What does bathroom plumbing work cost in Oxfordshire?
Our guide range in Oxfordshire is £650–£4,500 including VAT. Prices in Oxfordshire run at about 12% above the UK guide, based on South East England labour rates.
Like-for-like
- Isolation valves, new tails
Partial re-route
- Waste re-routed
New layout
- WC moved on the soil stack
Guide prices for Oxfordshire including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in Oxfordshire?
Supplies across most of Oxfordshire are hard. 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. If your Oxford water is hard, a scale reducer or softener on the bathroom supplies can protect valves and shower heads.
What the job includes
- New hot and cold pipework in copper or plastic, properly clipped, and insulated where it runs through cold spaces
- Basin, bath and shower wastes sized and laid to a steady fall, with traps that hold their water seal
- A check of your hot water system, and the pressure and flow rate at the bathroom
- Shower pumps on gravity systems, and macerators or pumped wastes where gravity drainage cannot reach
- The WC connected to the soil stack, or a new branch where the WC is moving
- Isolation valves on every fitting, so taps, cisterns and valves can be serviced without draining the system
Decisions to make first
Gravity or pumped waste
Gravity drainage is always the first choice. A shower waste pump or macerator solves a run that cannot fall, but adds noise, a power supply and servicing.
Hard water
In hard water areas, a scale reducer or water softener protects valves, shower heads and glass. Keep an unsoftened tap in the kitchen for drinking.
Concealed or exposed valves
Concealed shower valves look neater but need an access route for servicing. Exposed bar valves are easier to reach and replace.
Pipe routes
Drilling through the middle of joists, rather than notching the tops, keeps the floor strong. Routes are planned with the joist direction in mind.
Rules that apply in England
New WCs, taps, showers and valves must meet the water fittings rules where you live: a maximum 6-litre flush for new WCs, backflow protection, and no pump connected directly to the mains supply, because shower pumps are only for gravity systems with a cold tank. Unvented hot-water cylinders must be installed by a G3-qualified installer, and any work on a gas boiler by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
In England, the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 apply. New drainage or a new connection to the soil stack can be building regulations work under Part H, and a macerator or pumped WC is acceptable only where there is also a WC on gravity drainage elsewhere in the home.