How to price a bathroom refit in 2026
Pricing a bathroom refit is where a lot of good tradespeople quietly lose money. The tiling took three days, not two. The customer changed the tap. The old soil pipe was rotten behind the boxing. None of it was in the quote — so it came out of your margin.
This guide walks through a repeatable way to price a full refit in 2026, so your number holds up when the job gets messy. It's aimed at UK plumbers, bathroom fitters and general builders quoting domestic work.
Start with the scope, not the price
The single biggest cause of a bad quote is pricing a job you haven't fully pictured yet. Before any numbers, write down exactly what "done" looks like:
- Strip-out — remove and dispose of the old suite, tiles and any boxing
- First fix — move or renew pipework, waste, and any electrics (isolated to a Part P electrician where needed)
- Substrate — new tile backer board, floor levelling, tanking the wet area
- Second fix — fit the suite, taps, shower, screen and radiator
- Finishes — tiling, grouting, sealing, silicone, painting
- Making good — flooring, trims, and the bits that always eat an afternoon
If a line isn't written down, it isn't priced. Say so on the quote too — a clear scope is what stops the "but I thought that was included" conversation later.
Price labour by the day, quote by the job
Most fitters think in day rates but customers want a fixed price. Do both: estimate the days honestly, then present one number.
A typical domestic refit runs 5–10 working days depending on tiling area and how much pipework moves. Be realistic about the slow parts:
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Strip-out & first fix | 1.5–2.5 days |
| Boarding, tanking, levelling | 1–1.5 days |
| Tiling (walls + floor) | 2–4 days |
| Second fix & suite | 1–1.5 days |
| Grout, silicone, snagging | 0.5–1 day |
Multiply the total days by your real day rate — the one that covers your van, tools, insurance, pension and the unpaid hours doing quotes at 9pm. If that number feels high, it's probably closer to right than the one you'd have guessed.
Rule of thumb: if you finish a job and feel relieved rather than fairly paid, your day rate is too low. Put it up on the next quote, not this one.
Materials: cost them, then mark them up
Two separate decisions here, and people muddle them.
- Cost — get real 2026 supplier prices for the actual suite, tiles, adhesive, boards, tanking kit and sundries. Add a wastage allowance on tiles (10% for straight, 15%+ for diagonal or patterned) so you're not doing a second trip for two boxes.
- Markup — you carry the cost, the warranty hassle and the trip to the merchant, so a 10–20% markup on materials is standard and fair. If the customer supplies their own items, price fit-only and note that faults in customer-supplied goods aren't your problem.
Keep labour and materials as separate lines. It makes the quote easier to defend and easier to adjust if they change the tile.
Build in contingency — the bit that saves you
Refits hide surprises: rotten joists, no isolation valve, walls that are 20mm out. Add a contingency of 5–10% on older properties. You don't have to itemise it to the customer, but you should protect it in your own numbers.
Where you find a genuine unknown you can't price (e.g. "we won't know about the soil pipe until the boxing is off"), call it out as a provisional sum or an exclusion rather than swallowing the risk silently.
Don't forget VAT and payment terms
- If you're VAT registered, the quote must make clear whether the price includes VAT. Ambiguity here costs you 20% or an awkward conversation.
- Take a deposit — 25–40% up front on a refit is normal and funds the materials so you're not banking the job on your own cash.
- State your payment terms and validity period. Material prices move; a quote that's "valid for 30 days" protects you when they accept it three months later.
Chasing money is a whole skill of its own — but a clear deposit and terms line on the quote prevents most of it.
A worked example
A mid-range refit, small-to-medium bathroom, some pipework moving, full height tiling on two walls:
- Labour: 7 days × your day rate
- Materials: suite + tiles + boards + tanking + sundries, at cost
- Materials markup: 15%
- Contingency: 8% (1990s house, unknown pipework)
- Deposit: 33% on acceptance, balance on completion
- Clearly marked: includes VAT / fit-only exclusions / 30-day validity
Present that as one fixed price with a clean scope and a short "what's included / not included" list. That's the quote that wins the job and keeps its margin.
Get the quote out the same day
The other quiet killer isn't the price — it's the speed. The fitter who sends a tidy, professional quote that evening usually beats the one who "gets it over next week." Momentum wins domestic work.
That's exactly what QuoteSnap is for: describe the job in plain English, drop in your labour, and it builds a branded, itemised quote — VAT, deposit and terms handled — in about a minute, from the van.