Bathroom renovation in Dumfries and Galloway

What does a bathroom renovation cost in Dumfries and Galloway?

Our guide range in Dumfries and Galloway is £7,200–£14,500 including VAT. Prices in Dumfries and Galloway run at about 4% below the UK guide, based on Scotland labour rates.

Guide prices for Dumfries & Galloway including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.

Which towns do we cover in Dumfries and Galloway?

• Dumfries
• Stranraer
• Annan
• Locharbriggs

Water across much of Dumfries and Galloway is 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 listed and period properties in Dumfries, we check early whether listed building consent applies to the work you have in mind.

What the job includes

• New wiring, lighting, extractor fan and RCD protection, installed and certified by a qualified electrician
• Strip-out back to brick or studwork, with waste taken away by a licensed waste carrier
• A survey of the structure and services: joists, walls, ceilings, pipework, wastes, wiring and ventilation
• Repairs to rotten floorboards, joists or other timber found once the room is open
• New hot and cold pipework and wastes, with isolation valves to each fitting
• Tiling, fitting of the suite and furniture, making good and decorating, then handover

Decisions to make first

Combining rooms

Taking out the wall between a bathroom and a separate WC gives one larger room, but it is structural work and may need building control.

Heating

Moving the radiator, adding a heated towel rail or laying underfloor heating is simpler while the room is stripped.

Pipe material

Copper suits exposed runs and the area near the boiler. Plastic pipe is quicker under floors and inside walls, and long runs need fewer joints.

Plaster or boards

Plaster suits dry walls that will be painted. Cement-based tile backer boards are the better base behind showers and under heavy tiles.

Rules that apply in Scotland

Renovating a bathroom inside an existing home does not need planning permission. Listed buildings need listed building consent for alterations that affect their character, which can include internal work and new soil or vent pipes through walls. In a flat, check your title deeds and any deed of conditions: agreement from the other owners or the factor is often needed for wet rooms, moving the WC or new extract vents, and sound insulation and leak risk to the flat below matter. Electrical work must meet BS 7671, with 30 mA RCD protection on every bathroom circuit.

In Scotland, structural work, altering drainage or forming a new bathroom may need a building warrant, which must be granted before that work starts. A straight refit rarely needs one. Electrical work is tested and certified to BS 7671.