A bathroom renovation in the UK typically costs somewhere between £3,000 and £6,000 for a straightforward refresh in the existing layout, and £8,000 to £15,000 or more for a full reconfiguration with new plumbing runs, a walk-in shower, and higher spec fittings. That lines up with MyJobQuote’s bathroom cost guide, which puts budget renovations at £3,500 to £4,500, standard at £6,000 to £8,000, and premium at £11,000 to £15,000, with £7,000 as a rough UK average. Where you land in that range comes down to one main decision: are you refreshing what is already there, or changing the layout.
Refresh vs full refit: the difference that actually moves the price
| Refresh (same layout) | Full refit (new layout) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | £3,000 to £6,000 | £8,000 to £15,000+ |
| Plumbing and drainage | Stays where it is | Moved or rerouted |
| Typical timeline | 5 to 8 working days | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Best for | Tight budgets, a layout that already works | A poor layout, or converting a bath to a walk-in shower |
A refresh keeps the toilet, basin and bath or shower roughly where they already are. The existing pipework and drainage stay put, which is what keeps costs down, since moving water and waste connections is the single most expensive part of any bathroom job. You are mostly paying for removal of the old suite, new tiling, a new suite, and reinstallation.
A full refit moves fittings to new positions, converts a bath to a walk in shower with a different drainage point, or reconfigures the room entirely, sometimes borrowing space from an adjoining room. Every metre of pipe that has to be rerouted, every new drainage point, and any floor built up to accommodate a wet room tray adds real cost on top of the suite and labour.
If your budget is tight, keeping the existing layout and spending the saved money on better tiling, a good shower and decent fittings usually gives a better result than a smaller full reconfiguration.
Where the money actually goes
For a typical mid-range refit, the rough split looks something like this:
- Suite and fittings (toilet, basin, bath or shower enclosure, taps): roughly a third of the budget
- Tiling (materials and labour): often the single biggest line item after the suite, especially floor to ceiling
- Labour (fitting, plumbing, electrics, plastering): typically 35 to 45 percent of the total
- Waterproofing, flooring and extras (underfloor heating, extractor fan, lighting): the remainder
Cutting corners on waterproofing (tanking) to save money is the one place homeowners regularly regret it, since a leak behind tiling is far more expensive to fix than doing it properly the first time.
Getting quotes that actually compare
The same job description sent to three bathroom fitters can come back with wildly different prices, and the difference is not always quality. Some quotes include waste removal, a skip, and making good the surrounding walls and floor. Others do not. Before comparing numbers, check each quote includes the same scope: removal and disposal of the old suite, all trades (plumbing, electrics, plastering), tiling materials and labour, and a written specification of the fittings by brand and model, not just “standard toilet, standard basin.”
It is also worth checking who is doing the wet trades. A bathroom involves water, gas in some cases, and electrics in a room with strict wiring regulations, so ask specifically who on the job is Gas Safe registered if a boiler or gas fire is involved, and whether the electrical work is being done by someone registered with a scheme such as NICEIC, since bathrooms fall under stricter Part P wiring rules than most other rooms. We check exactly this when we build our Top 5 lists, so a page for your town is a quick way to shortlist fitters who already meet that bar.
Is it worth doing in stages?
Sometimes. If budget is the constraint, doing the wet work (moving pipes, waterproofing, tiling) properly in one go and finishing with a cheaper suite you upgrade later is far better than doing everything cheaply once. What you should never split is the waterproofing and tiling stage, since redoing that later means ripping out finished work.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small bathroom renovation cost?
A small bathroom, a refresh of an existing three piece suite with new tiling and fittings in the same layout, typically costs somewhere between £3,000 and £6,000 fully fitted. Moving the layout, adding a shower enclosure, or upgrading to premium fittings pushes that higher.
Is it worth getting a designer or should I just use a bathroom fitter?
For a straightforward refresh in the existing layout, a good bathroom fitter can handle design and fitting together and it is usually the cheaper route. For a full reconfiguration, especially anything involving structural changes or an en suite carved out of a bedroom, a specialist design and fit company earns its fee by avoiding expensive mistakes.
Do I need a plumber and an electrician as well as a bathroom fitter?
Often not separately. Most established bathroom fitting companies either employ or subcontract a qualified plumber and a Part P registered electrician as part of the job, and the quote should say so. If a fitter cannot tell you who is doing the gas, water and electrical work, ask before you book.
How long does a bathroom renovation take?
A like-for-like refresh usually takes 5 to 8 working days. A full reconfiguration, moving the toilet, basin or shower to a different wall, or working around old pipework, commonly takes 2 to 3 weeks.
About the author
Stu Clark
Stu spent over 15 years in the trades, working as a plumber before running his own plumbing and bathroom renovation company with a team of eight. He founded Top5Trades to give homeowners the kind of shortlist and straight advice you would get from someone who has actually done the work. More about us →