A small bathroom is one of the most common jobs we quote for around Wallington, Carshalton, Sutton and Croydon, and it is also one where prices vary more than homeowners expect. Two bathrooms of the same size can end up thousands of pounds apart depending on what is behind the tiles and how much you change. This guide sets out what South London homeowners actually pay, what drives the cost, and where it makes sense to save or spend.
For a bathroom of roughly 2m x 2m to 2.5m x 2m, which covers most Edwardian terraces, 1930s semis and 1960s flats in the Sutton and Croydon boroughs, a straightforward like for like refit usually lands between £6,000 and £9,000 including labour, materials and VAT where applicable. That assumes the layout stays the same, the existing pipework is sound, and you choose mid range sanitaryware and tiles.
A mid range renovation where the layout changes, a bath becomes a walk in shower, or you add underfloor heating and a wall hung toilet typically runs £9,000 to £14,000. A high end small bathroom with large format porcelain, a bespoke vanity, concealed cisterns and brassware from a premium brand can comfortably pass £15,000 even in a compact room, because the fittings cost the same whether the room is small or large.
Labour in South London sits above the national picture. A good local bathroom fitter will usually charge £250 to £350 per day, and a small bathroom takes seven to twelve working days from strip out to final clean. That labour alone accounts for a large share of the total.
Much of the housing around Wallington and Carshalton dates from before 1940, and that brings predictable surprises. Lath and plaster walls often need boarding before tiling, old lead or iron pipework may need replacing back to the stopcock, and cast iron soil stacks can complicate moving a toilet. Each of these can add £500 to £1,500 depending on access.
Electrical work is another common extra. Current wiring regulations require bathroom circuits to be RCD protected, and many older consumer units are not. If your fuse board needs upgrading, budget £500 to £900 on top. Extractor fans ducted to outside, shaver sockets and lit mirrors all need a qualified electrician and will appear as separate items on a proper quote.
Moving the toilet or basin is the single most expensive layout change. Shifting a toilet more than a metre from the soil stack often means lifting floorboards and re-running waste pipes at the right fall, which can add two days of labour before any tiling starts.
On a typical £10,000 small bathroom in this area, roughly 40 to 50 per cent is labour, 25 to 35 per cent is sanitaryware, brassware and the shower enclosure, and the rest is tiles, adhesive, waterproofing, electrics and skip hire. Skip costs are worth noting: a 6 yard skip in the Sutton or Croydon area with a permit for the road is usually £280 to £380, and a strip out generates more than people expect.
Tiling is where budgets quietly drift. Standard ceramic tiles at £20 to £30 per square metre are fine, but large format porcelain at £60 to £90 per square metre, plus the extra labour to cut and set it, can add £1,500 to a small room. Waterproofing behind the shower with a tanking kit is around £150 to £250 in materials and is not something to skip in a flat with a neighbour below.
Keep the toilet, basin and bath or shower in their current positions if the layout works. This alone can save £1,000 to £2,500 compared with a reconfigured room. Choose a shower tray and enclosure in standard sizes, as made to measure glass for an awkward loft or under stairs bathroom can double the price of that item.
Order sanitaryware yourself from a local merchant or online once your fitter has confirmed the specification, but check the lead times first. Delays waiting for a back ordered vanity can leave you without a bathroom for an extra week. Finally, get at least two itemised quotes that separate labour from materials, and confirm whether plastering, electrics and waste removal are included rather than assumed.
Planning permission is not needed for an internal refit. Building control notification is only required if you add a new bathroom where there was none, alter drainage significantly, or carry out notifiable electrical work, which a registered electrician will self certify.
For a small bathroom with no layout change, expect five to eight days without a shower and usually only two or three without a toilet, as fitters normally keep the toilet usable for as long as possible. Full reconfigurations can stretch to two weeks.
Flats are often slightly more expensive because of access, carrying materials up stairs, parking restrictions for skips and vans, and the need for extra waterproofing above neighbours. Leasehold flats may also need freeholder consent for pipework changes, which adds time rather than cost.