Most people start a bathroom project with a single number in their head and no idea how it splits. That makes comparing quotes almost impossible. This guide takes a normal Stoke-on-Trent family bathroom, roughly 2.2m by 1.8m, and breaks the spend down into the parts a fitter is actually pricing.
The headline bands
Across the Potteries, a like for like replacement in a standard bathroom generally lands between £4,500 and £6,500 fitted. A full renovation with the layout changed, new floor, new electrics and quality tiling usually sits between £7,000 and £10,000. Premium work with large format porcelain, a bespoke vanity, concealed brassware and a level access shower runs from £11,000 upwards. Those bands assume a real fitted price, not a suite ticket price with the labour bolted on later.
Strip out and waste, £250 to £600
Removing the old suite, hacking off tiles, lifting flooring and getting it all off site is a full day of hard graft plus disposal charges. Tiles are heavy, and a skip or licensed waste run is a real cost. If a quote does not mention waste removal, ask who is taking the rubble away, because otherwise it lives in your garden.
First fix plumbing, £600 to £1,400
This covers repositioning hot, cold and waste runs, upgrading old pipework, fitting isolation valves and preparing the shower feed. If you are moving the toilet more than a metre, expect the higher end, because soil pipe falls have to be right or you get problems for years. In older terraced housing around Burslem, Longton and Hanley we regularly find lead tails or half inch imperial copper that has to be converted, and it is better to price that honestly than discover it mid job.
Electrics, £350 to £900
Zoned lighting, an extractor with an overrun timer, a shaver socket, a heated mirror and any underfloor heating circuit all sit here. Bathroom electrics are notifiable work, so the price should include testing and certification. A cheap quote that skips the certificate is not cheaper, it is unfinished.
Walls, floors and preparation, £500 to £1,600
Plastering, boarding, tanking a shower area, levelling a bouncy timber floor and boxing in pipework. This is invisible when the job is done, which is exactly why it gets cut from thin quotes. Skimping here is the single most common reason tiles crack or grout fails within two years.
Tiling, £45 to £95 per square metre labour
Rate depends on tile size, pattern and how true the walls are. Large format porcelain needs levelling clips and a flat substrate, so it costs more to fix than a small ceramic. Mosaic and herringbone add hours. Add the tile material on top, anywhere from £18 to £70 per square metre.
The suite and brassware, £900 to £4,000
A solid mid range suite with a decent thermostatic shower, a vanity unit and a soft close toilet is around £1,400 to £2,200. Below £900 you are usually looking at thin acrylic and plastic waste fittings that will need replacing before the tiles do. Above £3,000 you are buying design and finish rather than durability.
Second fix and finishing, £500 to £1,000
Hanging the suite, fitting brassware, sealing, silicone, trims, painting, the door furniture and the final clean. It is the last two days on site and it is the part everyone judges the job by.
A worked example
- Strip out and waste, £400
- First fix plumbing, £950
- Electrics and certification, £600
- Preparation, boarding and tanking, £850
- Tiling labour, 22 square metres at £60, £1,320
- Tiles and adhesive, £700
- Suite, brassware and vanity, £1,700
- Second fix, sealing and finishing, £750
That is £7,270 for a proper full renovation, which is exactly why the £4,000 quotes you see advertised are rarely comparing the same room.
Where you can genuinely save
Keep the layout, because moving the toilet and bath is the most expensive decision in the room. Choose a smaller tile format on uneven old walls. Tile to a sensible height rather than floor to ceiling on every wall. Pick a good mid range suite and spend the saving on the shower valve, which is the item you touch every day.
Get a fixed price for your room
We survey free, price every element as a separate line, and hold that price in writing. All plumbing, tiling and electrics are carried out in house by our own insured fitters, and the work is backed by a written workmanship guarantee.
Common questions
What share of the budget is labour?
On a typical full refit, labour is usually 45 to 60 percent of the total. The suite and tiles feel like the big spend when you are shopping, but the days on site are what really set the price.
Why do two quotes for the same room differ by thousands?
Almost always scope, not greed. One quote includes plastering, a new floor, boxing in, electrics and waste removal while the other assumes the room is ready and the customer supplies materials.
How much contingency should I hold back?
Ten percent of the build cost is sensible on any house built before about 1980. Old joists, hidden leaks and perished pipework are the three things nobody can see through a wall.
Is it cheaper to supply my own suite?
Sometimes on paper, rarely in practice. If a part is missing or damaged you carry the delay and the fitter still has to be paid for the lost day. We are happy either way and price it clearly.
Do you charge for the quote or survey?
No. The survey is free, the price is fixed in writing, and it lands with you within 24 hours of the visit.
Can the cost be spread over stages?
We work to a staged payment schedule on larger projects, with the balance only due once you have signed off the finished room.