Cloakrooms & downstairs WCs in Gwent

What does a cloakroom or downstairs WC cost in Gwent?

Our guide range in Gwent is £1,650–£4,200 including VAT. Prices in Gwent run at about 7% below the UK guide, based on Wales labour rates.

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

Which towns do we cover in Gwent?

• Newport
• Cwmbran
• Pontypool
• Ebbw Vale
• Caerphilly
• Risca
• Gelligaer
• Blackwood

Supplies across Gwent range from soft to hard depending on the source. Taps and wastes will need an occasional descale, and chrome or brushed finishes are easier to keep clean than polished brass. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. If you are refreshing a dated cloakroom in Newport, a wall-hung WC and slim vanity can change the room in a few days.

What the job includes

• Splashback or feature tiling and a new floor, often LVT or porcelain
• Lighting wired by a qualified electrician, tested and certified
• A survey that checks the headroom under the stairs, the door swing and how the waste will reach the drain
• Strip-out of the old fittings, waste removal and making good on the hall side
• Compact sanitaryware: a short-projection, back-to-wall or wall-hung WC and a corner, wall-hung or slim vanity basin
• A new waste connection to the soil stack or drain, or a macerator where the rules allow it

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rules that apply in Wales

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 Wales, Part H covers a new drainage connection and the Welsh Part F covers ventilation, with rates similar to England. The Welsh Part P has a wider notifiable list, so check with your electrician whether the cloakroom lighting and fan need to be notified.