Bathroom renovation in the West Midlands

What does a bathroom renovation cost in the West Midlands?

Our guide range in the West Midlands is £7,400–£14,750 including VAT.

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

Which towns do we cover in the West Midlands?

• Birmingham
• Coventry
• Wolverhampton
• Dudley
• Walsall
• Solihull
• Sutton Coldfield
• West Bromwich
• Halesowen
• Stourbridge
• Smethwick
• Willenhall
• Tipton
• Bloxwich
• Wednesfield
• Washwood Heath
• Aston
• Shirley
• Brierley Hill
• Aldridge
• Acocks Green
• Bartley Green
• Wednesbury
• Kingswinford

Water hardness varies across the West Midlands: some supplies are soft, others moderately hard or hard. Easy-clean glass and good-quality brassware are money well spent. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. In Birmingham flats, the lease and the flat below are considered before a renovation is planned, particularly for moving the WC or adding a vent.

What the job includes

• Re-plastering or boarding, with cement-based boards and tanking in the wet areas
• A survey of the structure and services: joists, walls, ceilings, pipework, wastes, wiring and ventilation
• New wiring, lighting, extractor fan and RCD protection, installed and certified by a qualified electrician
• Tiling, fitting of the suite and furniture, making good and decorating, then handover
• 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

Decisions to make first

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.

How far back to strip

Back to brick gives a clean start. Keeping sound plaster on some walls saves time and money, and the survey shows which walls can stay.

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.

Rules that apply in England

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 the lease: freeholder consent 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 England, structural changes, new drainage or a new connection to the soil stack under Part H, and new circuits under Part P can all be building regulations work. A registered electrician can self-certify the electrics; structural and drainage work may need a building notice or a full plans application to building control.