A single average price for a bathroom is close to useless, because a 1.6m by 1.7m terrace bathroom and a family room with a separate shower are different jobs with different labour days. Here is how the four common room types price up locally, and what pushes each one up or down.
Small bathroom, roughly 4 to 5 square metres
The classic Potteries terrace or two bed semi bathroom. Typical fitted range is £4,500 to £7,500 for a like for like refit in a sensible mid spec.
- Labour is usually 6 to 9 working days.
- Tiling area is small, so upgrading to porcelain adds less than people expect.
- The savings come from keeping the soil position and using a P shaped bath rather than splitting bath and shower.
Family bathroom, roughly 6 to 8 square metres
Typical fitted range is £7,000 to £12,000, and £14,000 upwards where the layout changes and the tiling is full height in porcelain.
- Labour is usually 9 to 14 working days.
- The jump normally comes from a separate bath and shower enclosure, which is two waste points and two sets of tiling detail.
- Fitted furniture, a concealed cistern and a heated towel rail plus a radiator are the common add ons.
En suite, roughly 2 to 4 square metres
Typical fitted range is £4,000 to £8,500. Cost per square metre is the highest of any room type.
- Small rooms are cut heavy, so tiling takes longer per square metre, not less.
- Ventilation almost always needs a ducted fan run, sometimes through a loft.
- Where the room sits above the mains pressure comfort zone, a pump or a pressure check comes into the quote.
Downstairs loo or cloakroom, 1 to 2.5 square metres
Typical fitted range is £2,200 to £4,500 as a refit, and £3,500 to £6,500 where the room is being created from a cupboard or hallway.
- Drainage decides the price. A gravity connection to an existing stack is cheap, a macerator is cheaper to install but noisier and needs servicing, a new drain run is the expensive option.
- Small rooms suit a short projection pan and a compact basin, which frees roughly 150mm of walkway.
- Extraction is required where there is no opening window, and that is a building regulations point rather than a preference.
Where the money actually goes
- Labour days, which is the largest slice on every room type.
- Tiling, driven by area, format and whether the walls need boarding and levelling first.
- Suite and brassware, which is the part you control most easily.
- Hidden work such as rotten floors, failed waste joints and old lead or steel pipework.
Get your own room priced
We measure the room, check drainage and pressure, then put a fixed itemised price in writing. The visit and the design advice are free, we are fully insured, we have been fitting bathrooms locally for over 25 years and we are 5 star rated.
Common questions
Why does a small bathroom not cost proportionally less?
Because the labour sequence is identical whatever the size. Strip out, first fix, tanking, tiling, second fix and making good all still happen. Only tiling area and suite cost scale down, so a small room rarely drops below about two thirds of a family bathroom price.
Is a downstairs loo the cheapest room to add?
Usually yes, provided there is a soil route within a few metres. Once a macerator or a new drainage run is needed the cost climbs quickly, so the drainage answer comes before the price on our surveys.
Does an en suite cost more per square metre?
Almost always. Small rooms need more cuts, more sealing detail and often a pump or fan run through a loft, and the fittings are usually chosen to a higher spec because the room is seen daily.
What is the biggest single price driver?
Moving the soil pipe. Everything else is negotiable in spec, but relocating waste means floor work, new falls and often joinery, and it can add well over a thousand pounds on its own.
Are your prices fixed before work starts?
Yes. We survey the room free of charge, then issue an itemised fixed price quote within 24 hours. The price only changes if you change the specification or we find something hidden, and we tell you before anything is done.
Do the prices include plumbing, tiling and electrics?
They do. Plumbing, tiling and electrics are handled in house by our own fitters, so there is one price, one team and one written workmanship guarantee.