How long does a bathroom renovation take?

About three weeks on site for a standard renovation and two weeks for like-for-like.

Bathrooms and en-suites across London

Bathroom renovation

Q: How much does a bathroom renovation cost in London?

A standard family bathroom renovation by Build Place is typically £15,000 to £20,000 for labour, construction materials, waste removal and site management, plus the client's own finish materials. Like-for-like costs less; layout changes cost more.

Q: Do I need to buy the tiles and suite before you start?

They need to be on site before the stage that uses them. Build Place provides a finish list with quantities and a delivery calendar, or sources everything through its procurement service.

Q: Can you move the toilet or the shower?

Usually yes; drainage falls and soil-stack positions decide what is possible and are checked at the survey.

Q: What guarantees do I get?

Workmanship is covered under the FMB contract, electrical work is certified under Part P, and products carry manufacturers' guarantees.

A bathroom done once and done properly: stripped to the walls, new plumbing and electrics, tanked, tiled and fitted by the same team, usually in about three weeks, on a written programme you see before we start.

What's included

Most London bathrooms we see are twenty years old behind the tiles: corroded pipework, no tanking, an extractor that doesn't extract. A renovation that only changes the suite looks new for a year. Ours renews what you can't see as well as what you can.

Strip-out to the walls and floor, old tiles and screed out, waste removed by licensed carriers
New hot, cold and waste pipework; new radiator or towel rail; underfloor heating if you want it
New electrics: downlights, shaver socket, extractor fan on a timer, fused spur for heated mirrors or towel rails
Moisture-resistant boarding, a waterproof tanking system to the wet areas, levelled floor
Tiling to walls and floor, including large-format and mosaic, with trims and epoxy or standard grout
Sanitaryware, taps, shower and screen installed — yours, or sourced through our procurement service
Decoration with proper preparation, silicone to all joints, and a Part P certificate on completion

Three ways to renovate a bathroom

Like-for-like

Same layout. New suite, tiles and decoration; existing pipework and wiring kept where sound and tested. About two weeks.

Standard

Full strip-out and a complete new first fix, tanking, tiling and installation. Our most popular option. About three weeks.

Individual

Moving the layout, walk-in showers, bespoke joinery, special fixtures and fittings, with our design and procurement services. Three to five weeks.

How it runs

Quick quote. Tell us the size and the postcode for an indicative price in two minutes.
Free survey. We measure, check the pipework runs, the floor and the extract route, and confirm the price.
Finish list. You get a list of everything to choose — tiles, sanitaryware, brassware, lighting — with quantities, and we check lead times against the start date.
On site. A programme pinned to the magnet desk, a WhatsApp group with your team, progress reports by email.
Handover. Snagging walked together, certificates issued, final clean.

We also renovate en-suites and cloakrooms, and often do a bathroom and kitchen in one programme. See recent bathroom projects in Wandsworth, Bermondsey and Chiswick.

Questions people ask us

How much does a bathroom renovation cost in London?

For a standard family bathroom, typically £15,000 to £20,000 for labour, construction materials, waste removal and site management, plus your own finish materials (sanitaryware, tiles, brassware, lighting). A like-for-like refresh costs less; moving the layout or adding a walk-in shower costs more. The quick quote gives a figure for your own room size and postcode.

How long will I be without a bathroom?

About three weeks for a standard renovation, two for like-for-like. If it is the only bathroom we keep a working WC for as long as the sequence allows and tell you the exact days it will be out of use.

Do I need to buy the tiles and suite before you start?

They need to be on site before the stage that uses them, not before we start. We give you a finish list with quantities and a delivery calendar, or our procurement service orders and receives everything for you.

Can you move the toilet or the shower?

Usually, yes. Drainage falls and soil-stack positions decide what is possible; we check this at the survey and show the options on a layout drawing if you take the Individual route.

Do you do underfloor heating?

Yes, electric underfloor heating under tiled floors is a common addition and is priced as an extra in the quick quote.

What guarantees do I get?

Our workmanship is covered under the FMB contract and electrical work is certified under Part P. Products carry their manufacturers' guarantees.