Along with kitchens, bathrooms are top of the list of home renovations that can transform your property and add to its value. However, they are a major job and should last you years so don’t skimp on the quality. To help you with this, we took a look at average bathroom remodel cost to see what you should factor in when setting a budget.  

Bathroom Remodel Costs: How to Set a Budget

As with any home renovation, bathroom remodel costs vary greatly, but a general range can be anywhere from £5,000 to £15,000 (plus materials) for a 3 to 6 week renovation.

One reason for this is the limited scope for homeowners to do DIY as specialist skills are required for a lot of the work. Of course, there are a lot of specialists involved in this type of project, like plumbers, electricians, tilers, etc. 

As mentioned above, the standard of the work and materials need to be good so that your bathroom can withstand daily wear and tear. Children are particularly hard on things so fixtures and fittings need to be very durable in main or kids’ bathrooms. If you’re just creating a guest bathroom or powder room that won’t get as much use then your bathroom, remodel costs will be lower. 

Other things that impact bathroom remodel costs include the size, type and quality of materials, the number of bathrooms you’re renovating and whether you’re changing the structure, use and layout. Turning a separate bathroom into an en-suite will involve knocking down walls, while creating a Jack and Jill bathroom means doubling up on sinks, vanities, etc. Also, if you’re turning another room like a bedroom into a new bathroom, you’ll need to install things like plumbing that weren’t there before. Unsurprisingly, it’ll cost you more to completely change the layout and add new features than to upgrade a tired out bathroom suite. 

How big will the bathroom be? 

Bathroom remodel costs depend a lot on the materials you choose and the area they have to cover. If you’re tiling the bathroom, you need to decide whether to do the floor, walls or both as you’ll pay per square meter, both for materials and labour costs. It takes one to five days to tile an average sized bathroom at a cost of approx. £55 to £75 per m² (plus tiles and grout). 

The size of the room will also affect your choice of sanitaryware and features. If it’s a small bathroom you’ll probably only want a shower in there. If it’s larger, you may want to add a tub, a walk-in or enlarged shower and even dual sinks and vanities, all of which adds to the bathroom remodel costs.  

What kind of fittings do you want?

Bathroom remodel costs also depend on the quality of fixtures and fittings like taps, showers, tubs, sinks, wall and floor coverings, etc. The better or more unique these are, the higher the cost. You’ll pay more for bespoke or reclaimed pieces than for an off-the-shelf suite from a major retailer. 

For example, the price of tiles varies according to the material, from vinyl, ceramic, stone, engineered wood and even concrete.

For showers, electric models are towards the cheaper end of the scale while fancy modern units with digital controls or features like jets, rainfall effect, etc. will set you back a lot more. Expect to pay anywhere from £50 to £250 and upwards, and that’s before you add the cost of the shower plate and the doors.  

Note that bathroom suites usually only include the toilet and basin. If you want a bathtub you’ll need to buy that separately. Again, the material is a big factor in the cost. You can get cheap acrylic baths for around £80 while a high end cast iron statement piece will set you back a few thousand.  

Your choice of sink and tub will also condition the type and cost of the taps. Countertop, bowl-style basins and free-standing baths require wall or unit-mounted taps, which are more expensive to buy and fit than taps that sit directly on the basin or bath. Things like mixer taps are also more expensive (but way more convenient) than separate hot and cold taps.