Vanity units in County Durham

What does a new vanity unit cost in County Durham?

Our guide range in County Durham is £300–£1,350 including VAT. Prices in County Durham run at about 10% below the UK guide, based on North East England labour rates.

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

Which towns do we cover in County Durham?

• Darlington
• Hartlepool
• Stockton-on-Tees
• Durham
• Chester-le-Street
• Billingham
• Stanley
• Consett
• Newton Aycliffe
• Bishop Auckland
• Seaham
• Thornaby-on-Tees
• Peterlee
• Yarm
• Spennymoor

Supplies across most of County Durham are moderately hard. 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. We quote vanity unit work in Darlington after seeing the wall and pipework, so any re-tiling is on the quote from the start.

What the job includes

• Fitting the unit level, with the basin sealed to the top and the top sealed to the wall
• Removal of the old basin and pedestal, or old vanity, and taking it away
• Isolation valves on the hot and cold supplies, so the tap can be changed later without draining the system
• Moving the waste and supply positions where the new unit needs them higher, lower or to one side
• Testing for leaks and checking the trap holds its seal
• A new tap, trap and the correct slotted or unslotted waste for the basin

Decisions to make first

One basin or two

Two basins help a busy household if the wall is long enough. In a smaller room, one basin with a longer top often works better.

Drawers or doors

Drawers keep things visible and reachable but lose some space to the trap. Doors give a deeper cupboard and cost less.

Wall-hung or floor-standing

Wall-hung units leave the floor clear and are easy to clean under, but need a strong wall. Floor-standing units hold more and suit weak or uneven walls.

Waste and overflow

A basin with an overflow takes a slotted waste; one without needs an unslotted waste, often a push-button 'click-clack' type.

Rules that apply in England

Replacing a basin with a vanity unit does not need planning permission or building regulations approval. The new tap must meet the water fittings rules, including protection against backflow, and the waste should connect to the existing drainage through a proper trap. If the unit has a light, or a lit mirror goes above it, the electrical work must suit the zone it sits in under BS 7671 and be RCD protected.

In England, the tap and supply pipework come under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. A new waste connection to the soil stack can be Part H work, and adding a light to the unit or above it is notifiable under Part P.