Ask ten installers what a new bathroom costs and you will get ten different answers, because the honest answer is that it depends on your space, your spec and how much of the plumbing needs moving. As a bathroom and plumbing business working across Leicester and the wider Leicestershire area, we see the real invoices, not just the showroom brochures. Here is a straightforward breakdown of what most people actually pay, and why.
For a standard family bathroom, fully stripped out and refitted with mid-range fixtures, most Leicestershire homeowners pay somewhere between £7,000 and £12,000 including labour, materials and waste removal. A simpler like-for-like swap, where the bath, basin and toilet stay in the same positions and the tiling is modest, can come in between £4,500 and £7,000. Larger bathrooms, high-end brassware, walk-in showers with frameless glass or underfloor heating can push a project to £15,000 to £20,000 or more.
These are genuine working ranges rather than promises, because two bathrooms of the same size can differ by thousands. A 1930s semi in Braunstone with original cast iron pipework is a different job to a 2015 new build in Hamilton where everything is plastic push-fit and easy to access. Any quote given before someone has actually seen your bathroom should be treated as a rough guide only.
Labour is usually the single biggest cost, typically 40 to 50 percent of the total. A full refit involves several trades: stripping out, first-fix plumbing, electrics for lighting and shaver points, plastering or boarding, tiling, second-fix plumbing and sealing. Done properly, that is around two to three weeks of skilled work, and tiling in particular is slow when it is done well.
The suite itself is often cheaper than people expect. A perfectly decent bath, basin, toilet and shower can be bought for £1,500 to £2,500, while designer equivalents run to £5,000 or more for very similar function. Tiles vary enormously too, from around £20 per square metre for ceramic up to £80 or beyond for large-format porcelain, and the labour to fit large or patterned tiles costs more as well. The hidden costs are the unglamorous ones: waste removal, replacing rotten floorboards discovered under an old bath, or upgrading pipework that is not up to modern standards.
Moving things is expensive. Keeping the toilet, basin and bath in their existing positions saves serious money, because soil pipes and hot and cold feeds stay where they are. Relocating a toilet to the opposite wall can add £500 to £1,500 on its own once you account for new pipe runs, floor lifting and making good. Similarly, swapping a bath for a walk-in shower involves a new tray, waste reconfiguration, wall boarding and a screen, so it costs more than a straight bath replacement.
On the other hand, some savings are false economies. Cheap shower valves and flexible hoses fail early, and skimping on tanking (waterproofing) behind a shower is the classic cause of leaks that ruin the ceiling below a year later. If the budget is tight, we would always suggest spending properly on the plumbing, waterproofing and installation, and economising on the visible extras like towel rails and accessories that are easy to upgrade later.
When you gather quotes, make sure each one states whether it includes materials or labour only, who is supplying the suite and tiles, whether waste removal is covered, and what happens if hidden problems are found once the old bathroom comes out. A quote of £6,000 that excludes the suite is not cheaper than one at £8,500 that includes everything, but on paper it looks it. A written, itemised quote also makes it far easier to trim costs sensibly, because you can see exactly what each element is costing.
Be a little wary of quotes that are dramatically lower than the rest. Bathrooms are unforgiving of shortcuts, and repairing water damage from a poorly sealed shower usually costs more than the saving. A realistic timescale, a clear payment schedule with no large upfront demand, and answers to your questions about waterproofing are all better signs of a good installer than the headline number alone.
A straightforward like-for-like refit usually takes one to two weeks, while a full renovation with layout changes and complete retiling typically takes two to three weeks. Add a few days if plastering needs to dry properly before tiling.
Yes, and it is usually the single biggest saving available. Keeping the toilet, bath and basin in their current positions avoids costly pipework alterations and can easily knock £1,000 or more off the total.
Generally yes. Estate agents consistently rank bathrooms alongside kitchens as the rooms buyers judge hardest, and a tired bathroom can hold a sale back. A sensibly specified refit in a typical Leicester home usually recoups a good share of its cost, though a very expensive bathroom in a modest property rarely pays for itself in full.
