What does a replacement bath cost in Bedfordshire?
Our guide range in Bedfordshire is £950–£2,600 including VAT. Prices in Bedfordshire run at about 6% above the UK guide, based on East of England labour rates.
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 Bedfordshire including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in Bedfordshire?
Water across much of Bedfordshire is very hard. Taps, plug wastes and toilet pans scale up quickly, so chrome copes better than matt black, and a removable aerator is worth having. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. Survey visits in Luton cover the bath, the tiles around it and the waste route, so the quote reflects your bathroom rather than a standard job.
What the job includes
- Supply of the new bath, taps or filler, waste and overflow, and bath panel
- Leak testing at the waste, overflow and taps, taking the old bath away and a final clean
- 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
- 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
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.
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.
Bath panel
Acrylic panels are cheap and easy to clean; wood-effect panels match fitted furniture; a tiled panel on a frame looks built-in but needs an access hatch for the waste.
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.
Rules that apply in England
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 England, Part G limits the hot water to a new bath to 48 °C at the outlet, usually with a thermostatic mixing valve, but only in a new dwelling or one created by a change of use. It does not apply to a replacement bath in an existing home, though a thermostatic valve is still sensible where children or older people bathe. New wiring for a shower over the bath or new lights is notifiable under Part P.