• Adding colour to your bathroom

• Buying a new bathroom (Part 1)

• Essential, but never boring….toilets!

• How to pay for a new bathroom?

• A guide to bathroom furniture

How long does it take to install a bathroom?

Whether you are planning a luxurious master ensuite, a practical family bathroom or a simple downstairs cloakroom, there is plenty to think about. Designing, buying, and fitting a new bathroom is a big undertaking. The design needs to balance function and style. Buying needs to ensure personal taste can be achieved within budget. Fitting, whether you take it on yourself or bring in trades people, needs to go smoothly … otherwise you’d wish you’d never started!

Being the one room in the house, which is used by everyone multiple times a day, homeowners are understandably keen to know how long it will take to install a new bathroom. How long is a piece of string?! Whether you have the one bathroom or are lucky enough to have more than one, whatever the timescale, it is a major inconvenience.

The length of time it takes to complete a full bathroom refit can vary from a couple of weeks for a simple installation to several weeks for a larger, more complex bathroom project. If using a bathroom installer, go through the schedule carefully with them so you understand the various stages involved.

A typical schedule includes some, or all, of the following stages:

1. 1. Research what you like or don’t like using magazines, websites, retailer and manufacturer brochures.
2. 2. Develop your bathroom brief and give some thought to your budget – including any contingency.
3. 3. Research builders, or specific trades people if there are certain skills that you aren’t confident in such as plumbing or electrics.
4. 4. Invite builders to your home, talk over your brief and ask for quotes – ideally 3 different quotes so you can compare before hiring.
5. 5. Sign any contracts, book work in and finalise the schedule – remember good builders and trades people are generally busy and will not be able to start straightaway.
6. 6. Select and order sanitaryware, materials, fixtures, and fittings – your builder may well do this – but make sure you are both aware and agree on the sanitaryware together.
7. 7. Rip out and remove the old bathroom.
8. 8. First fix plumbing and electrics.
9. 9. Level off any walls, fit plasterboard as required, tile any backing board, plaster walls.
10. 10. Repair and/or plaster ceiling
11. 11. Level and/or reinforce the floor – waterproofing for a wet room if required.
12. 12. Second fix plumbing and electrics including installation of all sanitary ware and wiring of all lighting, extractor fans, shaver points and any underfloor heating,







13. 13. Wall and/or floor tiling.





14. 14. Final decoration of walls, ceiling, and woodwork.


15. 15. Hang any cabinets, mirrors, or shelving and fix toilet roll holders, towel rails etc

Make sure you have any certification you require, put finishing touches in place such as towels, soap dispensers, candles and finally, you can enjoy that luxuriating bubble bath!

8th Mar 2021