Bathroom lighting in Tyne and Wear

What does new bathroom lighting cost in Tyne and Wear?

Our guide range in Tyne and Wear is £300–£1,100 including VAT. Prices in Tyne and Wear run at about 10% below the UK guide, based on North East England labour rates.

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

Which towns do we cover in Tyne and Wear?

• Newcastle upon Tyne
• Sunderland
• South Shields
• Gateshead
• Washington
• Tynemouth
• Wallsend
• Newburn
• North Shields
• Whitley Bay
• Houghton-Le-Spring
• Felling
• Jarrow
• Gosforth
• Hebburn
• Whickham
• Blaydon-on-Tyne

Supplies across most of Tyne and Wear are soft. That leaves you free to choose matt black, brushed brass or clear glass without worrying much about limescale. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. For Newcastle upon Tyne homes with a loft above the bathroom, the insulation and fire protection are checked before any downlights are cut in.

What the job includes

• Fire-rated downlights or fire hoods where the ceiling has to keep its fire resistance
• A ceiling pull-cord or a switch outside the room, with separate switching for mirror and feature lights
• Cable runs to each fitting, from the loft above or through the ceiling
• A lighting plan: number and position of downlights, mirror lighting, switches and any shaver socket
• RCD protection on the lighting circuit, checked at the consumer unit and added where it is missing
• A shaver supply unit where wanted, positioned away from direct spray

Decisions to make first

Mirror lighting

An illuminated mirror or mirror cabinet lights the face from the front, which a ceiling light cannot do. Many include a demister pad and a shaver socket.

Downlight positions

Evenly spaced downlights give flat, general light. Placing one over the shower and one over the basin puts the light where you actually use it.

Colour temperature

Warm white, around 3000 K, feels softer; cool white, around 4000 K, is crisper for shaving and make-up. Mixing the two in one room looks uneven.

Feature lighting

LED strips in niches, under a wall-hung vanity or along a plinth give enough light for night-time without full glare.

Rules that apply in England

BS 7671 sets the rules for bathroom electrics across the UK. Every circuit in a room with a bath or shower needs 30 mA RCD protection. Zone 0 is inside the bath or shower tray and needs IPX7 fittings; zone 1 is above it up to 2.25 m and needs at least IPX4, or IPX5 where water jets are used; zone 2 extends 0.6 m out from zone 1, where IPX4 is recommended. Sockets other than shaver supply units must be at least 3 m from the zone 1 boundary.

In England, Part P makes a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement and any addition or alteration to circuits in a room with a bath or shower notifiable. The work must be done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme or notified to building control. Replacing a light fitting like for like is not usually notifiable, but it still has to meet BS 7671.