Small bathroom renovation cost guide

What the total is made up of

Roughly speaking, labour is the largest single share, followed by tiling and then the suite. Removal and disposal, plus the making good nobody thinks about, take a slice too. When a quotation looks unusually low, one of those items has normally been left out.

The choices that move the price most

Moving the toilet or the soil connection is the biggest single cost jump, because it changes the pipework rather than just the fittings. Full height tiling costs far more than half height. A bath with a shower over is cheaper than a separate walk-in shower enclosure.

• Keeping the layout the same saves the most money
• Half height tiling with good paint above looks deliberate, not cheap
• Mid-range taps and a good shower valve outlast bargain ones
• Underfloor heating is easier to add during the refit than after

Where not to save

Waterproofing behind tiles, the shower valve and the extractor fan are the three places where saving a small amount now creates an expensive problem later. Everything visible can be modest; the hidden work should not be.

Getting a quotation you can rely on

Photographs, the room measurements and a note of whether you want the layout kept or changed are enough to start. A visit confirms the floor build-up, the pipe runs and anything hiding behind a boxed-in corner.

For a larger family bathroom, the full size bathroom renovation cost guide sets out the three price bands used on this site.

Frequently asked questions

Bathroom RenovationsRenovations