What does a new shower cost in Essex?
Our guide range in Essex is £500–£3,700 including VAT. Prices in Essex run at about 6% above the UK guide, based on East of England labour rates.
Shower swap
- Existing supply and position
New shower over bath
- Tiling the bath surround
New shower with enclosure
- Tray, enclosure and valve
Guide prices for Essex including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in Essex?
- Southend-on-Sea
- Basildon
- Colchester
- Chelmsford
- Harlow
- Grays
- Braintree
- Brentwood
- Clacton-on-Sea
- South Benfleet
- Canvey Island
- Billericay
- Rayleigh
- Stanford-le-Hope
- Wickford
- Witham
- Pitsea
- Maldon
- Waltham Abbey
- South Ockendon
- Harwich
- Hadleigh
- Walton-on-the-Naze
- Frinton-on-Sea
- Rochford
- Saffron Walden
Water across much of Essex is very hard. If your supply in Southend-on-Sea is the same, limescale on shower glass and heads is a real issue: easy-clean glass, rub-clean nozzles and a squeegee make a big difference. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. If the shower in your Southend-on-Sea home swings between hot and cold, a thermostatic valve is usually the fix.
What the job includes
- Tiling or re-tiling around the shower, with tanking behind new tiles in the wet area
- Removal of the old shower, a full-flow test and a handover on isolating and descaling it
- A check of your hot-water system, water pressure and flow rate
- Electrical connection by a qualified electrician, tested and certified
- New pipework and isolation valves, plus a pump only where the system is gravity-fed from a cold tank
- A bath screen, tray or enclosure where the shower is new
Decisions to make first
Exposed or concealed
An exposed bar valve fixes onto the tiles and is easy to service. A concealed valve sits in the wall for a cleaner look but needs careful setting-out and a plan for access.
Head and handset
A handset on a riser rail is versatile and easy for rinsing; a fixed overhead head feels generous but needs strong flow behind it.
Thermostatic mixer
Blends hot and cold from your system and holds the temperature steady when someone runs a tap. The usual choice with a combi or an unvented cylinder.
Power shower
A mixer with a built-in pump, for tank-fed systems only. It lifts a weak gravity shower but must never be connected to the mains.
Rules that apply in England
The water fittings regulations in each nation do not allow a pump to be connected directly to the mains supply; shower pumps are for gravity systems with a cold tank only. The shower must also be protected against water flowing back into the supply. Electrics must meet BS 7671, with 30 mA RCD protection and at least IPX4 fittings in zone 1, or IPX5 where water jets are used.
In England, an electric shower usually needs its own dedicated circuit, often 40 to 45 amps for an 8.5 to 10.5 kW unit, and a new circuit is notifiable under Part P. The Part G limit of 48 °C applies to a new bath in a new dwelling or one created by change of use, not to a shower, but a thermostatic valve gives similar protection. An unvented cylinder fitted to improve the shower must be installed by a G3-qualified installer.