How to Price a Bathroom Renovation - UK Tradesman's Guide (2026)

Bathroom renovations are some of the most rewarding jobs to win and some of the easiest to underquote. Hidden problems behind walls, supplier delays, customer changes mid-project, and tile work that always takes longer than you think.

If you have ever quoted a bathroom for £6,500 and finished it costing yourself £8,500, this guide is for you. It walks through how to price a UK bathroom renovation properly in 2026 - covering labour, materials, mark-ups, contingency and the variables that catch most tradesmen out.

Written for plumbers, bathroom fitters, kitchen and bathroom installers and general builders quoting full or partial bathroom refits.

The three pricing models for bathroom work

Before diving into numbers, understand which pricing model fits the job.

1. Day rate plus materials

Charge a daily labour rate (typically £300-£500/day for a UK bathroom fitter or plumber in 2026), plus materials at cost-plus, plus any contingency.

Best for: open-scope jobs where the customer is making decisions as you go, or jobs with significant unknowns.

Risk: customers see a "daily rate going on for weeks" and worry. Sets you up for arguments about hours billed.

2. Fixed price quote

Estimate the labour days, materials and contingency internally, then quote one total figure the customer signs off on.

Best for: most domestic bathroom work where the scope can be defined. The customer prefers certainty.

Risk: you absorb any overruns. Has to be priced properly.

3. Cost-plus with capped budget

Time and materials with a maximum cap. Customer pays actual costs up to the cap.

Best for: high-end or unusual jobs where the customer wants transparency. Rare in standard domestic work.

Most successful UK bathroom fitters quote fixed-price for domestic work. Customers prefer it. You make better margins when you price correctly. The rest of this guide assumes fixed-price quoting.

The cost components of a bathroom renovation

Every bathroom quote breaks down into the same components. Get any one wrong and the whole quote is wrong.

1. Labour

The biggest cost on most bathroom jobs. Plan in workdays, not hours.

A typical UK domestic bathroom refit takes:

Job type	Working days
Bathroom suite swap (like-for-like)	3-5 days
Full refit, no major plumbing changes	6-9 days
Full refit, new plumbing layout	8-12 days
Full refit including walls/floors and electrical	10-15 days
Wet room or accessible bathroom conversion	8-14 days

If you are a sole-trader plumber doing the whole job yourself, multiply these by 1.5-2x because you cannot work on two trades simultaneously.

Multiply working days by your fully-loaded day rate (which is more than your hourly charge x 8). Most successful UK bathroom fitters charge £350-£450/day for labour, £450-£600/day in London.

2. Materials and sanitaryware

This is where customers get sticker shock and where margins live or die.

Customer-supplied sanitaryware

Increasingly common. Customers buy the suite from Victorian Plumbing, Soak.com or similar and you fit it. Pros: you do not handle margins on big-ticket items, simpler to quote. Cons: if anything is wrong, missing or damaged on delivery, the customer expects you to sort it out.

Trade-supplied sanitaryware

You source the suite (bath, basin, WC, shower, taps) at trade prices and supply to the customer. Add 15-30% markup. Customer pays a single price.

For a mid-range bathroom suite in 2026, trade prices typically:

Budget suite: £500-£900 trade
Mid-range suite: £900-£1,800 trade
Premium suite: £2,000-£5,000+ trade
Designer/imported suite: £5,000-£15,000+ trade

Other materials to include in every quote

Plumbing materials (pipework, fittings, valves, isolation): £250-£500
Wall and floor preparation (boards, levelling, primer): £150-£400
Tile adhesive and grout (if tiling): £80-£200
Tiles (if supplying): £30-£120/sqm + cuts/breakage allowance
Bath panel, shower tray seal, silicone, sealant: £50-£150
Paint and decorating materials: £80-£200
Sundries (screws, brackets, etc.): £50-£150

3. Plant and equipment

Often forgotten on bathroom jobs.

Skip hire or trade waste fees: £180-£350
Specialist tool hire if needed (wet saw for tiles, etc.): £80-£200
Protective sheeting and dust extraction consumables: £40-£100

4. Subcontractors

A typical full bathroom refit needs more than one trade:

Electrician: Shower wiring, lighting, extractor fan, shaver socket. £200-£500 typically, more if rewiring or consumer unit work.
Tiler: £40-£70/sqm for floor and wall tiling depending on tile size and complexity.
Plasterer: £200-£500 if walls need re-skimming.

Add 10-20% markup to subcontractor costs - you are coordinating their work and taking responsibility for quality.

5. Contingency

The category most tradesmen skip and the one that bites hardest.

Recommended contingency for bathroom work:

Like-for-like swap with no surprises expected: 10%
Standard refit: 15%
Older property (pre-1960s) or unknown wall/floor condition: 20-25%
Wet room or accessible conversion: 20%

If you finish the job without using the contingency, that is your bonus profit. If something goes wrong (hidden damage, delivery problems, customer changes), the contingency saves you.

6. Your margin

This is the bit most tradesmen confuse with their day rate. Your day rate covers your time. Your margin is the extra profit you make for taking on the risk, project-managing the job, and running the business.

Typical UK bathroom fitter margins on a fixed-price job: 15-25% on top of labour + materials + subbies + contingency. Specialists and high-end fitters work at 25-40% margins.

Worked example - £8,000 bathroom refit

Let's walk through a real worked example. UK domestic bathroom, 3m x 2.5m, standard refit including new tiles and new layout (not like-for-like). Sole-trader plumber subcontracting the tiler and electrician.

Time estimate

Strip out and prep: 2 days
First fix plumbing: 2 days
Wall and floor prep: 1 day
Tiling (subbed): 3 days (subcontractor)
Second fix plumbing and electrics: 2 days
Snagging and clean-up: 0.5 days

Total plumber labour: 7.5 days at £400/day = £3,000

Subcontractors

Tiler (3 days, 15 sqm at £55/sqm): £825 + 15% markup = £950
Electrician (1 day for shower wiring, fan, lighting): £350 + 15% markup = £400

Materials (trade supplied)

Bathroom suite (mid-range): £1,200 trade + 25% markup = £1,500
Tiles (15 sqm at £40/sqm + 10% wastage allowance): £660 + 20% markup = £790
Tile adhesive, grout, sealant: £150
Plumbing fittings, pipework: £350
Wall and floor prep boards, primer: £200
Sundries and consumables: £100

Materials total: £3,090

Plant and waste

Skip hire: £250
Tile saw and small kit hire: £60

Plant total: £310

Subtotal

Labour: £3,000
Subcontractors: £1,350
Materials: £3,090
Plant: £310
Subtotal: £7,750

Contingency

Standard refit, 15%: £1,162

Subtotal + contingency: £8,912

Margin

20% project margin on labour + subbies + contingency (£5,512): £1,102

Quote to customer

Subtotal + contingency + margin: £10,014 (round to £10,000)

If you charge VAT, add 20% (£12,000 inc VAT). If you are not VAT-registered, build a small material VAT allowance into the materials cost so you do not eat it yourself.

The "I would have quoted £6,500" check

Many tradesmen reading the example above will be thinking they would have quoted £6,500 - £7,500 for that bathroom. That is exactly the trap.

If you quote £7,000 and the job actually costs you the £7,750 from the working above (and runs over because contingencies always come up), you end up with negative profit. Doing the customer a favour with your unpaid weekend time.

The £10,000 quote covers your real costs, builds in contingency for the unknowns, pays you a project margin, and leaves you with something to put in the bank.

If the customer says it is too expensive, you either:

Reduce scope (lower-spec sanitaryware, customer-supplied tiles, etc.)
Walk away from the job

You do not chop your margin to "win" a job that loses money. Better to do fewer jobs at the right price than to grind through underpriced work for two years and burn out.

Variables that change the price significantly

Same bathroom can quote anywhere from £6,000 to £25,000 depending on:

Layout changes

Moving the bath, basin or WC adds significant first-fix plumbing work. Adding a separate shower enclosure where there was none requires more pipework and waste rerouting.

Substrate condition

Plasterboard walls behind the bath are usually fine. Lath-and-plaster in an old terrace can mean stripping back to brick. Floor structure may need strengthening for heavier units.

Tile choice

Large-format tiles take longer to lay. Mosaic tiles take much longer. Natural stone needs sealing. Some imported tiles arrive with significant breakage in transit.

Underfloor heating

Electric underfloor heating adds £400-£900 to the job depending on size. Wet (water-fed) underfloor heating typically £1,500-£2,500.

Electrical scope

If the bathroom needs anything beyond a shower spur (consumer unit upgrade, new lighting circuit, smart controls), electrician costs can double or triple.

Wall finish choice

Painted walls are quickest. Fully tiled walls add 1-2 days plus tile cost. Wall panels (Aqualux, Multipanel, etc.) cost more in materials but install faster than tiles.

Custom vanity or fitted furniture

Off-the-shelf vanity units are simple. Custom-built or bespoke fitted bathroom furniture can add £2,000-£8,000+ and several days of work.

Quoting bathrooms efficiently

Bathroom quoting is the kind of work that takes 1-2 hours per quote if done from scratch every time. Multiplied by the number of quotes needed to win one job, this eats your week.

The fix:

Build a product catalogue

Save your standard line items - labour rates, materials at trade prices, subbie rates - in a catalogue. Drop them into quotes in seconds. Cost prices stay private to you. Margins calculate automatically.

VioTrade includes a product catalogue and AI-assisted quoting - describe the job in plain English ("3m x 2.5m bathroom, standard refit, mid-range suite, full tile to walls") and AI drafts the line items from your catalogue.

Use multi-option quotes

Offer customers good / better / best options on a single quote. They can tick optional add-ons (extended warranty, premium sanitaryware, underfloor heating). They configure their own scope. You see the live total. Win rate jumps significantly when customers configure their own price.

Take a deposit on acceptance

Set 25-40% deposit on bathroom jobs. As soon as the customer accepts, an auto-deposit invoice goes out. Cash flow starts immediately. Most customers see a deposit as a normal part of any meaningful job - those who refuse a deposit are often the worst payers later.

For the full pricing approach, see our guide on how to estimate a job as a tradesman.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I quote for a bathroom refit in the UK in 2026?

A standard UK domestic bathroom refit typically quotes between £8,000 and £15,000 depending on size, scope and sanitaryware quality. Like-for-like swaps with budget sanitaryware can be £5,000-£7,000. High-end refits with premium fittings, layout changes and bespoke furniture can run to £20,000-£40,000+.

How long does a bathroom renovation take?

Most UK domestic bathroom refits take 5-10 working days from strip-out to handover. Like-for-like swaps can be 3-5 days. Major refits with layout changes, structural work or premium tiling can run 10-15 days. Customers typically need their bathroom out of action for the full duration.

What is a normal deposit for bathroom work?

25-40% deposit on acceptance is standard for UK bathroom jobs over £3,000. This funds material purchases, secures the customer's slot in your schedule, and tests their commitment. Customers who refuse to pay a deposit on this size of job are usually not serious.

How much do bathroom fitters charge per day?

Most UK bathroom fitters and plumbers charge £350-£450/day for labour in 2026, with London rates often £450-£600/day. Day rates vary by region, experience and demand. Specialist fitters (luxury bathrooms, accessible bathrooms) often charge £500-£700/day.

Do I need to charge VAT on bathroom renovation?

If you are VAT registered (turnover over £90,000 per year), yes - usually at 20%. Some energy-saving installations attract reduced 5% VAT but standard bathroom refits are 20%. If you are not VAT-registered, you cannot charge VAT but you cannot reclaim VAT on your materials either.

How do I price a customer-supplied bathroom?

Quote labour and materials separately. For labour, calculate days at your full day rate. For materials, only price what you supply (fittings, sealants, tile adhesive etc.) plus your markup. Make clear in writing that you are not responsible for the customer-supplied items - if the suite arrives damaged or items are missing, that is for them to resolve. Add a clause about reasonable storage and any delays caused by customer-supplied material issues.

The bathroom fitters who do best

Bathroom fitters who consistently make good margins share three habits:

They quote properly - real labour days, real material costs, real contingency, real margin
They take deposits and use them as both cash flow and a commitment test
They use software so the admin of quoting, ordering and invoicing does not eat their evenings

If your bathroom quotes are taking 2 hours each and you are still losing money on jobs, you need a better quoting system, not more jobs.

Try VioTrade free for 14 days - AI-drafted bathroom quotes with multi-option pricing, automatic deposits and Xero auto-sync. No credit card required.