Bath replacement in Reading

Postcode districts: RG1, RG2, RG4, RG30, RG31
Nearby: Lower Earley, Wokingham and Crowthorne
Guide price: £1,000–£2,800
Typical time on site: 1–2 working days
Water: Hard across most of Berkshire
Survey: Free, at your home

What does a replacement bath cost in Reading?

In Reading, a replacement bath typically costs £1,000–£2,800 including VAT, based on South East England prices. Prices in South East England run at about 12% above the national guide, mainly because of labour rates. The figure depends on the size of the room, whether anything moves, and the products you pick.

Typical

Like-for-like bath

£1,000–£2,000

Silicone and tile repairs

Shower bath

£1,550–£2,800

P or L-shaped shower bath

Freestanding bath

£2,800–£6,700

Floor or wall-mounted filler

Guide prices for Reading including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.

Working in Reading

As well as Reading itself (RG1, RG2, RG4 and 2 more postcode districts), we survey in Lower Earley, Wokingham and Crowthorne.

Reading is a big place with every kind of home, from terraces to flats to new builds, so we never price from a photo alone. Before a new bath is ordered for a Reading home, we measure the stairs and landing as well as the opening. Landlords with properties in Reading can usually have a bath replaced between tenancies in one to two working days.

Most of Berkshire has hard water. 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.

What the job includes

Tile repairs or re-tiling around the bath, and a fixed screen where there is a shower over it
Supply of the new bath, taps or filler, waste and overflow, and bath panel
Levelling the bath on adjustable feet or a cradle, with timber battens fixed to the walls under the rim
Filling the bath before sealing, so the silicone cures with the bath at its heaviest

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.

Acrylic or steel

Acrylic is warm to the touch, light and the usual choice; thicker, reinforced acrylic flexes less. Enamelled steel is rigid and hard-wearing but feels colder, and needs sound-deadening pads to stop it drumming.

Rules that apply in England

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.

More about bath replacement

Bath replacement in Reading: questions

How much does a replacement bath cost in Reading?

A replacement bath in Reading usually costs £1,000–£2,800 including VAT. Where you land in that range depends on the size of the room, whether the layout changes and the products you choose. After the free survey you get an itemised written quote, and the price is fixed in writing once the layout and products are agreed.

Do you cover RG1 in Reading?

Yes. We cover all of Reading, including RG1, RG2, RG4, RG30 and 1 more postcode districts, and nearby Lower Earley, Wokingham and Crowthorne. Survey visits are free and arranged at a time that suits you.

Is the water hard in Reading?

Who handles building control for a replacement bath in Reading?

Building control for Reading is handled by the local council or an approved inspector. If your job needs sign-off — for example a new circuit, new drainage or a new extractor where there was none — we tell you at the survey and handle the notification as part of the work.

Can you replace a bath without removing the tiles?

Sometimes. If the tiles stop just above the rim with a silicone joint and the new bath is the same size, they can often stay. If the tiles sit on the bath edge, the bottom row usually cracks or comes away when the old bath is cut out. We tell you which applies at the survey and show tile repairs as a separate line on the quote.