.

My recent experience is that a bathroom is at least as complicated as fitting a kitchen.

If you can get to Dartford, check out Able Skills. They are excellent and do basic courses in tiling, plumbing, and plastering. It will be well worth some of your budget to learn these skills and you'll save yourself more than the cost of the courses by being able to do it yourself.

A cheap(er) kitchen and / or bathroom can be made to look fabulous when installed correctly.

I would also say that in my experience, there is little to choose between expensive and cheap tiles, however there is a big difference between spending a little more on taps and showers than buying the cheapest. Also, I would go for a wall hung toilet as you won't have to tile around the pan, and it makes it easier to mop underneath. For me, it was helpful as I could hang the pan a little higher on the wall which makes life easier as I have a bad back.

Keep everything where it is, so just replacements. No concealed shower or taps - normal ones are much cheaper to buy and fit.

ebay/gumtree etc for second hand/display.

The cheapest tiles are plain white or try Lino for floors, easy ish to DIY Lino.

Wickes and B&Q are good for cheap tiles. Demo the existing bathroom yourself - hire a skip or take to the dump. That saves a days Labour costs.

Try tiling yourself- that’s my plan along with any boxing in, skirting, minor fixtures and fittings, painting etc. I’ll get a plumber to fit the bathroom (and move pipe work) as it’s not worth the risk of a leak. Skimp on baths and loos but not taps etc - anything you touch. Good brands have lower cost ranges which are great value. Instead of a vanity unit I’ve previously converted small cupboards by adding a countertop basin and tap.

Our en-suite cost about £8k in labour a year ago. I’m hoping to half that in the next bathroom.

I've recently done an en suite and a bathroom in my bungalow.
The en suite stuff all came from Drench while the main bathroom stuff all came through a bathroom company and, I have to say, unless you're going for something very specific (I had a custom bath for access reasons - very expensive it very worth it to me) there seems not much difference in quality. The loo in the main bathroom leaked and went through 2 lots of panels and the manufacturer played it down until I argued it was likely to be their pan (the bathroom business decided to go bust, leaving me to deal direct with manufacturers - bastards! ) so they capitulated and sent a new one. Apart from that, I don't think it's worth skimping on a bathroom but I would go to Wickes and if you time it right you can get either free fitting or a discount on the goods. The real way to save is not try and move the existing plumbing as that can be costly, especially if you move the toilet. The other way, of course, is if you're competent and experienced DIYers, find a local supply warehouse and get an ex display set and fit it yourself