Bathroom Renovation Budget Planner
Work through a bathroom refit in the order it happens, with the cost of each stage as you go.
Part of the 🏠 Homeowners and DIYers toolkit, with more tools made for the job.
Plumbing, drainage and electrics in a bathroom are often regulated, and some work must be done or signed off by a qualified person. Rules on permits, building regulations and which work needs a qualified person differ by country and place, so check yours before you start.
Plan the bathroom
The floor area lets you see the cost per square metre or foot at the end.
The floor area of the bathroom
Use this instead of length and width.
Plan it
The layout decides most of the cost. Moving a toilet, bath or shower means new pipes.
Strip it out
Taking out the old suite, tiles and flooring, and getting rid of it.
First fix: the pipes and wires
Behind the walls and under the floor, before anything is tiled. Often regulated work.
Waterproof and tile
Wet areas need the right backing and sealing before the tiles go on.
Fit the suite
The bath or shower, toilet, basin and taps.
Finish it
Plaster, paint, floor and the small things.
Your bathroom renovation, step by step
What each stage adds, and the total.
Type some prices in the steps above and the whole cost appears here, stage by stage.
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Give the floor area of the bathroom, then work down the page through each stage of the refit, typing what each part costs. The total builds as you go, with a safety margin at the end.
A bathroom is a small room with a lot packed into it: plumbing, drainage, waterproofing, tiling, electrics and fittings, often all within a few square metres. That is why the cost per square metre is high and why first-timers are surprised. The trades overlap in a fixed order, and a problem found behind the old bath, such as rotten boards or a pipe in the wrong place, affects several stages at once. Working through the refit in order shows you what each stage needs, and why a contingency matters more here than on a simple redecoration.
How it’s worked out
- Step 1, the floor area of the bathroom, so you can see the cost per square metre or foot at the end.
- Plan it: the layout decides most of the cost, because moving a toilet, bath or shower means new pipes. Then strip out and make good.
- First fix: the pipes, drainage, electrics and extractor fan, behind the walls before anything is tiled.
- Waterproof and tile, then fit the suite: bath or shower, toilet, basin and taps.
- Finish with plastering, painting and flooring. The summary adds a share kept back for surprises, 15 percent if you leave it empty.
Stages of 300 for planning, 800 for stripping out, 1,700 for the first fix, 1,500 for tiling, 1,750 for the suite and 850 to finish come to 6,900. With 15 percent kept back the budget is 7,935, or about 1,587 a square metre on a 5 square metre bathroom.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the waterproofing. Wet areas need the right backing and sealing before tiling, and it is easy to leave it out of a quote.
- Choosing the suite first and the plumber second. Moving a toilet or shower costs far more than swapping it where it is.
- Underestimating tiling. Small tiles, patterns and awkward cuts add labour, so ask what the tiling price covers.
- Forgetting ventilation. A good extractor fan is a small line that stops damp and mould later.
Questions
Which bathroom work needs a qualified person?
It depends on the country and place. Electrics in a bathroom are often regulated, and gas, drainage and some plumbing may be too. Check your local rules before you start.
How much should I keep for surprises?
Many guides suggest 10 to 20 percent, and bathrooms in older houses can hide rot, old pipes and damp. The planner uses 15 percent if you leave it empty.
Is moving fittings expensive?
Often, yes. Moving a toilet, shower or basin means new pipework and drainage, so keeping them where they are is a common way to hold the budget down.
Can I do any of it myself?
Many people do the stripping out, painting and sometimes tiling, and leave plumbing and electrics to professionals. The DIY vs hire calculator shows whether doing a part yourself saves money.
Estimates only
These are estimates and general information, not building, legal or professional advice. Costs, rules, permits and building regulations differ by country and place, so use your own quotes and check the rules where you live. Structural, electrical and gas work should be done by a qualified person.
Rain stopped play. Officially research.