Bathroom renovation in Fife

What does a bathroom renovation cost in Fife?

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

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

Which towns do we cover in Fife?

• Dunfermline
• Kirkcaldy
• Glenrothes
• St Andrews

Water across much of Fife 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. If you have just bought a house in Dunfermline, renovating the bathroom before moving in saves living through the dust.

What the job includes

• Re-plastering or boarding, with cement-based boards and tanking in the wet areas
• Repairs to rotten floorboards, joists or other timber found once the room is open
• New wiring, lighting, extractor fan and RCD protection, installed and certified by a qualified electrician
• New hot and cold pipework and wastes, with isolation valves to each fitting
• Strip-out back to brick or studwork, with waste taken away by a licensed waste carrier
• 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.

Shower floor

With the floor already up, a renovation is the easiest time to form a level shower floor or a full wet room.

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.

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.

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.