The number one question for every project is, how much will it cost? We’ll start with some numbers and flesh out the meaning behind them:
Bathroom renovation including:
- a basic bathroom suite with toilet, shower, bath and basin
- New flooring
- Partially tiled walls
£8,000 is about as low as you’ll get it unless you opt for vinyl wall panelling and flooring instead of tiles.
What impacts the cost?
- Size -the bigger the bathroom the more tiles you’ll need for the flooring and the wet areas ie inside the shower and around the bath and basin.
- Quality – you can get a cheap bathroom suite online but it might not hit your design brief. Also beware of cheap shower controllers, toilets with cheap/small cisterns and cheap taps. Things going wrong in a bathroom tend to be expensive fixes.
- Location- Moving your toilet/shower etc from the original location will require work on pipes, drainage and electrics so keep it in the same place to keep costs down.
- Materials –tiles, vanity units, shower screens- design costs more. eg herringbone tiling takes twice as long as standard tiling therefore costs more to fit.
Why £13,000 is a good budget
Bathrooms are typically very well used spaces so its worth investing as much as you can afford. The truth is many people imagine that bathrooms should only cost £3-£4000 and whilst you may find someone to supply and fit a bathroom for that price, it will likely be small, have low quality fixtures and fittings and lack the design that turns it into a ‘wow’ space. Bathrooms today have so many different elements and options, from underfloor heating, Led lighting effects, niches built into walls, bespoke lighting , stunning vanity units, stone basins in a huge variety of colours and finishes, so the costs reflect the choices and requisite skills required.
My own view is that bathrooms are often overlooked when it comes to design. People find it harder to inject their personality or design aesthetic into a relatively small space that has a lot of non-negotiable elements. So whilst it is possible to get a bathroom for £8,000, there may be a few compromises in terms of quality, look and feel. On that basis, I would suggest a good budget is around £13,000+.
*Extra costs you might need to factor in if you live in Edinburgh include parking, access issues, waste removal as well as building warrants and structural surveys.
