Many people look at two bathrooms and assume they should cost about the same to renovate. They may be a similar size, have the same style of shower, and use similar-looking tiles. In reality, one bathroom could cost thousands of pounds more than the other. Much of the difference comes from the work hidden behind the finished surfaces rather than the products you can see.
One of the biggest factors is whether the plumbing needs to be moved. If your new design keeps the toilet, basin and shower in roughly the same places, the work is usually simpler. If you decide to move the toilet to a different wall, the cost can rise quite quickly. The toilet connects to a large waste pipe, often called the soil pipe or soil stack. Moving this pipe can involve lifting floors, altering pipe runs and making changes to the drainage system. The extra labour and materials soon add up.
The size of the bathroom also makes a difference, although not always in the way people expect. A larger room needs more tiles, flooring, paint and other materials. It may also take longer to install everything. On the other hand, very small bathrooms can be awkward to work in. Tradespeople may have less room to move around, making even simple jobs take longer. A compact room with lots of corners and tight spaces can sometimes cost more per square metre than a larger, more open bathroom.
Your choice of tiles can have a surprising effect on the final bill. Large-format tiles often cover walls quickly because fewer pieces need cutting and fitting. They also create fewer grout lines, which many homeowners prefer because they are easier to keep clean.
Mosaic tiles are very different. Although they may cover the same area, they take much longer to install. Every sheet needs careful positioning, and there are many more grout lines to finish neatly. If the design includes patterns, borders or curved features, the fitting time increases again. Even if the tiles themselves are not especially expensive, the extra labour can make a noticeable difference to the total cost.
Another reason renovation costs vary is what is found once the old bathroom has been removed. Until the tiles, bath and flooring are taken out, nobody knows exactly what is hiding underneath. Water leaks from old showers, baths or toilets may have caused damage over many years without anyone noticing.
Sometimes the only problem is a small patch of damp plasterboard. In other cases, floor joists may have started to rot, timber may need replacing, or sections of the floor may no longer be strong enough. These repairs have to be completed before the new bathroom can be fitted safely. Skipping them would only lead to bigger problems later.
The age of the property can also affect costs. Older homes may have outdated plumbing, uneven walls or old electrical wiring that needs bringing up to modern standards. None of this is obvious when looking at finished photographs, but it can add several days of work.
For that reason, it is always sensible to leave some room in your budget for unexpected repairs. A contingency of around 10% to 15% helps cover problems that only become visible during the renovation. If everything goes smoothly, you simply spend less. If hidden issues appear, you can deal with them properly without cutting corners on the finished bathroom.
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