What does a replacement bath cost in Argyll and Bute?
Our guide range in Argyll and Bute is £850–£2,400 including VAT. Prices in Argyll and Bute run at about 4% below the UK guide, based on Scotland labour rates. Travel and delivery to islands and remote areas are priced on your quote.
Like-for-like bath
- New acrylic or steel bath, panel and taps
Shower bath
- Re-tiling to the bath area
Freestanding bath
- Freestanding acrylic or stone resin
Guide prices for Argyll & Bute including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in Argyll and Bute?
Most of Argyll and Bute is supplied with soft water. In soft water, taps, wastes and toilet pans scale up slowly, so brushed and matt finishes are a safe choice. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. Landlords with properties in Helensburgh can usually have a bath replaced between tenancies in one to two working days.
What the job includes
- Levelling the bath on adjustable feet or a cradle, with timber battens fixed to the walls under the rim
- Removal of the old bath, including breaking up a cast-iron bath in place where it will not come out whole
- Leak testing at the waste, overflow and taps, taking the old bath away and a final clean
- Tile repairs or re-tiling around the bath, and a fixed screen where there is a shower over it
- Filling the bath before sealing, so the silicone cures with the bath at its heaviest
- New flexible connectors or pipework, with isolation valves on the hot and cold supplies
Decisions to make first
Shower bath
A P-shaped or L-shaped bath is wider at the shower end, giving room to stand and space for a fixed screen instead of a curtain.
Taps or filler
Deck taps on the rim are the simplest swap. Wall-mounted taps or a bath filler look cleaner but mean opening the wall, and an overflow filler hides the spout altogether.
Freestanding bath
Acrylic freestanding baths are manageable on most floors; stone resin and cast iron are much heavier when full. You need room to clean round the bath and a plan for where the waste and filler come up.
Size
Most UK baths are 1700 × 700 mm. Going longer or wider than the old bath means re-tiling and checking that the new one fits up the stairs.
Rules that apply in Scotland
Replacing a bath in an existing bathroom does not need planning permission, and a straight swap is not normally building regulations work. New taps or a filler must meet the water fittings rules where you live, including backflow protection. If the new bath is much heavier than the old one, such as a cast-iron or stone resin freestanding bath, the floor needs checking, and strengthening joists is structural work that may need building control approval.
In Scotland, the Scottish Water Byelaws 2014 cover new taps, fillers and backflow protection. A replacement bath does not normally need a building warrant, but structural work to the floor for a heavy bath may.

