shower room refit

andrew-b

To give you a rough idea our shower room looks set to cost us around £3k for quality kit (Twyfords toilet basin and shower enclosure, crosswater taps, grohe shower valve). However as we are doing the work ourselves (apart from the plastering) i'd expect to pay upto £1k more for labour if you are getting someone in for it. Ours isn't a straight swap as i've rerouted pipework for the toilet and towel rail and shower which all adds to the cost ...but then we are only tiling around the shower and basin which lowers the cost - the rest will be painted plaster.

If you are getting someone in then i'd suggest doing as much of the ripping out as you can yourself and dispose of all the waste yourself to keep costs down (assuming you have a car to get to the tip).

As already said, I'd never reveal your budget so the installer doesn't just simply try to match it... if you reveal a budget that is set too low you could end up with corners cut to ensure they meet your budget and not such a quality job...or if your budget is too high they may just take you right upto it or beyond! So better to keep a poker face when getting quotes!

Andy

frankie1star

everyone has been so helpful thank you.

I suppose the question I should ask is what should I budget for in that case.

I just had a look at the bathstore and victoria plumb websites, and shower trays on there look to be about £150-£200, Temp controller tap (think its called that about £200. Whats a reasonable enclosure make?

jennytiger

I think revealing your budget is completley necessary

It gives the fitter a better idea of what quality you want to work to.

Bigger budgets = better quality gear, yes you can get imported china suites for a few hundred quid but when you need a part for them after 6 months you would be cheaper replacing the lot!

You may want a designer suite so really the fitter needs to know as they probably have access to wide range products.

Just something to bear in mind - if you purchase something off the internet for your bathroom and get joe bloggs to fit it and after a few weeks its faulty who will take the blame? the internet company will blame the fitter and the fitter will blame the gear!

andyhop

I always ask the customer what they would like to spend

How can i price material accordingly as the scale on something like a wall tile is from 15p a tile all the way to well over £30

Even bathrooms suites range from £150 to tens of thousands with every thing in between

frankie1star

I suppose its about getting the best quality for the best price,

Still not sure on things that I should ask for though?

andyhop

i would metion that you want quality rather than low grade...maybe mid-range sanitryware

When i quote for a job i always itemise material,generally attach manufactors website links so you get a feel for cost and quality

frankie1star

Andyhop thats such a good idea, about manufacturers website links, very forward thinking.

How would I find out, what would be a good range of items to install, apart from price reflective?

provista_2

Also depends where you are in the country, London prices would be a lot more than elsewhere.

jennytiger

Ideal Standard have a big range of products with mid range prices.

frankie1star

I do know that Grohe taps/valves have a good reputation