Adding a downstairs toilet under your stairs can make a home much better to live in and increase the value & saleability of your house in work that can be done in 1-2 weeks for as little as £2.5K.

Studwork For Downstairs With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Introduction

I have done a fair few under stairs downstairs cloakroom installations now and I hope that this article will help you to understand what kind of costs may be involved in this kind of work, and the factors that affect these costs.

In its simplest form costings look like this:

TOTAL COST = labour cost + material cost

Labour cost is directly related to time taken (or the amount of work required) and the material cost is for things like timber, plasterboard, toilets, basins, radiators etc.

So obviously a simple job with cheaper fittings that takes less time to complete will cost less than a more complicated job that takes more materials and more time to complete.

It sounds simple and that’s because it is.

Case studies

Case study 1

Downstairs WC With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

SUMMARY:
A downstairs cloakroom fitted under the stairs once the existing ‘walls’ were removed. (Click link above to read about it in more detail.)

COST: Approx £3500
TIME TAKEN: 1 week
SIZE: 80 x 120cm
Costs incurred that may not always occur:
  • The existing structure under the stairs had to be removed prior to studding out the new area.
  • Relocating the electrical fuse box to accommodate the new layout (see below)
  • Replacing the cast iron soil pipe completely in order to make new connections
    (i.e. if you have a plastic soil pipe outside then you should save money as it will need to be amended rather than completely replaced.)
  • A towel radiator was added though not everyone chooses to do this. Not doing so would have saved approximately £100 in materials and £150 in labour (in this instance).
  • Skirting boards needed to be installed & the walls plastered in this instance.
  • An outside tap was added that may have cost £50 at the most.
  • An extractor fan was added.

Fuse Box Relocation With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Relocated And Updated Fuse Box With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Costs not incurred that may in other instances:
  • Adding a window to add natural light is something that many would choose to do in this instance and this would have added approximately £400 to the cost.

Case study 2

Complete Downstairs Toilet Added With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

SUMMARY: A downstairs cloakroom added to the empty space under the stairs. (Click link above to read about it in more detail.)

COST: Approx £2600
TIME TAKEN: 1 week
SIZE: 70 x 140cm
Costs incurred that may not always occur:
  • Walls had to be plastered, which may not always be the case.
  • An outside tap was added that may have cost £50 at the most.

Corner Basin In Downstairs Toilet With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Costs not incurred that may occur in other instances:
  • Adding a window to add natural light is something that many would choose to do if there was not one already there – this would have added approximately £400 to the cost.
  • No extractor fan was added.
  • A towel radiator was not added in this instance, saving £250+.

Case study 3

Studding Out An Area For A Downstairs Toilet With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Downstairs Toilet In Finished State With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

SUMMARY: A downstairs cloakroom was added here, but not under the stairs. (Click link above to read about it in more detail.)

COST: Approx £2800
TIME TAKEN: 1 week
SIZE: 80 x 180cm
Costs incurred that may not always occur:
  • An existing french door was bricked up halfway and a window fitted to the top half.
  • This bricked up area then had to be rendered externally as well as boarded & skimmed internally with a window cill fitted.
  • More studwork (joinery costs) than for a small room under the stairs.
  • Tiled floors are more costly than the vinyl floors in the other case studies above.

Adding A Small WC Room With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Costs not incurred that may occur in other instances:
  • No need to replace the soil pipe as it was plastic & new connections could be easily made.
  • No extractor fan was added.
  • No underfloor heating was needed.

Case study 4

Finished Downstairs Toilet With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

SUMMARY: A downstairs cloakroom was added under the stairs, in an area that did not need to be studded out 1st (i.e the space was existing.) (Click link above to read about it in more detail.)

COST: Approx £2700
TIME TAKEN: 1½ weeks
SIZE: 80 x 140cm
Costs incurred that may not always occur:
  • Render was found to be blown and walls needed reboarding & skimming.
  • The alarm box & lighting had to be relocated to suit the new layout.
  • Custom made wall cabinets were made to fit the space available and provide storage.
  • A wall hung basin necessitated more preparation work than floor standing alternatives (i.e. the time & effort required to hide all of the pipes within the wall).
  • The existing window was replaced with a new UPVC version with obscured glass.
  • Engineered wooden flooring (continued through from the adjoining room) is more costly than vinyl.
  • Knocking through to the storage area behind the WC was costly as it was a solid brick wall.

Removing Blown Plaster With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Plasterboarded Downstairs Toilet With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Costs not incurred that may occur in other instances:
  • No extractor fan was added.
  • A towel radiator was not added in this instance, saving £250+.
  • No need to replace the soil pipe as it was plastic & new connections could be easily made:

Adding A Downstairs Toilet Soil Pipe Work With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Summary

So you see, there are many variables to consider when determining how much a downstairs toilet will cost to fit and hopefully these case studies above will give you some ideas as to where your project lies on the spectrum.

Taking all these examples into account…

You will probably be looking at £2.5K – £4K to add a downstairs toilet and to carry out all of the other necessary work*

Stop Sign With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

* Please do not confuse the costs given here for merely the plumbing costs of putting in a downstairs toilet as plumbing is only 1 of the several trades involved in a job of this type.
For example, the prices given above typically include several of the following costs in addition to the plumbing costs:

  • waste disposal costs
  • electrical costs –

    amending light switch positions, fitting fans and new lighting, moving alarms & fuse boxes & issuing completion certificates

  • joinery costs –

    building, insulating & boarding studwork, fitting skirting boards, architraves & hanging doors

  • plastering costs –

    boarding & skimming the walls & ceiling

  • plumbing costs –

    fitting the toilet, basin & radiator etc

  • decoration costs –

    painting the walls, ceiling & skirting boards, architraves & door.

  • Floor fitting costs –

    supplying & fitting vinyl or tiled floors with all necessary floor preparation work.

  • Splashbacks –

    supplying & fitting tiled splashbacks behind basins.

  • Gas costs –

    sometimes gas meters will need to be moved (in old coal stores often converted into downstairs toilets)

  • Building costs –

    removing or building walls, inserting doorways and installing windows

Get in touch

Due to the many trades that can be involved in something as simple as fitting a downstairs toilet, you would probably be best getting a turnkey supplier such as ukbathroomguru.com to carry out the work so that it is completed in the quickest time possible to limit disruption and to ensure that the project runs smoothly.

We can take projects from a simple plan….

Minimum Size For A Downstairs Toilet With Bathroom Installation In LeedsPlanning A Downstairs Toilet Under The Stairs With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

Through the work….

Adding A Doorway Under The Stairs With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

To completion….

Adding A Downstairs Toilet With Bathroom Installation In Leeds

With all work done to a high standard in a professional manner.

Give me a call or request a callback by clicking on the red ‘request a free site survey’ button on the site.

Many thanks

Chris