What does a bathroom strip-out cost in the Scottish Borders?
Our guide range in the Scottish Borders is £600–£1,750 including VAT. Prices in the Scottish Borders run at about 4% below the UK guide, based on Scotland labour rates.
Strip-out only
- Pipework capped safely
Strip-out and prep
- Ready for fitting
Back to brick
- Plaster and tiles removed
Guide prices for Scottish Borders including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in the Scottish Borders?
Water across much of the Scottish Borders is soft. Soft water is kind to grout, so mid-tone and darker grouts stay looking fresh. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. Landlords in Hawick can book a strip-out to see the real condition of a damaged bathroom before choosing between a refit and a renovation.
What the job includes
- Wall and floor tiles taken off with as little damage as possible to sound plaster
- Waste loaded and taken away by a licensed waste carrier
- A note of what was found: floor and wall condition, pipe runs and any damaged timber
- Isolating the water and capping the supply to each fitting with a proper end, then checking for leaks
- Dust sheets and floor protection on the route out through the house
- Lights, fan, shaver socket and heated rail disconnected and made safe by a qualified electrician where needed
Decisions to make first
Asbestos testing
In a home built before 2000, a sample test before work starts settles whether a ceiling coating, floor tile or boxing panel needs specialist removal.
Salvage
If you want to keep a cast-iron bath, a radiator or a piece of furniture, say so before we start, so it comes out whole rather than in pieces.
The floor
Old vinyl or tiles on a ply overlay can come up with the ply. Tiles bonded to a screed may need grinding back or overlaying instead.
Timing
Strip out just before the fit rather than weeks ahead, so the house is without a bathroom for as short a time as possible.
Rules that apply in Scotland
Homes built before 2000 can contain asbestos in textured ceiling coatings, old floor tiles, cistern lids and boxing panels, so suspect materials should be tested before strip-out if there is any doubt. Bathroom waste should be taken away by a licensed waste carrier. Disconnecting electrical items should leave every circuit safe and is a job for a qualified electrician, and any work near a boiler or gas pipe is for a Gas Safe registered engineer.
In Scotland, removal work does not need a building warrant, but structural work, altering drainage or forming a new bathroom afterwards may. Where a warrant is needed, it has to be granted before that work starts, so plan the strip-out around it.