Whole rooms
Bathroom fitting cost calculator
A bathroom refit is a series of small jobs in tight order: strip out, plumbing, electrics, waterproofing, tiling and fitting. It is very doable as a project-managed job, and tiling and decorating are the best places to save money yourself.
- Full DIY
- £2,690
- Smart Hybrid
- £3,340
- Full Trade
- £3,960
Typical mid-range job, Midlands rates. Yours updates below.
Updated November 2026. Estimates based on typical UK prices.
Cost calculator
Price this job three ways
Answer a few questions and watch the numbers move. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Smart Hybrid saves £620 against a full trade job.
Smart Hybrid
You take on what you can, a trade handles the rest.
£3,340
- Materials
- £1,439
- Labour
- £1,748
- Extras
- £150
- Plumbing — like-for-like swap£800
- Tiling£648
- Electrics — fan and lighting£150
- Electrical certification (Part P)£150
- You take on: rip out and clear the old bathroom, decorating.
- Everything else stays with a trade.
Turn this into a plan
Get the order of work, who to book and a budget tracker, all editable.
Order of work for this job
A typical order. Always confirm timing with whoever you book, since some steps can overlap.
- 1
Strip out
- Rip out and clear the old bathroomYou · ~1 day
- 2
First fix
- Plumbing — like-for-like swapBook a plumber · ~2.5 days
- 3
Tiling
- TilingBook a tiler
- 4
Second fix
- Electrics — fan and lightingBook an electrician · ~0.5 days
- 5
Decorating
- DecoratingYou · ~0.5 days
- 6
Finishing touches
- Electrical certification (Part P)Book an electrician
How we worked out the materials›
- Wall tiles£2729.4 m² of wall (half height) + 10% wastage = 10.34 m²
- Floor tiles£1285 m² of floor + 10% wastage = 5.5 m²
- Tile adhesive£7214.4 m² tiled ÷ 4.5 m² per bag = 4 bags
- Grout£2414.4 bag ÷ 9 bag per pack = 2 × £12 = £24
- Bath£2801 × £280 = £280
- Basin£1001 × £100 = £100
- Toilet£1601 × £160 = £160
- Taps£1302 × £65 = £130
- Shower£1601 × £160 = £160
- Extractor fan£451 × £45 = £45
- Ceiling paint£160.83 L needed → 1 × 2.5L = 2.5 L for £16
- Sealant£122 tubes
- Sundries£40Screws, spacers, primer and the odds and ends every job needs
Estimates only, based on regional averages. Always get 2 to 3 written quotes from local trades.
The price
What affects the cost?
- 1
The suite
A basic bath, basin and toilet cost far less than designer pieces. Wall-hung toilets with concealed cisterns add cost for both parts and fitting.
- 2
Shower choice
An over-bath shower is cheapest. A walk-in enclosure with a tray, glass and a thermostatic valve costs considerably more.
- 3
Tiling
Tile cost and area vary hugely. Full-height tiling, large-format tiles and diagonal layouts all raise both materials and labour.
- 4
Moving plumbing
Keeping the toilet, basin and bath where they are saves a lot. Moving the soil pipe is one of the costliest changes.
- 5
Electrics and ventilation
Lighting, an extractor fan and a shaver socket are notifiable electrical work in a bathroom and must be done by a registered electrician.
Be honest with yourself
Can you do this yourself?
You can do
- Strip out the old suite, tiles and flooring
- Prepare walls and fit tile backer board
- Tile the walls and floor, if you are confident
- Seal, grout and silicone
- Paint the ceiling and woodwork
Leave to a pro
- Plumbing: first and second fix, shower valve and waste
- Electrics in a bathroom, which is a special location under BS 7671
- Moving the toilet soil pipe
- Waterproofing a wet room or walk-in shower (tanking)
The rules
Electrical work in a bathroom is notifiable in England under Part P and must be certified. Any work on a gas boiler or gas pipework needs a Gas Safe engineer.
DIY guide
How to fit a bathroom, step by step
Bathrooms are small, so the order matters. Do wet and hidden work first and decorative work last.
Tools you'll need
- Spirit level
- Notched trowel and tile cutter
- Tile spacers and a grout float
- Cordless drill with masonry and tile bits
- Silicone gun
- Mole grips and adjustable spanners
- Sponge and buckets
Materials
- Suite, taps and shower
- Tile backer board or moisture-resistant plasterboard
- Tiles, flexible adhesive and grout
- Waterproofing membrane for wet areas
- Silicone sealant
- Waste fittings and flexible hoses
- 1
Plan the layout and order everything
~1 dayMeasure the room and decide where the bath, shower, toilet and basin go. Check the soil pipe position and door swing. Order the suite, tiles and a bathroom extractor fan before you start stripping out.
Tip: Order 10% more tiles than the measured area for cuts and breakages.
- 2
Isolate water and strip out
~1 dayTurn off the water, drain the system and disconnect the old suite. Remove old tiles and flooring. Cap pipes you will not reuse.
Old tile adhesive, textured coatings and pipe lagging in pre-2000 homes may contain asbestos. Do not break it up. Get it tested first.
- 3
First fix plumbing
~2 daysYour plumber runs the new supply and waste pipes to the planned positions and fits the shower valve. Pressure-test everything before anything is covered.
- 4
First fix electrics
~1 dayYour electrician runs cables for lights, extractor fan and any shaver socket, working to the bathroom zone rules. They will certify the work.
- 5
Board and waterproof the walls
~1.5 daysFix moisture-resistant or tile backer board to the walls, tape the joints and apply a waterproof membrane in the shower and around the bath. Do not skip this: a failed seal behind tiles is a costly repair.
- 6
Fit the bath or shower tray
~1 daySet the bath or tray level on its frame, connect the waste and check it drains freely before you seal and tile around it.
- 7
Tile the walls, then the floor
~3 daysMark a level line from the lowest point and set a batten as your starting row. Spread flexible adhesive with a notched trowel, press tiles in with spacers, and cut tiles to fit. Do walls first so adhesive drips do not mark the floor.
Tip: Dry lay a row first to avoid ending up with thin slivers at the edges.
- 8
Grout and seal
~0.5 daysLeave adhesive to cure (usually 24 hours), then grout, wipe clean and seal. Run silicone round the bath, tray and basin where tiles meet fittings. Use grout for tile joins and silicone for movement joints.
- 9
Second fix: toilet, basin, taps and fan
~1.5 daysFit the toilet, basin, taps, shower screen and extractor fan, and connect lighting. Check for leaks by running every outlet and looking underneath.
- 10
Finish and certify
~1 dayPaint the ceiling, fit flooring trims, clean thoroughly and run a final leak check after 24 hours. Keep the electrical certificate and any warranty paperwork.
Learn from others
Common mistakes to avoid
- Tiling straight onto old tiles or unprepared plaster in a wet area
- Using ordinary silicone or grout in the shower instead of a mould-resistant, flexible product
- Skipping ventilation, which leads to damp and mould within a year or two
- Not testing for leaks before covering the pipes
- Fitting electrics outside the bathroom zone rules
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fit a bathroom?
For a typical medium bathroom with a new suite, shower over the bath and half-height tiling, expect from around £2,690 doing the DIY-safe parts yourself to £3,960 fully trade-fitted. Size, suite quality and how much of the room is tiled all move this a lot — use the calculator above for your actual room.
How much does a bathroom suite cost?
A mid-range bath alone costs around £280; a full suite (bath, basin, toilet, taps) typically adds up to two to three times that. Budget suites cost noticeably less, premium suites considerably more.
How much does bathroom tiling cost?
Mid-range wall tiles cost around £34 per pack (roughly 1.44 m²), plus adhesive and grout. Tiling labour is usually the single biggest cost swing in a bathroom job — it’s the one thing a confident DIYer can realistically take on to cut cost.
Do I need a certified electrician for bathroom work?
Yes — any new extractor fan or light fitting in a bathroom counts as notifiable work under Part P because of the room’s water zones. It needs a registered electrician and proper certification; doing it yourself without that is a legal problem, not just a risky one.
Can I fit my own bathroom?
Partly — ripping out the old suite, tiling (if you’re confident) and decorating are all safe DIY jobs. Plumbing and electrics are where it gets serious: both stay with a trade in every column here, for legal and practical reasons.
Ready to plan it?
Add this job to your renovation plan to get the order of work, who to book and a budget you can track.