How Much Does a New Bathroom Cost in the UK?

A new bathroom is one of the most popular home improvements in the UK, and one of the most misquoted. The range between a basic refit and a high-end renovation is enormous, so getting a clear picture of what things actually cost before you start talking to fitters is worth its weight in gold.

Quick cost summary

A full bathroom renovation for a standard family bathroom (roughly 5 to 8m2) costs between £4,500 and £12,000, with most people paying around £7,000. That covers strip-out, a new suite (bath or shower, toilet, basin), all plumbing, tiling, and making good.

If you just want to swap the suite without touching the tiling or layout, you can do it for £750 to £2,000 on the plumbing side alone.

Budget, mid-range, and high-end

These figures assume you are keeping the bathroom in the same location and not moving any waste pipes. If you are converting a bedroom into a bathroom, or moving the toilet to a different wall, add £1,000 to £3,000 for the extra plumbing and building work.

Labour vs materials split

On a mid-range bathroom renovation, the split is roughly 50/50 between labour and materials. Here is how it breaks down:

• Labour (plumber, tiler, electrician): £2,500 to £4,000
• Suite (bath/shower, toilet, basin, taps): £500 to £2,000
• Tiles (walls and floor): £300 to £1,000
• Other materials (adhesive, grout, silicone, waste fittings): £200 to £400
• Extras (towel rail, extractor fan, mirror): £150 to £500

Labour is the bigger chunk on a budget bathroom because even cheap fittings take the same time to install. On a high-end bathroom, materials take a larger share because you are paying for premium fixtures.

Suite swap vs full renovation

Not every bathroom needs a full rip-out. If the walls and flooring are in decent condition, swapping the suite is much cheaper and faster.

A suite swap (new bath, toilet, and basin installed in the same positions) costs £750 to £2,000 for labour, plus the cost of your new suite. You can have it done in 2 to 3 days and avoid the mess of removing tiles.

A full renovation means stripping everything back to the walls, replastering, retiling, new flooring, new suite, possibly new layout. That is the £4,500 to £12,000 territory and takes 1 to 2 weeks.

The middle ground is replacing the suite and just retiling the shower area. This runs £2,000 to £4,000 and takes 3 to 5 days.

Cost of individual items

For a full breakdown of every bathroom job and regional pricing, see our bathroom fitter cost guide.

Common cost surprises

Every bathroom fitter will tell you that jobs rarely go exactly to plan. Here are the things that most commonly push the final bill above the original quote:

• Rotten floorboards. Water damage around the toilet and bath is extremely common in older houses. Replacing damaged boards and joists adds £200 to £600.
• Hidden plumbing issues. Old lead or iron pipework often needs replacing once exposed. Budget £150 to £400 for unexpected pipe replacements.
• Walls not being flat. Old plaster, uneven brickwork, or walls out of square mean the tiler needs to board out the walls first. That adds a day of work and £200 to £400 in materials.
• Asbestos. If your house was built before the 1990s, old tiles, adhesive, or textured coatings could contain asbestos. Professional removal costs £300 to £800 depending on the area and material.
• Electrical work. If your bathroom has no extractor fan, or the existing wiring is not up to current regulations, you will need a qualified electrician to add circuits. This can add £200 to £500.

The smart move is to set aside a 10 to 15% contingency on top of the quoted price. On a £7,000 bathroom, that means keeping £700 to £1,000 in reserve.

How long does it take?

A full bathroom renovation takes 5 to 10 working days for a standard family bathroom. The typical sequence is:

• Day 1: Strip-out. Old suite, tiles, and flooring removed.
• Days 2-3: First fix plumbing and electrics. Pipes repositioned, walls boarded if needed.
• Days 3-5: Tiling walls and floor.
• Days 5-7: Second fix. Suite installed, connected, and tested.
• Days 7-8: Finishing. Silicone sealing, accessories fitted, final clean.

If there is plastering involved, add a day for the plaster and ideally a day for it to dry before tiling. Many fitters will work on other jobs during the drying day.

How to save money

• Buy the suite yourself. Bathroom suites from online retailers like Victorian Plumbing, Better Bathrooms, or even Screwfix are 20 to 40% cheaper than high-street showrooms. Just make sure your fitter is happy to install customer-supplied products.
• Keep the existing layout. Moving the toilet to a different wall means moving the soil pipe, which is expensive. Keep everything where it is and the plumbing cost drops significantly.
• Tile only the wet areas. Full floor-to-ceiling tiling looks great but costs a lot. Tiling just the shower area and behind the basin, then painting the rest, saves £300 to £600 on tiles and labour.
• Consider a bath with shower overhead. This avoids the need for a separate shower enclosure, saving space and money (£500 to £1,000 less than having both).
• Use a single fitter who does everything. Many bathroom fitters handle plumbing, tiling, and basic electrics. Using one person instead of coordinating three separate trades saves time and money.

For pricing in specific cities, check our Manchester bathroom fitter guide or browse plumber costs across the UK.