This article will give you broad overview of the costs you can expect to pay when employing the services of UK Bathroom Guru for a bathroom installation in Leeds.

You are of course welcome to compare our prices to other bathroom fitters but (as with all building work) please ensure you are comparing like for like. For an accurate estimate based on a free site survey please feel free to contact us.

How long is a piece of string?
Bathroom installations costs do vary massively relative to:

  1. the amount of work involved (expected & relatively unexpected)
  2. the quality and amount of materials used

PS Please see my article on hidden bathroom installation costs for an explanation of some unexpected costs to look out for.

I do small bathroom re-freshs for under £1K, all the way up to full scale refurbishments that cost £10K+  which include lots of custom design & planning work and the co-ordination of many skilled tradesmen covering lots of disciplines e.g. plumbing, tiling, plastering, joinery, floor laying, painting, gas, electrics etc.

To enable you to discover where your planned installation lies on the spectrum, I have laid out two actual examples below. I have also tried to outline where and how costs have been squeezed and where non-necessary indulgences have taken place.

On average
An average bathroom installation (approx £4K) may break down like this:

This average example includes gutting an existing bathroom, disposing of all the rubbish and installing a new 3 piece suite with full tiling of the walls, a vinyl floor fitted, with some electrical work as well such as adding an extractor fan and installing spotlights.

Example of a budget bathroom renovation – £2.5K

Measures taken to reduce costs:

  • Customer took care of all project waste by taking it to their local household waste sorting site
  • Cushioned vinyl flooring was used instead of tiles
  • The walls were only part tiled using ceramic tiles that we found on offer from our local supplier
  • No border tiles were used as these can be expensive
  • The customer painted the walls & ceiling themselves
  • The existing ceiling light was swopped for a new fitting rather than upgraded to spotlights
  • A basic 3 piece suite was supplied by us (which we know represents good value for money)
  • The shower was run off the bath taps to limit the costs associated with fitting a new separate shower
  • The existing bathroom layout was kept the same to limit plumbing costs
  • Cheaper fittings were used at the customers discretion e.g. taps etc.
  • The existing radiator was painted rather than replaced with a new towel radiator

This estimate was only able to be kept so low as there were no unexpected problems that had to be rectified. Please see Top 5 hidden bathroom installation costs for an explanation of how this could have been different, and what we do to negate this &prepare customer expectations in this area.

If you’re looking for other ways to reduce your budget, please read my 10 ways to reduce the cost of your bathroom installation article.

Example of a luxury full scale bathroom installation – £6.5K

Deluxe options i.e. indulgences

  • Ceilling spotlights to give a bright, airy space
  • Underfloor heating used to heat the space and give a warm feeling underfoot
  • A high quality extractor fan & louvre vent were fitted to extract moist air, but also to prevent backdraughts and noisy ‘flapping noises’ associated with other types of vents
  • A dual heat towel warmer was installed (which can be used in the summer, even with the heating off)
  • A seperate dual control thermostatic mixer shower was fitted in addition to the bath taps.
  • Thorough wall surface preparation was done to ensure a perfectly level tiled finish
  • Porcelain wall & floor tiling was chosen for durability
  • Colour matched grout & silicon were utilised to add a touch of class
  • The door orientation was swopped to create more space
  • A designer vanity unit was fitted to create integrated storage and a wow factor
  • Excellent quality items were fitted with large manufacturers warranties (5-10 years)

Extra (necessary) work required – please see Top 5 hidden bathroom installation costs

  • Floor joist reinforcement to take the weight of the new bath & tiles.
  • Levelling of floorboards to accommodate the freestanding bath.
  • Re-boarding of all walls after the render behind the existing tiles was found to be blown.
  • Removing & replacing all existing pipework that was not properly clipped into place and was rubbing on the underside of the existing floorboards, which could have lead to pinholes developing.
  • Re-running one of the wastes which was found to be running slightly uphill, and therefore not draining properly.

Summary
There is a huge difference between cost and value, and banging in cheap bathroom suites for the lowest price is not what I do.

Think about the value of the following aspects of my business as an example:
A single point of contact for simplicity & accountability retains liability in one place, and ensures that any problems with your installations do not fall through the cracks between the trades, as can often happen when homeowners pull together a small team of tradesmen to do your bathroom that do not know each other.

Centrally controlled installations by an experienced project manager are much less likely to go wrong, over budget or over schedule, meaning you will have a good idea of how long the work will last and how much it will cost without fear of skyrocketing prices…

Very low estimates, tendered by builders in order to secure the work against competing quotes often lead to prices being added on for ‘extras’ as the work progresses. My business provides fully itemised estimates that allows you to see in advance all the costs you will incur as well as some potential costs that you may incur. Its very simple – if its on the estimate it’s included, if it isn’t then it isn’t included.

Another competing estimate may not even mention any potential ‘extra’ costs, but do you honestly think that if the work is required in addition to what has been quoted for that it will be done free of charge? Personally, I would rather know the potential costs upfront so that I could make an informed decision.

Quality of materials is also an area that splits cost and value. For example, I personally only supply taps and showers with 10 year + warranties to give years of peace of mind to my customers, which is not to say that you cannot pick up cheaper imitations on the internet that offer 12 month warranties. Ultimately it is up to you to weigh up the risks but please ensure that you do so with an understanding that often you get what you pay for.

The biggest factor of all is workmanship. High quality workmanship, which may ‘cost’ more because it takes longer to do things correctly, represents good value as it ensures a quality bathroom installation that will last for years. Bad workmanship, which may ‘cost’ less, may represents poor value if it then necessitates work being re-done at greater expense at a later date.

PS Putting things right at a later date often costs 3 or 4x the amount that it would have done to do them correctly at the time. Pay once and have it done right!

In order to get an accurate estimate based on a free site survey please feel free to contact us.