Ensuite renovation - costs

[Monsterlime]

Small ensuite, enough for a shower cubicle, toilet and sink. Couldn't really stretch my arms out if the shower door was closed. It needs redecorating, new shower bits etc.

Wickes quoted £8k+ for it, largely in labour (and most people we have spoken to seem to agree this is expensive). A few local companies are advertising around the £3k mark.

One seems expensive, the others seem too cheap. I also have concerns about the local companies.

For example, this lot - https://wetwallconnexions.co.uk/ are local, but this facebook post pops up about them - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ConsumerScotland/p...

However, another 'company', also local are - https://wetwallinstallations.co.uk/

Both have generally positive reviews on Google & Facebook (which can be bought etc), both are run by people with the same last name if you look them up on Companies House.

1- https://find-and-update.company-information.servic...
2- https://find-and-update.company-information.servic...

This strikes me as suspicious, plus obviously the company names are quite close.

Is the Wickes quote reasonable, are the others too cheap or am I being too paranoid?

[scot_aln]

No neighbours had similar done in the last few years? I say last few years as even the poorest installs often look good for the first while. We've usually used a decent and recommended plumber. This in several locations and they've usually had their preferred tiler, electrician and if needed plasterer. You do usually have to shop for the individual bits yourself but that can save a heap. The size saves on tiling and flooring but large or small you've still got a shower, toiler, sink etc all to fit.

[Antony Moxey]

We had ours done a year or two ago. Approx 2m x 2m give or take. New shower, new sink, new toilet, new lighting, relocated radiator, skimmed walls where waist height tiling removed from all four walls, retiled, laminate floor. About £3.5-4k with me doing the painting. Price included disposal of replaced items. We're in deepest darkest Devon.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Just pricing mine up, looks to be about 1500 to 2k replacing everything myself, I'd drop another 2-2.5k labour on it if someone else was doing it.

[Freakuk]

A few years ago now, we had a leak in our small ensuite (sounds similar to your size).

We had already been speaking to a local bathroom guy and we ended up replacing everything floor to ceiling, retiled, new floor tiles, new wiring, plumbing, and then adding things like heated mirror (and the associated wiring), remote temperature setting for the shower so you could turn the shower on/off from outside of the cubicle. I think that was heading towards 8K, he did a great job to be fair and although it was expensive he did it quickly, efficiently and no mess.

On the flip side I've literally just replaced a bath tub, fixed a leak, replaced the taps, waste and shower screen and a few other things in the main bathroom and I've spent around £800 on the parts plus sealant, tools etc to do it myself, retained existing tiles. Expensive bath tub and taps made up most of the cost, waste was around 20 quid, new u-bend 6 quid, couple of tubes of sealant probably 25 quid, and a few new tools again probably 25 quid.

Edited by Freakuk on Tuesday 4th February 12:03

[Kev_Mk3]

We are looking to do ours next but we wont be using Wickes.

August had a kitchen planned to be fitted (booked it in Feb) contractor cancelled day before starting so delayed 2 weeks. Had no end of delays with him but was mostly done in the 2 weeks despite a lot being up to spec. Was never actually finished. We are now in Feb and the customer service / complaints team etc are horrific so much so I've emailed that it would be easier and we will find Madeleine McCann quicker than Wickes working out what customer service is. It's going to the Ombudsman shortly & sadly i'm not the only one having this experience.

Feel sorry for the woman our fitter left to go help one day as she had no power, water or anything due to cockups.

Our fitter was actually sacked from Wickes it seems..........

[judas]

We did ours last year. Bought in all the stuff to do it ourselves, but got someone to do it for us in the end. Total cost was about £7.5k all in, split more or less 50:50 fittings and labour.

[Monsterlime]

Interesting, thanks all.

Wickes did want all the labour charge up front, which I thought was odd.

I definitely prefer the idea of finding the bits myself and then getting in a decent trade to do some of it. I am definitely capable of removing stuff! I've also done a few things myself, so its just an extension of that.