A Guide to Bathroom Renovations

In this guide:

Renovating a bathroom involves more moving parts than most home improvement projects - multiple trades, strict building regulations, and a tight sequence of work that can't easily be reordered. This guide covers the full process.

1. How to Plan Your Bathroom Renovation
2. How to Design a Bathroom Renovation
3. How to Renovate a Bathroom on a Budget
4. How Long Does a Bathroom Renovation Take?
5. What Happens During a Bathroom Renovation?
6. Can You DIY a Bathroom Renovation?
7. What Size Skip Do You Need for a Bathroom Renovation?
8. How to Find a Bathroom Fitter
9. FAQs

Read on for a step-by-step breakdown of everything involved in a bathroom renovation, including tips on where to save money and what not to cut corners on.

How to Plan Your Bathroom Renovation

Good planning is what separates a renovation that runs smoothly from one that drags on for weeks and costs twice what you expected.

Before you start pulling out fixtures, get clear on three things: what you want the finished bathroom to do, how much you're prepared to spend, and who is going to do the work.

Decide on the scope.

A cosmetic refresh, new taps, regrouting, fresh paint, is a very different project from a full strip-out with new plumbing. The more you change, especially the layout, the more complex and expensive the job becomes. Keeping the toilet in roughly the same position relative to the soil stack, for instance, avoids significant extra plumbing costs.

Set a realistic budget.

The typical UK bathroom renovation costs between £4,500 and £9,000 for a mid-range project, though costs can run higher depending on the size of the room, the quality of fixtures, and whether structural or electrical work is involved.

Always hold back 10-15% of your total budget for unexpected issues. You can get a fuller breakdown of costs in our bathroom renovation cost guide.

Get quotes early.

Bathroom fitters, plumbers, and tilers are often booked weeks or months in advance. Getting quotes before you've finalised your design is useful for understanding the realistic price range; getting quotes once you have a firm spec means you're comparing like for like.

If you're thinking about a full new bathroom rather than a renovation of what's already there, our new bathroom cost guide covers what to expect.

Order materials ahead of time.

Tile delays are one of the single most common causes of bathroom renovation overruns. If you've chosen tiles from a specific supplier or brand, order them, and the sanitaryware and fittings, at least two to three weeks before the start date.

How to Design a Bathroom Renovation

Before committing to a layout or purchasing any fixtures, it's worth spending time on the design phase, this is where you avoid the expensive mistakes that only become obvious once work has started.

Start with the layout.

Draw the room to scale, marking where the existing pipes, soil stack, waste outlet, window, and door swing are. These fixed points largely dictate your options. Shower and bath positions are relatively flexible; toilet positioning is much less so, because moving it away from the existing soil pipe adds significant cost and disruption.

The same applies to the basin - shifting it across the room means rerouting supply and waste pipes, which adds time and cost. If you're working with a tradesperson from the start, show them the room before you finalise anything. An experienced bathroom fitter will tell you quickly which changes are straightforward and which will push the budget significantly.

Decide on your sanitaryware before anything else is ordered.

The bath, shower, toilet, and basin need to be chosen before your fitter works, because their dimensions affect how everything else is specified. The main decisions are whether to have a bath, a shower, or both; whether to go wall-hung or floor-standing for the toilet and basin; and whether a close-coupled or back-to-wall toilet suits the design.

In a smaller room, a bath with an over-bath shower is often more practical than squeezing in a separate enclosure. Wall-hung sanitaryware frees up floor area and looks cleaner, but requires a concealed cistern frame and means the plumbing is less accessible if problems arise later. See our shower installation cost guide for a breakdown of what different shower types cost to fit.

Choose materials for durability, not just appearance.

Bathrooms are high-humidity environments, and materials that look good in a showroom can perform poorly once steam, condensation, and daily use are factored in. For wall tiles, porcelain is denser and less porous than standard ceramic - a better choice for shower areas.

Larger format tiles (600x300mm or bigger) reduce grout lines and maintenance, but need a flatter wall surface to lay correctly. For floors, check the slip resistance rating: R10 or above is the minimum for a wet bathroom floor. Natural stone looks excellent but needs sealing at installation and regularly after. Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is a practical alternative - warm underfoot, fully waterproof, and forgiving of uneven subfloors. For any painted surfaces, use bathroom-specific paint formulated to resist mould; standard emulsion will peel in a steamy room.

Factor in storage from the start.

Built-in niches, recessed shelving, mirrored cabinets, and wall-hung vanity units all need to be in the plan before tiling or boarding begins. Adding a niche in a tiled shower wall after the fact means cutting through tiles and substrate - a significant job.

A wall-hung vanity unit with integrated drawers is one of the most useful inclusions in a smaller bathroom, keeping the floor clear and making the room feel larger.

Tip: If you're planning a wet room rather than a traditional bathroom, the waterproofing, drainage, and substrate requirements are more involved. See our wet room cost guide for what to budget.

How to Renovate a Bathroom on a Budget

Renovating a bathroom on a tighter budget requires being strategic about where you spend and where you save. The good news is that some of the most visible elements in a bathroom, tiling, lighting, accessories, offer real scope for cost control without compromising the overall result.

Keep the layout the same. Moving the toilet or relocating the shower to the opposite wall can add £500 to £1,500 in plumbing costs alone, sometimes more. If the existing layout works reasonably well, working around it is one of the most effective ways to hold costs down.

Choose mid-range fixtures, not the cheapest. Entry-level suites from large retailers are perfectly functional, but very cheap toilets and taps have a higher failure rate and are harder to service.

Tile selectively. Full-height tiling from floor to ceiling costs significantly more than tiling to dado height and painting above. In shower areas and around the bath, full waterproof coverage is non-negotiable — but on the remaining walls, a well-chosen paint in a bathroom-appropriate finish achieves a clean result at a fraction of the tiling cost.

Choose simple tile patterns. A straight-lay tile pattern is quicker to lay than herringbone or diagonal, which directly affects the tiler's labour cost. Larger format tiles (600x300mm and above) also install faster than mosaics or small-format tiles. Our tiling cost guide covers typical rates for different tile types and room sizes.

Book during quieter months. Bathroom fitters and tilers tend to be busiest from spring through to early autumn. Booking work for November through February often means better availability and, in some cases, more competitive pricing.

Consider doing the strip-out yourself. Removing the old suite, pulling up flooring, and disposing of waste yourself can save a day or two of labour. It's straightforward work, though you'll need to arrange skip hire and ensure the water supply is isolated before starting.

Compare bathroom fitters near you

How Long Does a Bathroom Renovation Take?

The timeline for a bathroom renovation depends heavily on the scope of the work, but most projects fall into one of three broad ranges.

• 2-3 weeks: A standard renovation with a new suite, full tiling, and no significant layout changes
• 3-5 weeks: A more involved renovation with some plumbing repositioning, new electrical work, or more complex tiling
• 5-8 weeks or more: Projects involving structural changes, layout reconfiguration, or the creation of a new bathroom in a space not previously used for one

These figures refer to the on-site work. Planning, designing, and ordering materials happen before this and typically add one to two weeks to the overall programme. Lead times on certain materials, bespoke tiles, imported shower enclosures, special-order sanitaryware, can be several weeks in themselves, so ordering early is essential.

The most common cause of delays is not the trades work itself, but materials that haven't arrived on time. A tiler who arrives on site with no tiles has to move to another job and come back, which can set the project back by a week or more.

What Happens During a Bathroom Renovation?

Understanding the sequence of work helps you know what to expect and when, which also makes it easier to spot if something has been skipped or done out of order.

A standard bathroom renovation follows this order:

Strip-Out (1-2 days)

The existing bathroom suite, tiles, and any damaged plasterboard or flooring are removed. This is the noisiest and dirtiest phase, and in older properties it's also when hidden problems tend to surface.

A good tradesperson will flag anything they find before proceeding and give you a clear picture of what it adds to the programme before the extra work starts.

First-Fix Plumbing and Electrics (2-3 days)

The plumber runs new pipework to the positions required for the new suite - supply pipes for hot and cold water, and waste pipes for the basin, bath, shower, and toilet. If the layout isn't changing much, this phase is relatively quick.

Any new circuit must be installed by a registered electrician and notified to building control - a certificate will be issued on completion, which you'll need if you sell the property.

Watch out for: a fitter who suggests skipping the notification process to save time or money. The certificate isn't optional. Find electricians near you on MyBuilder if your renovation requires dedicated electrical work.

Wall Preparation and Boarding (1-2 days)

Moisture-resistant plasterboard is fixed to the walls and ceiling. In shower areas and wet zones, a waterproof tanking system or dedicated wet area board (such as Aquapanel or Wedi board) is required before any tiles go on.

Standard plasterboard, even moisture-resistant, is not suitable as a direct substrate for tiling in a shower. If you see it being used in a shower enclosure without a tanking system on top, raise it immediately.

Waterproofing (2-3 days, including drying time)

A waterproof membrane is applied to the shower area, around the bath, and across the floor. Each coat needs to dry fully before the next is applied - usually 24 hours between coats, with a minimum of two coats in wet zones and three at junctions and corners. This stage cannot be rushed.

Tiling (3–5 days)

Wall and floor tiles are laid once the waterproofing is fully cured. The time this takes depends on the size of the room, the complexity of the pattern, and the size of the tiles.

Second-Fix Plumbing and Electrics (2-3 days)

The bath, shower, toilet, basin, taps, and other fixtures are connected and installed. Lights, extractor fans, and sockets are fitted and tested. This is when the bathroom starts to look like a finished room.

Check that the extractor fan is connected and working before the fitter leaves - inadequate ventilation is the primary cause of mould in bathrooms, and it's much harder to address after finishing work is complete.

Finishing (1-2 days)

Painting, sealing, fitting accessories, and snagging. A good tradesperson will seal all junctions between fittings and tiles with silicone, check for any alignment issues, and run the plumbing to confirm there are no leaks before signing off. Allow the silicone 24 hours to cure before using the shower or bath.

Can You DIY a Bathroom Renovation?

Some parts of a bathroom renovation are well within the reach of a competent DIYer; others are legally restricted or carry enough risk that professional involvement is strongly advisable.

What you can do yourself:

• Strip-out of the old suite, tiles, and flooring (provided the water is isolated first)
• Painting - walls, ceiling, woodwork
• Fitting accessories: towel rails, toilet roll holders, mirrors, shelving
• Grouting and silicone finishing once tiles are laid
• Skip hire and waste disposal

What needs a professional:

• Plumbing. Connecting a new bath, shower, or toilet to the waste and supply system requires a plumber. Errors can result in leaks that go undetected until significant damage has been done.
• Electrical work. Bathroom electrics fall under Part P of the Building Regulations. Any new circuits or significant alterations must be carried out by a qualified electrician and notified to your local building control authority.
• Waterproofing. In wet rooms and shower enclosures, the tanking system needs to be applied correctly and completely. A missed corner or inadequate membrane is one of the most expensive things to fix after the fact.
• Tiling in wet areas. It's technically possible to tile yourself, but achieving consistent alignment and proper waterproof coverage around a shower or bath without experience is genuinely difficult.

The honest position is that DIY can save money on the decorative and non-technical elements of a bathroom renovation, but for anything involving plumbing, electrics, or waterproofing in wet areas, using a professional is worth the cost.

What Size Skip Do You Need for a Bathroom Renovation?

A bathroom renovation generates more waste than it might appear - broken tiles are heavy, old sanitaryware is bulky, and plasterboard needs to be separated from general waste at many facilities.

For a standard bathroom strip-out, a 4-yard midi skip is typically sufficient for a smaller bathroom.

For a larger family bathroom with full-height tiling, or where flooring and plasterboard are being replaced throughout, a 6-yard skip gives you more headroom without the risk of overfilling.

How to Find a Bathroom Fitter for Your Bathroom Renovation

Finding the right person - rather than just the cheapest quote - makes a real difference to both the process and the finished result. For more detail on what to look for, see our guide on how to choose a bathroom fitter.

Post your job on MyBuilder today to get responses from verified bathroom fitters in your area.

All tradespeople on MyBuilder undergo checks at registration, such as ID documents, company details, certifications for regulated jobs and skill assessments, allowing you to hire with confidence.

Post your bathroom job on MyBuilder

FAQs

Does a Bathroom Renovation Add Value to Your Home?

A well-executed bathroom renovation can add meaningful value to a property, particularly if the existing bathroom is dated or poorly functional.

A mid-range renovation in a family home typically returns a significant portion of its cost in added value, though this varies by property type and location.

The bigger return, for most homeowners, is the daily quality-of-life improvement, a bathroom that works properly and looks good is one of the most-used rooms in the house.

Do You Need Building Regulations Approval for a Bathroom Renovation?

Most like-for-like bathroom renovations, replacing an existing suite in the same positions, retiling, and redecorating, do not require building regulations approval.

However, you will need approval if you are adding a new bathroom where one didn't previously exist, making structural alterations, installing a new electrical circuit (which must also be certified by a Part P-registered electrician), or significantly altering the drainage layout. If you're unsure, your bathroom fitter or local building control authority can advise on your specific project.

How Do You Renovate a Small Bathroom?

The principles are the same as any bathroom renovation, but the design choices matter more in a small space. Wall-hung sanitaryware frees up floor area and makes the room feel larger.

Large-format tiles with fewer grout lines create a cleaner look than smaller tiles with busy joints. A walk-in shower with a frameless glass panel is often more space-efficient than a shower tray with a full enclosure. Keeping the colour palette light and consistent across walls and floor also helps. You can explore photos of completed small bathroom projects on MyBuilder to see how local tradespeople have handled similar spaces.

What Is the Difference Between a Bathroom Fitter and a Plumber?

A bathroom fitter is a general term for a tradesperson who manages and installs the full bathroom, coordinating or carrying out the tiling, plumbing connections, fitting of the suite and fixtures, and finishing work.

A plumber focuses specifically on pipework: supply, waste, and drainage. Many bathroom fitters carry sufficient plumbing skills for a standard suite installation, but for more complex plumbing changes, moving a soil stack, installing a new drainage system, a dedicated plumber is usually the right call. On larger projects, the bathroom fitter coordinates the plumber and electrician as part of the overall programme.

How Much Does It Cost to Install an En Suite Bathroom?

The cost of adding an en suite depends heavily on whether the space already exists (e.g. a large bedroom being partially divided) or whether structural work is required.

A basic en suite conversion in an existing space typically starts at around £4,000 to £6,000 for a compact shower room with a toilet and basin.

A larger en suite with a walk-in shower, freestanding bath, and premium finishes can reach £15,000 or more. See our en suite bathroom cost guide for a more detailed breakdown.