Bath to shower conversions in County Durham

What does a bath to shower conversion cost in County Durham?

Our guide range in County Durham is £1,800–£4,500 including VAT. Prices in County Durham run at about 10% below the UK guide, based on North East England labour rates.

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

Which towns do we cover in County Durham?

• Darlington
• Hartlepool
• Stockton-on-Tees
• Durham
• Chester-le-Street
• Billingham
• Stanley
• Consett
• Newton Aycliffe
• Bishop Auckland
• Seaham
• Thornaby-on-Tees
• Peterlee
• Yarm
• Spennymoor

Water across much of County Durham is moderately hard. A quick wipe of the glass and an easy-clean coating are worth having on a new shower in Darlington. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. We check the floor under the bath during a Darlington survey where we can, because old leaks can leave soft boards.

What the job includes

• A thermostatic shower valve, with the pipework moved for the new head position
• A glass enclosure, walk-in panel or frameless screen
• Grab rails and a fold-down seat if you want them
• Boarding, tanking and re-tiling of the shower walls
• Silicone, a full-flow test and a tidy finish where the new tiling meets the old
• A survey of the bath space, the waste position, the floor and your water system

Decisions to make first

Safety extras

A fold-down seat, grab rails and a slip-resistant tray cost little at the time of fitting and are much harder to add later.

Mixer or electric shower

A thermostatic mixer draws on your hot-water system. An electric shower heats cold mains water as it flows and needs its own circuit.

How much to re-tile

Re-tile just the shower walls, or take the chance to re-tile the whole room so new and old tiles never have to match.

Low tray or level floor

A low-profile tray has a small lip. A level-access floor removes the step altogether but needs a former, tanking and a linear drain.

Rules that apply in England

Converting a bath to a shower does not need planning permission. The shower area is a special location under BS 7671, with 30 mA RCD protection on every circuit and at least IPX4 fittings in zone 1 above the tray up to 2.25 m. A shower pump can only be used on a gravity system with a cold tank, never on the mains. Where the conversion adapts the home for a disabled person, the work can be zero-rated for VAT under HMRC VAT Notice 701/7.

In England, adding an electric shower usually means a new circuit, which is notifiable under Part P, as is any change to the wiring in the bathroom. Where the conversion is an adaptation for a disabled person, a Disabled Facilities Grant of up to £30,000 may help, but the council must approve it before work starts.