New Bathroom Installation Costs
New bathroom installation costs can range from £1,500 to over £5,000. How much you end up paying all depends on the size of your bathroom, the complexity of the installation and the rates charged by the installer.
To get the best price for new bathroom installation, we highly recommend comparing quotes.
How much does a new bathroom cost to install?
No two bathroom installations will cost the same. There are simply too many variables:
- The size of the bathroom
- Types of appliances and fixtures
- Whether the plumbing and electrics need replacing
- The rates charged by the installer
- How much waste needs to be thrown away
So with that in mind, most bathroom installations cost anywhere from £1,500 up to £5,000.
Cost of materials
There can be a huge difference between the price of bathroom fixtures.
It's possible that you could get a bath, shower, basin and toilet all for under £500 (without installation). Or, you could go more high-end and splash thousands on a new bath alone. Ultimately, it all comes down to your budget and personal taste.
Take a look through our guide to How Much a New Bathroom Costs to see how much your new bathroom fixtures could cost.
Size of the bathroom
Fitting a large bathroom is a bigger job than fitting a small bathroom. And that will see the costs rise.
As well as size, the shape of the bathroom will need to be considered too. This can make the installation more complex and more expensive as a result.
Labour costs
Most bathroom installers will charge a day rate while they're fitting your new bathroom. This rate commonly falls somewhere between £150 and £250 for a sole tradesperson. Expect to pay more if your bathroom is being fitted by a team of installers.
Location
Where you live can have a bigger impact on the costs of installing a new bathroom than you might think.
If you live in an urban area then you'll be surrounded by bathroom installers. This makes it easier to compare quotes and find a competitive price. Those in rural areas don't have the same luxury.
Possibly the most expensive place to have a new bathroom installed though is in London. While you shouldn't have any problem finding installers, tradespeople based in London tend to charge higher rates. If you're looking to have a new bathroom installed in London then you could end up paying up to 20% more than in other areas of the UK.
Keep waste in mind
Replacing a bathroom will create a lot of waste. Everything that will be taken out will need to be disposed of safely and responsibly.
Your installer can take care of this for you but they will likely charge business rates. This means that it's only worthwhile if you're replacing a large bathroom where there will be a lot of waste.
Otherwise, it could be cheaper for you to take care of the waste yourself. Perhaps with a skip.
It’s worth doing some research about how best to dispose of old bathroom waste before work begins on your new bathroom.
Cost of installing bathroom appliances
Installers will have different rates based on what they're fitting. In terms of fixtures, the bath is often the most expensive to have installed. Rates for tiling and laying flooring can also be high but that depends on the size of the space they need to cover.
| Bathroom work | Potential costs |
|---|---|
| Toilet | £300 – £400 |
| Shower | £100 – £550 |
| Bath | £200 – £600 |
| Basin | £100 – £200 |
| Tiles | £20 – £90 per square metre |
| Panels | £100 – £200 |
| Flooring | £100 – £1,000 |
How long does it take to fit a new bathroom?
Most new bathrooms take around a week (5-7 days) to install from start to finish. This includes removing the old bathroom fixtures, fitting new appliances and adding the finishing touches.
In some cases, the installation can take as long as 3 weeks. This is mainly the case in larger bathrooms that need new pipework and electrics or if appliances are being moved around.
For a typical bathroom installation, the longest jobs are fitting the bath, tiling the walls and laying the flooring.
| Bathroom appliance | Time to install |
|---|---|
| Toilet | 2.5-4 hours |
| Shower | 2-5 hours |
| Bath | 3.5-6 hours |
| Basin | 1-3 hours |
| Wall tiles | 1 day – 1 week |
| Wall panels | 1-3 hours |
| Flooring | 6 hours – 1 day |
All of the timings in the table above will vary depending on the size of the job and number of installers.
Toilet installation
When choosing your new throne, there's a standard type of toilet that we're all used to or a Saniflo. When we say standard, we mean any toilet that flushes waste down a pipe and away from the property. There are lots of different types of toilet, mainly because of the flushing mechanism – dual-flush, gravity-flush and double cyclone to name a few.
Saniflo toilets are different to most toilets because there's a blade which blends up the waste. Saniflo toilets have grown in popularity as they greatly reduce the risk of a blockage in the pipes. They cost around £300 and about the same to install. So that's a total of around £600. And the installation of a Saniflo toilet can take a bit longer than standard toilets – around 4 hours compared to 2-3 hours.
Shower installation
Mixer showers are installed into most homes as standard. So fitting a new one as a direct replacement is the quickest and most affordable option. But they're not your only option.
If you like a shower with really strong pressure then a power shower is for you. The installation costs will be higher (possibly as much as £500) but can be worth it.
Then there's the electric shower. An electric shower is connected to the mains cold water supply but takes care of heating the hot water itself. This is unlike mixer and power showers which are sent hot water from your heating system.
They're compact and relatively simple to install but for an electric shower to be worthwhile, your home needs a strong water pressure.
Bath installation
Fitting the bath can be the longest part of a new bathroom installation. Not so much because of the bath itself but mainly due to the tiling on the nearby walls.
In many cases, before the bath can be fitted into place, the surrounding tiles will need to be removed and replaced – on the walls and floor.
Underneath the tiles will be a layer of plaster which could also need replacing. Especially if it's been a few years. Then the tiles will need to be fitted and grouted, which can take a long time.
Once all that is done, the bath can be fitted which could mean new pipework.
Basin installation
Fitting a new basin can take 1-3 hours. Swapping your old basin for a new one in the same location that's the same style will be the quickest job. If you're planning to move the basin to a different part of the bathroom then the costs and time it takes will go up.
Most bathrooms have a full-pedestal basin – when the pedestal stretches from underneath the basin right down to the floor. If you want to free up some floor space then you may want to consider a semi-pedestal or wall-hung basin. This can make fitting the flooring less complicated.
Wall tiles
Tiling a wall is time consuming. It takes a lot of patience and can take up to a week to finish in larger bathrooms. Choosing larger tiles can help to shorten the time it takes to tile a bathroom.
Wall panels
Wall panels (or cladding) are a great alternative to tiles. They're much cheaper, available in a range of styles and can be fitted in a fraction of the time.
Plus, they're pretty simple to fit yourself. Unlike tiles which you should find a professional tiler to fit.
Flooring
Laying down the floor in your new bathroom can be a full day of work. Especially if you have your heart set on ceramic, porcelain or stone tiles. Laying the tiles needs a lot of patience then they need to be left to set for around 24 hours.
If time is of the essence then you may want to go for vinyl or laminate flooring. They may not be as desirable as tiles but are often more practical (especially in a family home) and can be fitted in much less time.
What about the costs to fit bathroom heating?
If you're planning to fit your new bathroom with underfloor heating then that will add up to 4 days onto the installation time.
Underfloor heating is a growing trend for new bathroom installations. Not only is it an efficient way to heat a room but it's also seen as very luxurious.
There are two types of underfloor heating systems: wet and dry. Wet underfloor heating is connected to your home's heating system (boiler or heat pump) which heats the water that travels through the underfloor heating system to warm up the room.
Dry underfloor heating systems are electric and aren't connected to your home's heating system. It's quicker and cheaper to install but the long term running costs are higher.
| Underfloor heating system | Time to install | Average cost to install in a bathroom |
|---|---|---|
| Wet | 2-4 days | £1,000 |
| Dry (electric) | 1-2 days | £350 |
Costs to install underfloor heating will vary depending on the size of the bathroom.
Another popular way to heat a bathroom is with a heated towel rail. These can be fitted on their own or as well as underfloor heating. The price of a heated towel rail tends to fall between £50 and £200. Installation costs will add around £200 to £300 and will only take 1-2 hours.
Tips for finding the best bathroom installer
A whole new bathroom is a big investment so you should only consider hiring the best installer.
To do that, you need to do some research. Looking through customer ratings and reviews of bathroom fitters will help to separate those worth hiring from those you shouldn't.
It's also worth taking a look at their experience. Have they ever fitted a bathroom like the one you have? If not, then you should probably find someone more experienced.
Finally, comparing quotes is a great way to find the best person for the job. This allows you to meet a few different installers and get a sense of their experience. Comparing quotes will also help you to find the most competitive price. Although, if you get a quote that's a lot cheaper than the others, you should see that as a warning sign.
Find out how much your new bathroom could cost to install
The best way to find out how much your new bathroom installation could cost is by talking to professional bathroom installers. They'll be able to give you an accurate quote and timescale for the work.
You can find bathroom installers who are local to you in our online directory. Find a few companies you like the look of (we recommend getting quotes from at least 3), give them a call and they'll be happy to arrange a quote.
