What does a replacement bath cost in East Sussex?
Our guide range in East Sussex is £1,000–£2,800 including VAT. Prices in East Sussex run at about 12% above the UK guide, based on South East England labour rates.
Like-for-like bath
- Old bath removed and disposed of
Shower bath
- Bath screen and shower
Freestanding bath
- Floor reinforcement check
Guide prices for East Sussex including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in East Sussex?
- Brighton
- Eastbourne
- Hastings
- Hove
- Bexhill-on-Sea
- Hailsham
- Seaford
- Rottingdean
- Crowborough
- Portslade
- Peacehaven
- Uckfield
- Lewes
Most of East Sussex 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. Landlords with properties in Brighton can usually have a bath replaced between tenancies in one to two working days.
What the job includes
- A survey of the bath opening, the floor, the waste route, the supplies and the tiles around the bath
- 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
- Leak testing at the waste, overflow and taps, taking the old bath away and a final clean
- Removal of the old bath, including breaking up a cast-iron bath in place where it will not come out whole
- Supply of the new bath, taps or filler, waste and overflow, and bath panel
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.
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.
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 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.