What a bathroom costs and what makes up the price
In a full flat renovation the bathroom is part of the overall price: from €1,000/m² excluding VAT at Basic, from €2,000/m² at Standard and from €3,000/m² at Luxury. We only give a separate bathroom figure in the quote, after measuring, because per square metre it concentrates more labour and materials than any other room.
The price breaks down into six blocks: strip-out and services, substrate and waterproofing, wall and floor finishes, sanitaryware with taps and glass, furniture and lighting, and small items. The widest price spread comes from sanitaryware, tile format and glass.
Strip-out and services: what disappears into the walls
The first item is stripping out the old tiles, screed and bath, with waste removal, a skip and protection of the common areas. The second is services. New water supply and waste pipes back to the stack, a new electrical circuit with its protection, an extract duct. If the toilet or shower moves, the price goes up: you need a fall, possibly a raised floor and sometimes an opening in the slab.
This block also covers concealed frames for wall-hung fittings, false walls, niches and the box for a concealed shower valve. None of it is visible in the finished room, but it decides whether the toilet can be wall-hung and the shower made level-access.
Substrate and waterproofing
Under the tiles there is wall levelling, a floor screed and a fall towards the shower drain. Then comes waterproofing: the whole bathroom floor turned up onto the walls, and the shower walls up to splash height, with tape in the corners and collars around pipe outlets. It is invisible, but poor waterproofing is the most expensive bathroom mistake: a leak into the flat below can cost more than the whole bathroom.
In the quote it should be a line of its own, with the material and the area. If it is missing or buried inside "tiling", ask directly what will be done and where.
Tiles: material and labour are separate items
Tiling is priced in two lines: material and laying. Material is calculated by area plus an allowance for cuts, usually 10 to 15%, and more for diagonal or herringbone patterns. Laying depends on the format: large slabs of 120 × 60 cm or bigger need a very flat substrate, two people and special tools; mosaic and herringbone involve a lot of hand work.
That is why the same bathroom floor area can cost quite differently depending on the tile chosen. Add trims for external corners, 45° mitred edges, grout, especially epoxy, and silicone. All of these are quote items too.
Sanitaryware, taps and glass: where prices vary most
Toilet, basin, taps, shower set and towel rail can differ several times over in price while looking similar. That is why the quote often lists them as a provisional sum. Check whether a specific model or a budget for it is stated, and who buys it: the contractor or you.
Concealed valves come in two parts: the body built into the wall before tiling and the visible trim. If the body is not ordered in time, tiling stops. The glass screen is ordered by measuring after tiling; a bespoke panel with minimal framing costs considerably more than a standard one and needs very true walls.
The small things people forget
An extractor fan with a timer or humidity sensor. Light fittings rated for wet zones and mirror lighting. A separate circuit for an electric towel rail or underfloor heating. An access panel to valves and cisterns. The bathroom door, often with a grille or undercut for air intake. Moisture-resistant ceiling paint. The final clean after grouting.
Each item is small on its own. Together they add up to a noticeable amount, and if they are not in the quote they will turn up as extras.
How to read a bathroom quote
Ask the contractor five questions. Is waterproofing a separate line, and for what area? Is the tile allowance calculated, and for which format? Who buys the sanitaryware, and what is a provisional sum? Are concealed valve bodies and frames included? Are ventilation, lighting and the door in there?
If the flat has only one bathroom, discuss in advance how you will live during the works: it is not a quote item, but it shapes the schedule. How quotes are structured in general is covered in a separate article; here one rule is enough: a bathroom quote with no waterproofing and no small items is not cheap, it is incomplete.