What does a bath to shower conversion cost in East Sussex?
Our guide range in East Sussex is £2,200–£5,600 including VAT. Prices in East Sussex run at about 12% above the UK guide, based on South East England labour rates.
Tray and enclosure
- Bath removed, tray in its place
Walk-in shower
- Concealed valve, rainfall head
Level-access floor
- Grab rails and seat options
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
Water across much of East Sussex is hard. If your supply in Brighton is the same, limescale on shower glass and heads is a real issue: easy-clean glass, rub-clean nozzles and a squeegee make a big difference. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. For Brighton houses with only one bath, we talk through whether to keep it before you decide.
What the job includes
- Removal of the bath, panel and taps, and disposal of the waste
- Grab rails and a fold-down seat if you want them
- Silicone, a full-flow test and a tidy finish where the new tiling meets the old
- A low-profile tray, or a former and tanking for a level-access floor
- A survey of the bath space, the waste position, the floor and your water system
- A thermostatic shower valve, with the pipework moved for the new head position
Decisions to make first
Enclosure or walk-in
An enclosure with a door keeps all the water in and suits a shorter space. A walk-in panel makes the most of the full 1700 mm length an old bath leaves.
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.
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.