Need Advice: Bathroom Renovation Issues – Concerns About Additional Costs and Completion

[darkmatterdiehardlog]

Hi all,

I’m in the process of having three bathrooms refurbished (cloakroom, main bathroom, and en-suite), and I’m feeling uneasy about some issues with the tradesperson. I’d appreciate any advice or guidance!

Background:
• I requested a quote for installation, which I received by email. The subject was “Bathroom quote for [address],” and the email body also referred to it as a quote, saying, “As promised, I have attached the quote.” However, the attachment itself used the term estimate (which I've only recently discovered).
• I’ve paid 75% of the total cost so far, with the final 25% due upon completion.

The Work So Far:
• Cloakroom: First and second fix are mostly done, but there’s some snagging, decorating, and minor finishing (e.g., cupboard doors, sealant, water filter).
• En-suite: First and second fix are complete, but the shower enclosure is delayed (manufacturer issue). Some grouting and sealant are poorly done and need redoing, and a cupboard is yet to be installed.
• Main Bathroom: The main plumbing has been done, and the floor tiles are laid (but not grouted). The bath hasn’t been installed, wall tiles are yet to be started, and the shower area hasn’t been tanked.

I estimate that 65-70% of the work is complete, given the time required for the second fix.

My Concerns:
• Potential Retrospective Costs
The tradesperson recently messaged me saying he would send an email outlining “additional work” and “time-consuming materials.” However, I believe everything they’re referring to was part of the original agreed scope of work. For example:
• Tileable Bath Panel: This was in the bathroom designs provided before agreeing on the work, and we discussed it verbally during the initial site visit. The product was on-site from day one, and when I reminded him about it, he said they’d install an access panel for pipework as standard.
• Shower Taps: The plumber complained repeatedly about the taps being difficult to install and said he’d charge other customers more in the future. However, I don’t believe this is my problem. Shower taps are standard for bathroom installations, and the quote should account for challenges like this.

• <strong>Vague Scope of Work</strong>

The itemized list in the “quote” is very generic, with phrases like “full bathroom refurbishment,” “all work as discussed,” and “plastering where needed.” While we had detailed verbal discussions about the work required, these weren’t fully reflected in writing, leaving room for ambiguity.

• <strong>Overpayment vs. Work Done</strong>

While I think the work done so far aligns with the payments I’ve made, I’m nervous they’ll try to increase the cost retrospectively for things that were already discussed or within the scope of a “complete bathroom refurbishment.”

•	<strong>Snagging and Quality Issues</strong>:

There’s poor grouting and sealant work in one bathroom, and I’m concerned about the standard of finish overall.

My Current Thinking:
I want to avoid unnecessary hassle, so I will pay up to £500 extra to complete the job. However, if the tradesperson wants more than this, I plan to tell them I cannot go higher and if they fail to finish the work for the agreed price, I’ll ask them to stop work whilst I look for another tradesperson to complete the job. Depending on the balance of the cost to complete the work, I’d either pay them the difference for the work done or seek a refund (even though I am unlikely to get one).

My Questions:
1. Can they legally try to increase the price now, even though all communication refers to it as a quote? I have WhatsApp messages and emails that can prove this.
2. Am I within my rights to withhold the final 25% payment until the work is complete, and all snagging issues are resolved?
3. If they propose a significantly increased price, can I ask them to leave without paying the remaining balance and get someone else to finish the work?
4. Does their complaint about the shower taps or bath panel hold any weight, given that these were part of the original plans and discussions?

I’ve been paying in cash, which they requested, and I’m now feeling anxious about how this situation could escalate. I’m waiting for their email outlining the “additional costs” to decide how to proceed, but I wanted to see if anyone has been in a similar situation or has advice on my rights.

Thanks in advance!

Anything not in writing has the potential to be an extra charge.
The access panel to the bath for example, whilst standard if it wasn’t specifically in the scope of works would be regarded as an extra.

‘ Plastering where needed’ in the quote means the builder can decide where it’s needed and will have quoted based on what he thinks. If you haven’t asked for all walls and ceilings to be plastered then anything you ask for now that hasn’t been plastered will be an extra.

‘All work as discussed’ again is far too vague. It should be all work as the scope of works, specification and drawings. The builder can say you discussed something when you didn’t.

In terms of payment
Another tradesman will quote above and beyond to finish the job
The current tradesmen can take away fittings etc to cover the cost of his work if you don’t pay up.

You can withhold money until the current job is complete but if the builder charges more for work not specifically in the original spec and drawings then this is legitimately additional work which you need to pay for.

I would suggest you try to put a time limit on getting the snagging issues sorted as builders have a tendency to start another job ( where the big money is ) and just fit your smaller issues in wheneve4 they’ve got a spare afternoon.

I would never pay in cash. Ask for receipts for everything.

Forgot
answers to questions

1. They gave you an estimate. Not a fixed fee. Yes it can change.
2. Yes of course as long as the payment plan was agreed in writing.
3. You are within your rights to pay another builder for the ‘extras’ or if you are not happy with the level of finish. However, this is a very grey area and I would try to make an agreement with the builder as they are well within their rights to sue if in their opinion you have not paid the amount they deem owing. They can also take away whatever they like in terms of fittings to cover their costs not met by you. Then you have to do the suing. It’s best to discuss it.
4. Shower taps, no. That’s on them as they are the professionals. Bath panel no but if the access panel wasn’t originally specified that’s an extra.

Thanks for your reply.

How can this be considered an estimate if all correspondence refers to it as a quote?
• I specifically requested a quote, and the original email’s subject and body explicitly call it a quote. Even the tradesperson referred to it as a quote in a recent message where they mentioned sending an email about “additional work.” The only instance of the term “estimate” appears in the PDF attachment, which I noticed much later. This inconsistency feels misleading.

The payment plan was agreed upon via email and outlines specific quarterly payments, with the final quarter due upon completion.

The issue I’m facing now is that the tradesperson has not been on-site for a couple of days because they’ve been working on other jobs. They offered to come this weekend to install the bath panel, but I declined because we were unavailable. They told me they’ll come the following week, which is fine by me.
• However, I’ve asked them to send me the email they mentioned about “extra work” and costs before coming back. I don’t want them on-site doing work they now consider “extra” (like installing the bath panel) until this issue is resolved.
• As for the suggestion that they could “take away fittings,” I don’t believe that’s accurate in my case. I have paid for all materials and supplied all fittings myself. Their quote covers installation only (around £19.5k).
• The bathroom suite, tiles, and other fittings were purchased from a supplier completely separate from them.
• For first-fix materials (pipework, timber, plasterboard, etc.), they purchased most of it, but I reimbursed them for all receipts promptly. I’ve paid around £1,400 so far, with about £100 remaining for recent materials. I’m happy to clear this remaining balance.
• I’m also willing to pay up to an additional £500 for what they believe constitutes “extras,” but if they demand something unreasonable (e.g., £2,000 to install an access panel—which the installer verbally agreed to include), that would be a deal-breaker for me.

Regarding scope, I’m not nitpicking things like “plastering where needed” since the walls and floors are mostly fully tiled. The ceiling is in good condition, and I don’t expect any work other than repairing holes in the walls and ceiling made from the electrical work they did like chasing for cables.

Separately, I also have concerns about how they’ve handled materials. I was happy with the installation-only arrangement and have reimbursed them for materials promptly throughout the project. However, there have been several instances that raise questions:
• The quote mentioned materials were extra, but they initially told me to budget £600 for first-fix materials. This has now ballooned to around £1,600, which I reluctantly accepted but would have influenced my decision to hire them had I known earlier.
• There’s evidence that some materials I’ve paid for may not have been used on my job. For instance, I reimbursed them for 60 meters of 15mm piping, which seems excessive. I’ve seen them take some of this piping from my house to another job.
• They once unloaded two bags of tile adhesive from their van into my house. I assumed they were making space in their van, but later, they charged me for those bags—despite the fact that I had already purchased 15 bags myself, which should have been more than sufficient.
• When I queried a discrepancy between their total materials cost and the receipts they provided, they informed me they apply a 10% markup. This markup was never mentioned in any of our agreements or prior communications. While I accepted it to avoid hassle, it’s another example of how they’ve been squeezing more money out of me. Now, with their mention of “additional work,” I feel this is happening yet again.

My plan is to wait for their email to understand the specifics of their claims. If the additional costs they propose are reasonable and within £500, I’ll agree to pay and provide them with a detailed list of outstanding work that must be completed, making it clear that no further costs will be entertained. However, if their demand exceeds £500, I’ll offer the £500 as a gesture of goodwill but will dispute the rest. At that point, I’ll ask them to pause work and give them 14 days to decide if they’re willing to proceed on these terms. If they decline, I’ll hold the remaining 25% payment to cover the costs of hiring another contractor to finish the work, paying them the difference if it costs less or seeking a refund if it costs more.

Why don't you wait until they send full quote? I just did exactly that, cloakroom, ensuite and shower room. It was always an estimate and I got a full quote which was about 10% above the original quote, I was only ok to pay that because the original quote was very reasonable and all within budget anyway. It wasn't reasonable actually for him to request that but I just gave up as I wanted all to be complete anyway.

We only had tiler and plumber, who I hired individually and project managed both, it was ok. Out of curiosity, how much did they quote? I think I paid near equal amount for cloakroom and ensuite, in total all cost me around £16k, labour and materials included, London.

Yes, I plan to wait until they send me the amended quote with additions. They've left me hanging at the moment, and I want to be prepared.

The installation cost for the 3 bathrooms was supposed to be £19.5K (I got 2 other quotes and they were all very similar).
The bathroom furniture, suite fittings, brassware etc cost around £16K. (I also had other quotes from other bathroom suppliers which was coming up more).

With tiles, materials and other stuff etc, the entire project will cost me over £40K (plus whatever they are going to add on). I had a max budget of £38K at the start.

Whilst another £2K extra costs might not seem a lot percentage-wise of the total cost, I feel like they are taking me a ride and squeezing me for what they can get.

It is dishonest using the term estimate when they keep referring to a quote but I’m afraid it’s down to you to spot that first and then question it before you take them on board.
Theyve been sneaky
Its really not unusual.

Not surprisingly they have started on other jobs and left you waiting. Don’t prolong it too much. Give them deadlines to respond re the extras or it will go on and on.
If you ever do this again suggest getting trade prices from your local trade suppliers.

As an aside I’d also say either ask for a total all inclusive price materials and workmanship or buy all the materials yourself. (are potential future projects )
We always buy the materials ourselves ( we’ve done lots of properties ourselves and are also Architects. ) as we find it less expensive and we get absolutely everything that we want with no excuses from the builders trying to fob cheaper stuff off on us.

Wow it's different scale. Ours are small but I bought reasonable quality fittings, e.g. bette ocean bath, fired earth tiles, Hans grohe shower etc. yours must be amazing!

If you are not 100% happy with quality, definitely would try to collect evidence and not overpay. I was happy with quality and it was already quite low quote so overpaying labour by 10% especially on the tiler side was ok. I found that my budget was mostly eaten up by having to buy and return stuff last minute and more tiles than needed. 16k all included was together with the overpayment.

Agree @Lemonbalm8 i was also shocked at the price but I’m guessing OPs fittings must be really something else

fired earth and Grohe, as your choices, are at the top end IMO.

Wonder if OP could tell us what their fittings are ?