Bathroom price why is it so much?

BlingersMcBling · 2024-10-07T18:14:58+00:00

I've had a quote for a tiny bathroom in my tiny 2 bed house for 7250. This includes ripping out old bathroom, replacing suite, removing tiles and replacing with panels, new floor, new radiator, taps, everything. Said will take 6-7 days. Is this the going rate these days? I'm in nw. Just seems a lot more than I was hoping. I can get a decent bathroom suite from b and q for less than a grand with taps and bath panels included. The wall panels, adhesive, pipes etc surely wouldnt come to more than a grand. So that means the fitter is charging around 750 a day labour minimum by my calculations. How can that be right? And it will obviously be a lot cheaper for them to get the suite, panels etc. Thanks

SonicTheHodgeheg · 07/10/2024 19:15

Get an independent fitter and do as much of the removal of tiles etc yourself to save money.

Diversion · 07/10/2024 19:20

Depends on the type of wall panels, the wooden backed ones are more expensive. Get a few more quotes, but remember that it costs the same amount to fit an expensive bathroom suite as it does a cheap one. Also dont buy cheap taps.

HumanbyDesign · 07/10/2024 19:21

Yep bathroom fitting costs are madness. Our old place was a two bed and we would've quite liked to replace the bathroom when we moved in but our next door but one neighbour was a fitter and quoted "about 8k" 😮

Needless to say we made do as it was 😂

As pp suggested, do as much as you can yourselves? We replaced our sink ourselves with no issues, and repanelled the shower easily enough. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Neveragain35 · 07/10/2024 19:22

I would get a few quotes. Are they providing all the materials as sometimes it’s cheaper to buy your own tiles etc.

MyOtherCarisAVauxhallZafira · 07/10/2024 19:24

Ours isn't big, bath with shower over the top, cost just shy of 10k 3 years ago. We did go for Burlington toilet/bath/sink and could've got cheaper options, and we had underfloor heating (electric not wet) but that was someone we know and less than he would charge elsewhere

silentwallflower · 07/10/2024 20:42

Find a decent plumber and do it bit by bit. So you start by replacing the toliet, then the sink and lastly the bath/shower and any wall units.

We had a horrible old bathroom and replaced it this way over 6 months. we used the same guy and drip fed the jobs, given us time to absorb the job with salaries. Once the bath was done, we just did the tiling and flooring ourselves, taking time and Youtube, seriously we have no experience AT ALL and you would think our entire bathroom was tiled by a pro. Seriously don't do panels, stick with tiles, they look way more classier and will appeal to more buyers when you sell your 'tiny 2 bed' as panels are a bastard to take off and not everyone likes them, tiles are more acceptable to a wider amount of people, panels are cheaper and look cheap to some people.

NEVER use a firm that does everything , they'll always take the piss. Use every person you know to find a decent plumber and buy everything you need yourself online, you'll save thousands.

darkchocolatemint123 · 07/10/2024 20:51

That sounds far too expensive.
Buy/source all the stuff yourself and just get 1 plumber on it like @silentwallflower said. Shouldn't be more than about £2-3k max.

SnapdragonToadflax · 07/10/2024 20:55

Yup, we've been quoted 8-10k to rip out and replace a very small bathroom (you can stand in the middle and touch the walls on both sides of you lean a bit).

We can't do it ourselves as 1) we work full time and have a five year old, and 2) I strongly suspect there's replastering to do and maybe floorboards needing to be replaced. We're putting it off for now 😬

MistyMountainTop · 07/10/2024 20:59

Mine cost about 3k in 1992 so that sounds about right!

ImNunTheWiser · 07/10/2024 21:03

That's about right, it's approximately what I paid 18mths ago for an ensuite bathroom to be fully done.

SuperFi · 07/10/2024 21:44

Same here OP, in Yorkshire got a quote for 8k, with the cost and the disruption I think I’m just going to put up with it and just price the house accordingly when we come to sell in a couple of years.

abracadabra1980 · 07/10/2024 22:43

darkchocolatemint123 · 07/10/2024 20:51

That sounds far too expensive.
Buy/source all the stuff yourself and just get 1 plumber on it like @silentwallflower said. Shouldn't be more than about £2-3k max.

Definitely do this. It's way cheaper. I think your original quote is taking the piss. I had a new sink unit, toilet, shower panels, shower, radiator and floor tiles fitted for around £1500 by a plumber and his tiler sidekick. It was just before Covid and the increase in utilities so would probably cost more now - but I did source everything myself.

Gabitule · 07/10/2024 23:41

I paid £5,500 last year just for the labour (and aprox £8,500 in total with the bath, shower etc).
This was one of the cheapest quotes. I’m in south London. Most expensive quote was £11,000 just for labour.

work included: ripping out old bathroom units, removing wall separating bathroom and toilet, removing tiles, plastering walls, tiling, decorating and fully fitting 4 piece bathroom suite. Bathroom is medium size, can fit a separate shower and bathtub.

people involved:
2 tilers, 2 plasterers, 1 electrician, 1 plumber and a helper. Took 2 weeks (with some time for the plaster to dry etc)

SharpLily · 07/10/2024 23:47

A decent job is quite a lot of work. It may be a bit on the steep side but it can be a case of you get what you pay for. In my husband's trade he's expensive. He charges more than the average but he can because he's very good. People are happy to put up with his long waiting times and high prices because they know what standard of work they'll get. Without knowing anything about your tradesman or the quality of the items you have chosen it's hard to say if the quote is exessive or not.

Apolitia · 07/10/2024 23:50

@BlingersMcBling that is in no way a reasonable quote for a sole trader doing all the work alone. It’s getting on for £200k gross income per annum 😂 The Prime Minister earns less than that. Yes yes materials and overheads but it is still ludicrous.

Does your council have a trusted trader scheme? Every single tradesperson I’ve had from ours has been top notch - reliable, courteous and fairly priced.

ShyMaryEllen · 07/10/2024 23:52

We just got ours done and it was £17k. Medium sized bathroom. They knocked down a stud wall to incorporate the separate loo, but there were no other structural changes. It took a team of tradies two weeks, so that's a lot of labour charge, although they weren't all there all the time, and then there's the cost of the tiles, the flooring, electrics and bathroom fittings, the design, ordering of the items, insurance and so on.

It was more than I expected (I thought it would be about £8k), but I had a few quotes and they were all in the same ballpark. We went for a Carronite bath and similar quality sink/loo/shower and decent taps, but even allowing for that it seemed expensive. It looks great though. We're in the North.

Apolitia · 07/10/2024 23:59

SnapdragonToadflax · 07/10/2024 20:55

Yup, we've been quoted 8-10k to rip out and replace a very small bathroom (you can stand in the middle and touch the walls on both sides of you lean a bit).

We can't do it ourselves as 1) we work full time and have a five year old, and 2) I strongly suspect there's replastering to do and maybe floorboards needing to be replaced. We're putting it off for now 😬

Where in god’s name are you?!? That is absolutely mental prices.

Plastering m that size room would not cost more than 250 quid. Floorboards needing replaced similarly not very expensive. Fitting very straightforward unless you’re going for super complicated rebates, claw foot baths needing floor reinforcement, bespoke new plumbing for a multi-directional power shower with waist high sprays etc …

ifbyoure working full time it can seem uneconomical to do things yourself. If you’re a very high earner than I can see it wouldn’t make sense.

Angrymum22 · 08/10/2024 00:04

I think that people often overlook the overheads of skilled tradesmen.
Most plumbers are qualified gas fitters. It costs thousands to do the course and pay registration.
Insurance is required to cover accidental damage while they are in your property.
The need £££ of equipment which needs regular maintenance.
A large van to transport their tools and other stuff. If they remove rubbish they will pay a permit to dispose of it.
They pay VAT and tax.
So what appears to be an extortionate hourly may be closer to average than you think.
It’s a skilled job so why shouldn’t they be paid well.
And if you find a good plumber, maintaining a good working relationship means that when your boiler packs up a few days before Christmas they will pull out all the stops to make sure you are ok for Christmas.

Apolitia · 08/10/2024 00:21

Gas safe Cert would not be required for the majority of bathroom work surely? It’s just old fashioned plumbing with the certified person called in to do any bits that need certification. Yes to insurance and tools but neither of those justify income before expenses of £170k+ a year for labour and on-costs alone.

CabraCadabra · 08/10/2024 00:34

Apolitia · 08/10/2024 00:21

Gas safe Cert would not be required for the majority of bathroom work surely? It’s just old fashioned plumbing with the certified person called in to do any bits that need certification. Yes to insurance and tools but neither of those justify income before expenses of £170k+ a year for labour and on-costs alone.

What gas appliances do you have in the bathroom?

CabraCadabra · 08/10/2024 00:35

Apologies misread your post there@Apolitia

ShyMaryEllen · 08/10/2024 01:48

Angrymum22 · 08/10/2024 00:04

I think that people often overlook the overheads of skilled tradesmen.
Most plumbers are qualified gas fitters. It costs thousands to do the course and pay registration.
Insurance is required to cover accidental damage while they are in your property.
The need £££ of equipment which needs regular maintenance.
A large van to transport their tools and other stuff. If they remove rubbish they will pay a permit to dispose of it.
They pay VAT and tax.
So what appears to be an extortionate hourly may be closer to average than you think.
It’s a skilled job so why shouldn’t they be paid well.
And if you find a good plumber, maintaining a good working relationship means that when your boiler packs up a few days before Christmas they will pull out all the stops to make sure you are ok for Christmas.

That's how I looked at it in the end (when I got over the shock of the quotes). We had a full-service installation, and it was well worth paying a bit more to know that there was a project manager ensuring that the various tradesmen turned up when they were supposed to (and presumably he could have got another one if there had been a delay), and that everything went according to plan. One person being a few days late can throw off the whole project if person B has to wait for person A to finish before he can start, and they always have other jobs lined up, so can't hang around forever.

We had a couple of small glitches which were sorted out straight away, such as the bath not fitting because our walls aren't straight. It was about a centimetre out on one side, but the bath had to be changed - if we'd bought it ourselves we'd be stuck with it, or would have had a lot of hassle sorting out a replacement, by which time the tradesmen might have had to move to another job. We went away when it was going on, and the PM rang me at close of business every day to let me know the progress, and ask if I had any preferences where options arose. He designed the bathroom much better than I would have done, and considered things like lights in the niche by the bath, which I love, as the overhead lighting is a bit harsh, and sitting in the bath with just a couple of lights in the niche is so relaxing.

We've done things like this ourselves in the past when we were younger and had to count every penny, but it was so much easier and so much better getting it all done by professionals. And yes to insurance. Floods cost a fortune, and if they are a result of a DIY job you will have to sort it out and hope your house insurance covers it. Knowing the company has professional indemnity is reassuring.

Obviously, as with everything, much depends on budget and your own expertise, and you can absolutely save a lot by doing it yourself, but if budget allows, I would recommend a proper bathroom company over a jobbing plumber and a B&Q bathroom suite or a DIY job. Oh, and get a company with a showroom over a one-man band who can just block your number and disappear if you have complaints. A showroom lets you look at items before deciding, and also (more importantly) means that they are committed to being there and dealing with reviews and so on. Again, overheads add to the cost, but could save money in the long run if things don't go according to plan.

Meadowfinch · 08/10/2024 02:07

I recently had a bathroom tidied up, not even a complete replacement.

New, good quality bath, shower, shower pump and wash basin, plus a few minor changes to pipework and some showerboard, plus installation came to £6k.

Bathroom supplies seem to have shot up in cost in the last five years.

greenrollneck · 08/10/2024 02:44

Just buy the suite from Victorian plumbing or shop around, there will be deals coming up soon - and hire a plumber, tiler etc. be about 1-2k maximum.

Tristar15 · 08/10/2024 03:41

I think that sounds average. Friend paid 10K to have a new downstairs shower and loo installed and another paid 12K for their new bathroom.