What does a cloakroom or downstairs WC cost in the Lothians?
Our guide range in the Lothians is £1,750–£4,300 including VAT. Prices in the Lothians run at about 4% below the UK guide, based on Scotland labour rates.
Refit
- Compact WC and corner or wall basin
Upgrade
- Feature tiles and lighting
New cloakroom
- Formed under the stairs or in a utility
Guide prices for The Lothians including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in the Lothians?
Water across much of the Lothians is 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 your Livingston cloakroom has no window, we size and duct the extractor fan so the room clears properly.
What the job includes
- A survey that checks the headroom under the stairs, the door swing and how the waste will reach the drain
- A new waste connection to the soil stack or drain, or a macerator where the rules allow it
- Lighting wired by a qualified electrician, tested and certified
- Splashback or feature tiling and a new floor, often LVT or porcelain
- Compact sanitaryware: a short-projection, back-to-wall or wall-hung WC and a corner, wall-hung or slim vanity basin
- An extractor fan ducted to outside, wired with an overrun timer or linked to the light
Decisions to make first
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.
Finishes
A small room can carry a bolder tile or wallpaper. A feature wall behind the WC costs far less here than in a full bathroom because there is so little of it.
Basin
A corner basin fits the tightest rooms. A slim vanity basin with a cupboard underneath gives somewhere to keep spare toilet rolls and soap, and hides the trap.
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.
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.