How much does a bathroom renovation cost in London in 2026?

The honest answer to "how much does a bathroom cost" in London is wider than most people expect. I have done full bathroom installs that came in at £6,500 and others on the same street that came in at £28,000. The work is not always that different. The cost is mostly in the choices.

Here is what those numbers actually break down into, and how to think about your own budget.

Quick answer

For a typical London bathroom in 2026:

These are full-job prices including labour, plumbing, electrics, tiling, fittings, and rubbish removal. They do not include structural work (moving walls, taking down chimney breasts) which adds £2,000 to £8,000 depending on what is involved.

The five things that change the price most

In order of impact:

1. Whether you change the layout

Keeping the bath, basin, and toilet in their existing positions is by far the cheapest option. The waste runs and supply pipes are already there. Drainage is the most expensive part of any bathroom because once you change it you affect floors, walls, and sometimes the room below.

Moving a toilet by one metre might add £1,500 to £3,000 to a quote. Moving everything to new positions can add £5,000 to £10,000.

If your existing layout works, keep it. The fittings, tiles, and finish make a much bigger difference to how the room feels than the position of the bath.

2. The fittings (taps, shower, WC, basin, bath)

This is where the spread is widest. Compare:

The functional difference between mid-range and premium is small. The visual and tactile difference is large. Decide what matters to you.

3. Tiles and floor

Square footage of the bathroom drives the tile bill. A small London bathroom might have 25 to 35 square metres of total tiled surface. At £30/m² for budget tiles plus £45/m² for fitting, you are at £1,800 to £2,800 done. At £150/m² for high-end porcelain or marble, plus £80/m² for the more careful fitting they need, you are at £6,000 to £8,000 done.

Underfloor heating adds £1,200 to £2,500 fitted in a typical London bathroom. Worth it for the comfort, basically essential if you are tiling a bathroom that gets cold.

4. The shower

A standard mixer shower over the bath is the cheapest option, and works fine for most households. Cost is included in the basic plumbing.

A separate walk-in shower with a glass screen, thermostatic shower valve, and rainfall head adds £1,500 to £4,000 to the install. A wet room (no glass screen, fully tanked floor and walls) adds £2,500 to £5,000 because of the waterproofing and floor-grading work.

A recessed shelf or alcove (so shampoo bottles do not sit on the floor) adds £200 to £400 and is worth every penny.

5. Hidden surprises

The thing that catches people out, especially in older London houses:

• Rotten floor joists under the bath (Victorian and Edwardian houses)
• Old lead pipework that needs replacing before any new work goes in
• Asbestos in flooring or old artex ceilings (specialist removal needed)
• A soil pipe that runs through the room and cannot be moved
• Walls that look straight but are not (more skim and tile preparation)

Add 10 to 15 percent contingency to any quote for surprises. A good builder warns you of these risks before starting.

What goes into a typical 12-day bathroom job

The reality of bathroom timing in London. A standard bathroom refit (no layout change) takes about 10 working days. Here is the rough sequence:

Day 1: Strip out. Old bath, basin, toilet, tiles, floor coverings, sometimes walls. Skip arrives at front of house. Big mess.

Days 2 to 3: First-fix plumbing. New copper pipework run to where each fitting will sit. New waste pipes routed correctly. Drainage tested.

Day 4: Electrics. New circuits for any added shower, lighting, extractor fan. (London now requires LED downlights and Part P-compliant electrics in bathrooms.)

Days 5 to 6: Walls and floor preparation. Plasterboard, tile backer where needed, floor levelling.

Days 7 to 9: Tiling. The longest single phase. A skilled tiler in London charges £350 to £500 a day. Big tiles take longer than small ones because cuts and alignment are less forgiving.

Day 10: Second-fix plumbing. Bath, basin, toilet, taps, shower fitted to the prepared positions. Sealing.

Day 11: Snagging and finish. Grouting cleaned. Any small touch-ups. Customer walk-through.

Day 12: Settling and final tweaks. Door re-hung if needed, any last sealant work.

This assumes everything runs to plan. Most jobs have one or two day-loss days for materials waiting, surprises, or coordination with other trades.

Where you can save

Things that genuinely save money without hurting the result:

• Keep the existing layout. Already covered. The single biggest saver.
• Buy your own fittings from a reputable merchant. A good plumber should not mind. You see exactly what you are paying for. Avoid bargain-brand showers, which fail within 3 to 5 years.
• Choose mid-range tiles, not budget ones. Budget porcelain tiles often have warped edges that take twice as long to fit. The labour saving from good tiles partly offsets the extra material cost.
• Standard-size fittings. A standard 1700mm bath fits standard waste positions. A 1800mm bath might cost the same but require waste re-routing.
• Skip exotic features you do not actually want. Heated towel rails are great. Heated towel rails plus underfloor heating plus heated mirrors plus a steam shower, all in a 2x2m space, is overkill.

Where you should not save

Things that are worth paying for properly:

• Tanking under tiles in any wet area. A waterproof membrane behind the tiles, especially in shower areas. Skipping this is how leaks start. Adds £200 to £500. Insurance against thousands.
• A real plumber, not a "bathroom fitter" with no plumbing qualification. Bathrooms involve gas (heated towel rails, sometimes), water (pressurised supplies and waste systems), and sometimes electricity (showers, fans). A qualified gas engineer with bathroom experience costs the same as a fitter but does the job to spec.
• A proper extractor fan that vents outside. Not just to the loft. Extractor fans are required by Part F of the building regs, and a poorly fitted one creates damp problems for years.
• A magnetic system filter on the heating if you have a new heated towel rail teed off the central heating system. Stops sludge from your existing radiators clogging the new towel rail.

What I quote for

A typical full bathroom in London, my quotes break down roughly:

• Strip out and waste disposal: £400 to £700
• Plumbing labour (first fix and second fix): £2,500 to £4,500
• Electrical labour (where needed): £400 to £900
• Plastering and floor preparation: £600 to £1,500
• Tiling labour: £1,200 to £3,500
• Fittings (variable, customer choice): £1,500 to £6,000+
• Tiles and adhesive (variable): £600 to £3,500
• Sundries (sealant, fixings, finishes): £200 to £400

Total in 2026 London: £8,500 to £20,000 for a standard bathroom done properly with mid-range fittings. Lower than that and something is being cut. Higher than that and you are paying for premium fittings, structural changes, or a more elaborate finish.

Quote-stage things to ask for in writing

When you collect quotes, ask each plumber to put in writing:

1. The specific fittings (brand and model) being quoted
2. Whether the price includes tiles or only labour
3. Whether the price includes extracting the existing room to brick
4. What waste removal and disposal is included
5. The plumbing warranty (1 year minimum for parts and labour)
6. The expected start date and duration
7. The payment schedule (a deposit then staged payments is standard, anyone wanting full payment up front is a red flag)

How I work

For my customers in London, the standard process:

1. First visit, free. I walk through the room, listen to what you want, look at what is there, talk through what works and what to avoid.
2. Written quote within a few days. Itemised. Fittings listed by brand and model. Labour split out. No surprises.
3. You decide. No follow-up calls, no sales pressure.
4. If you go ahead, deposit (usually 25 percent), staged payments at first-fix and final, and I work on no other jobs while yours is in progress.
5. Twelve-month workmanship guarantee on top of any manufacturer warranties.

I cover every London borough and bathrooms are most of what I do these days. WhatsApp with a few photos of the existing room and a rough idea of what you want changed, and I can usually give you a ballpark before any visit.