New Bathroom question.....

[Awayanyday]

Hi....

So, this is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string question' but was wondering if I could gauge some ideas.

There's a chain free property I'm looking at this coming week- needs a new bathroom. I've avoided properties that need to new bathrooms, firstly due to finances but also stress...but im getting more desperate...

OK so the property was built probably in the 1980s. Against all advise, for various reasons, i will have to go with the big brands ie Wickes etc (I am aware I will pay above the odds and have read problems some peopel have with these companiesb etc). From research bathrooms are sitting at 10-12k Midlands based (not a massive bathroom and will keep things as simple as possible.

I've read people generally allow for an extra 10-15% money wise if things go wrong, ive read about mold, pipes etc etc. I wouldn't be able to allow for this (again I know I will pay over the odds with the big companies). So wondering if realistically I could afford it.

My question is for people that have done bathroom refits 'how likely' is it for unforeseen (and costly) circumstances to occur. I'm useless and the other side of the country so at the mercy of a profession to help. I'm beginning to think a new bathroom on a shoe string budget could be high risk and maybe should keep looking?

Do people have experience of the 'unexpected' when doing up bathrooms and the extra costs involves?

Also it looks like the whole thing will need ripping out. May not need to move piping around as 'new things' can go where the old bits were if that makes any sense.

Thanks for input / others experiences.

We spent 10k on ours, old house so things we weren't expecting like the floor begging to be replaced, but we weren't focusing on budget, so the times we choose were quite expensive, the bath, shower, screen, sink, toilet were all Burlington including a roll top bath, and we had underfloor heating installed. That's London commuter belt

OK that's helpful thanks.

Hopefully if I source around then I could do it for under 10k!

I definitely think you could. Try and get recommendations from colleagues/neighbours etc , we had a guy in who did everything, got in his own plasterer, electrician etc, but did the rest himself. We ordered the suite online

Find someone locally who specialises in refitting bathrooms. Try the local Facebook group for a recommendation if you can't get a personal recommendation (this is how I found the person that I most recently used.) That person will do the bulk of the work, and will arrange and get in specialist trades as needed (i.e. an electrician to do any new wiring). They'll probably have a relationship with a local supplier and may even be able to get you a discount- the person I used got me a 20% discount from a local plumbing merchant.

That's exactly what I need someone who will help with with it all....do you mind me asking what sort of tradesman he was? Was it a bathroom fitters or plumber etc? Thank you

Thank you.
I'm feeling a bit more hopeful that this situation is do-able now.

Have you tried Houzz? They have several design & build companies who would do the design for free if you hire them.

It’s definitely nowhere near 10-12k in the midlands for a new bathroom. A mid spec bathroom from wicks with tiles and labour is likely to come to around 6ish.
Additional problems like damp or whatever will be more.

I know him through a friend, he was a plumber when he was young, then for years he was a tiler, now a bathroom fitter, although can turn his hand to kitchens, the plumbing for a bathroom isn't complicated (my brother is a plumber and says as much), he's been fitting bathrooms for about ten years

Oh phew! OK great news! Thank you

Thanks. I haven't heard of them. I will have a look now.

Does that mean going to a bathroom fitters or plumber? I just need someone who can do it all for me and source other people.

As I said upthread, we did an entire house renovation. I can only go on that experience, and the trades we had. I don't think there is a set list of what say a plumber only does- might be wrong, but clearly depends on experience they have.

I assumed our plumber would install the shower screens, sinks, bathroom cabinets and other bathroom related things, but he wouldn't! He did the pipework and essentials only!

We had a fantastic carpenter, who clearly had years of experience and he installed the bathroom cabinets/shower screens etc. If you want someone to oversee and direct all the trades, I would have thought this is a project manager! A bathroom fitter might do this for you though, but I'd check very carefully, what exactly they will do, fees for essentially project managing the project and getting various trades in.

In-laws downsized and employed a bathroom fitter. I'm sure he wasn't the norm! He directed the tiler to come in, even though the plumber hadn't completed the pipework. The tiles needed to be broken off and re-done once the pipework was completed. Knowing which order things need to go in is extremely important!

Do you know anyone in the new area OP to ask for recommendations?

Thank you.

I don't know a sole in the area I'm moving to unfortunately.

I will have to do more research online.

We had a complete bathroom refit (gutting the room, removal of bath and installation of shower, new tiles, painting, window, new heated towel rack etc and it was about 6=7K and this was in London in 2023. We lucked out with a brilliant builder whom we found via recommendation on our local FB page and several interviews with several companies before we committed to that particular one, so my basic advice would be to take plenty of time on it.

Other side from you. He is between Birmingham and Worcester.

Re Trades, we used a plumber, but as others have said, people have skills from different trades.

We are renovating an Edwardian house at the moment and just about to start on the bathrooms. The bathroom we have is tiny so we are changing that into a shower room and making the room next door a bigger bathroom with freestanding bath. Labour is working out at 7k for both bathrooms and that's including two new windows, moving fixtures and new installation of pipes, underfloor heating, tiling, painting and fittings for a bathroom TV. We're buying the bath/shower/toilets etc separately and we are looking at around 3-4k for that. So 10-12k for two bathrooms, give or take.

Thank you. Your advise is very helpful

OK, this is helpful info, thank you