Cloakrooms & downstairs WCs in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

What does a cloakroom or downstairs WC cost in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire?

Our guide range in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire is £1,750–£4,300 including VAT. Prices in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire run at about 4% below the UK guide, based on Scotland labour rates.

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

Which towns do we cover in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire?

• Aberdeen
• Peterhead
• Inverurie
• Fraserburgh

Supplies across most of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are soft. In soft water, taps, wastes and toilet pans scale up slowly, so brushed and matt finishes are a safe choice. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. If the only toilet in your Aberdeen home is upstairs, a cloakroom under the stairs or in the utility can save a lot of trips.

What the job includes

• Lighting wired by a qualified electrician, tested and certified
• An extractor fan ducted to outside, wired with an overrun timer or linked to the light
• A survey that checks the headroom under the stairs, the door swing and how the waste will reach the drain
• Splashback or feature tiling and a new floor, often LVT or porcelain
• A new waste connection to the soil stack or drain, or a macerator where the rules allow it
• A concealed cistern frame or WC unit where the space allows

Decisions to make first

Door

An outward-opening door is usually needed so it does not hit the WC. A sliding door suits a narrow hallway where an outward door would block the way.

Macerator or gravity

Gravity drainage is silent and needs no maintenance. A macerator lets a WC go where a pipe could not otherwise fall, provided another WC in the house is on gravity drainage.

WC style

A wall-hung WC on a frame gives the most floor space and looks neat. A back-to-wall pan in a short furniture unit is easier to fit against an uneven wall.

Under-stair layout

Headroom drops quickly under stairs. The basin and the space in front of the WC need standing height; the low end of the room can take the cistern or storage.

Rules that apply in Scotland

A cloakroom refit does not need planning permission, and forming a new one inside the house rarely does, although a listed building needs listed building consent for internal alterations affecting its character. A macerator or pumped WC is acceptable only where the home also has a WC on gravity drainage. The water fittings rules in each nation limit a new WC to a 6-litre flush.

In Scotland, forming a new WC that alters drainage may need a building warrant, while refitting an existing cloakroom normally does not. Water fittings are covered by the Scottish Water Byelaws 2014, and electrics should be tested and certified to BS 7671.