How to quote for a bathroom renovation

A bathroom is one of the easiest jobs to underquote. It looks like a small room, but it pulls in stripping out, first fix, tiling, second fix, and making good, often across several trades. Quote it loosely and the extras eat your margin. Here is how to survey it, what to factor in, and how to structure the quote so the customer understands exactly what they are paying for.

Survey the job before you price it

Never quote a bathroom from a phone photo. Go and see it. The things that move the price are usually hidden: the state of the existing pipework, whether the floor needs taking up, how the walls are sitting, and whether the customer wants to move where the bath or toilet goes. Moving plumbing is where small jobs become big ones.

• Measure the room and check it against the suite and tiles the customer wants.
• Check the condition of existing pipework, the soil stack and the floor.
• Confirm whether anything is moving position, which means new runs and more first fix.
• Note access: a first-floor bathroom with a narrow staircase is slower to strip out and load out.
• Agree who is supplying the suite, tiles and fittings. This changes the price a lot.

Break the job into stages

Bathrooms quote cleanly when you split them into the stages you'll actually work through. It helps the customer follow the price and helps you not forget anything.

• Strip out: removing the old suite, tiles and any units, plus waste removal.
• First fix: any new pipework, waste runs, and electrics for lighting, shaver points or an extractor.
• Walls and floor: plastering or boarding, tanking wet areas, then tiling.
• Second fix: fitting the suite, taps, shower, screen and any furniture.
• Finishing: silicone, sealing, making good and a clean.

Price your own labour and materials

Work out your labour from the days each stage realistically takes, then price your materials from your suppliers. Don't forget the small consumables that add up: adhesive, grout, sealant, fixings, waste bags. Price your own materials and labour rather than copying someone else's number, because your costs, your area and the spec in front of you are what matter.

If other trades are involved, an electrician for the lighting or a plasterer, either price their work into your quote or make clear they are excluded and arranged separately. Don't leave it vague.

Be clear about inclusions and exclusions

Bathrooms generate disputes over who supplies what and what "finished" means. State it plainly. If the customer is supplying the tiles, say the quote excludes tiles. If you are not painting the walls after tiling, say so. If you've allowed a sum for a suite they haven't chosen yet, label it a provisional figure that will be confirmed once they pick.

Timeline, deposit and the final figure

Give a realistic duration in working days and a start window, and be honest that a bathroom means no usable bathroom for that period. State any deposit needed to book and order materials. Then present the total cleanly: a clear scope, the staged breakdown, your exclusions, and the price with VAT shown separately if you are registered.

For the standard items every quote should carry, see what every professional quote should include. If you're VAT registered, our guide on VAT for sole traders covers how to show it without surprising the customer.