Budgeting for a Bathroom or Kitchen Fitting

Are you budgeting for a bathroom or kitchen fitting? What do they cost and what should you expect from that?

An honest look at where and how to spend wisest to achieve your ideal bathroom or kitchen refurbishment price.

This article offers an overview of realistic bathroom renovation and kitchen fitting costs and timelines, helping homeowners understand and create realistic budgets for their renovation projects. It also addresses the potentially confusing chain of people involved in such a project and the drama of ‘Who’s responsible for what?’

It’s a long read but an important subject. 

Hopefully, you or anyone you know hasn’t had a dream project turn into a nightmare, but it does happen. Social media is sadly littered with stories, many ongoing and that can continue to snowball out of control, costing people untold stress and worry, not to mention often thousands of pounds to attempt to put right. Some are just awful bad luck and circumstance; many others are seemingly impossible bitter, consuming legal, financial altercations of misery that could’ve been so easily avoided.

In construction in this current climate – It’s a very competitive world. Every company out there wants to win your decision. From bright fresh start-up sole trader fitters, to long-established multi-branch corporations and everyone entity in-between. 

But which one is most likely to shock or satisfy you? 

Your bathroom fitting budget, or kitchen renovation planning, is fraught with peaks and troughs that you need to not only manage, but manage well. 

Should you manage it yourself? 

Individual trades or a complete service company? 

Who will fill you with confidence?

Who should you trust? 

It’s big money to spend and it serves to think about it, research, and make an informed decision before you commit. Don’t be caught with “The sale ends midnight Tuesday”, there’s always a sale on. Everyone will be putting their best foot forward so don’t dive in on a whim. – “We’ve got one slot that I’ll hold open for you but you have to let me know by 5pm.”

We are a small company, a personal and passionate bathroom and kitchen fitting team. We usually complete projects including design, supply, and install and everything in between. It works very well. We are not trying to act or be anything other. We are not the cheapest and never will be. Our twenty-something customers each year are very important and valuable to us. Each nurtured and looked after throughout our process from start to finish to not only ensure a smooth, straightforward working relationship, but to plant the seed and spread the word long after the project has finished. Reputation and word-of-mouth being our primary source or work. Our Feedback is testament to our efforts. If you haven’t already, please have a read.

For a company like ours to remain current and successful – we have kept our fingers on the pulse and monitor the industry managing our status within it. We compare ourselves to others, being realistic about how we operate, and use straight talk with our customers. I want us to be the most preferred dynamic that people want. I remember years ago seeing written on the back of a lorry, ‘Big enough to cope, small enough to care’ I really liked that and it stuck with me. Customers want an easy, effective and fulfilling solution, but it has to be cost-effective too.

Being the owner, surveyor, and main installer, I’m constantly amongst what works, what doesn’t and why. Tried and tested practices, or pushing new boundaries in design and operation. It’s appropriately matched to each and every customer.

I control our reputation, and impression and image, and conduct myself and fellow trades as I would want someone to do in my home. Obvious things like punctuation, manners, and courtesy aside, its accuracy, honesty, and realism that are so important to me, and I believe it is for every potential customer. 

The fact is that most of the projects we do are well into the thousands. Project prices vary hugely based on spec, size, condition and materials. An average bathroom complete overhaul (I won’t list everything here – next blog will cover this in detail) will be around £9,000upwards. A smooth straight-though project will be up to two weeks and the room won’t be usable until the end (working toilet left if only one). An average kitchen of ours is £15,000and similar timeframe depending on spec. That’s a lot of takeaway s (We can offer temporary sink and units that would look just great in your lounge). But joking aside it’s big money, done right and to last these rooms are expensive, it’s as simple as that. 

What’s important to do as a customer is to gauge the value of what we include in your quote to then measure the value and compare. Good skilled tradespeople that make up the costs come at a price. Our plasterers create wonders of crisp, flat walls and ceilings to do our projects proud, but they will charge £250 per day. (No one-coat-wonders, dried-by-next-day and looks ‘ok’ here). A good company of any magnitude simply cannot be cheap. Over the last three years or so, the construction industry has suffered widespread price increases in every aspect. It’s unlikely to get better. I can’t change that, and I believe I shouldn’t try to hide that reality either. Similarly, the products presented for you to choose from are appropriately matched and suggested for your property. These are personally added to folders based on all the important and necessary features like durability, material and operation, and shown with all colour options and style variations so you aren’t being flooded with fifty pages of fixtures from a random catalogue – thirty of which won’t fit or work. Buying so many products you learn fast and thoroughly what brands, combinations and results can be achieved.

It’s about time to cover; “What’s the parts / labour split on that?” The multitude of figures that make up the costs can be titled under several headers that can so obscurely covered in glitter, there’s just no point, you won’t see a clear and comparable pair of figures. This isn’t a teen washing your car; “Yeah mister, it’s £2 for the water, soap and bucket rental and £7 for me.”

A little like ‘interest-free credit’ There is no such thing.

If you’re asking a company what its ‘parts and labour’ split is then They can provide what percentage is manpower – let’s say ours is 55-60% of the cost But if there’s eight people on site at different, varying stages of your project, four of which involved as sole traders, three of those are vat registered, the other being part of four companies, two of which are ltd organisations and vat registered and overall four are supplying their own materials to use for their section – would that help you clarify if you are happy with who is earning what, and if we are in fact – earning too much? Also, who is/isn’t using the RRP price on products? as that’s a nifty little trick to offset the ugly ‘labour’ proportion.

It’s often asked by people trying to compare very different dynamics of sole trader’s vs corporations and born out of concern over being ‘ripped off’.

The carpenter we use when required produces sound, quality work and has enough power tools to put us to shame. I know and trust his work and skill therefore he’s who I use on required projects. He offers a good balance of cost vs. results. Reliable, trustworthy, skilled.

If I was presented with a cheaper alternative without compromising the end results – sure I’d put my ‘efficiency’ cap on and look into it. But for now, his, and every other trade that joins our projects that fall under my responsibility is a proven cog.

It would be an interesting read if a car dealer were to supply a ‘parts/labour’ split on a car you were interested in buying! 

But to be fair – the car is a tangible, completed product. Its parameters are set, and comparable with many other, exact alternatives, unlike our work – I get it.

There is seldom a diamond in the rough. If it seems too good to be true it usually is. If someone is saying they can chuck you in a bathroom for £4k (I smell pvc) and throw herringbone tiling in at no extra cost…….run.

An understandable tactic a competitive bathroom or kitchen company can use to try and combat this reality is to trim back on specification, and/or to switch tasks from the ‘included’ section into the ‘optional extras’ section. This makes it very important for you to get, and check the written quotation to determine what is, and what isn’t included. Never assume!Vinyl wrap kitchen cupboard doors at 19mm are a world away from 22mm painted. You have to imagine all the components and aspects of that space and make sure its covered. That old stop tap in the corner of your kitchen that the showroom guy said will be fine may indeed be for another year or so when it then might snowball into a big problem and add a surprise £600 plumbers bill. 

Here’s some common bathroom refurbishment and kitchen refurbishment scenarios you never want;

Electrician: “Where will the spotlights in the bathroom ceiling go?”

Customer: “Shall we just put one in each corner and maybe one in the middle?”

Plumber: “Who said to put the lights there as this one bounces right off the back of my mirrored showerhead?”

Customer: “Oh.”

Customer: “What’s happening with the doorframe/architrave as the tiles stick out more now?”

Tiler: “Carpenter will sort that”

Carpenter: “The tiler was a day late and wasn’t finished and I had to go. Maybe the decorator will sort.”

Decorator: “It’s not my job. I’m just here to paint.”

Customer: “Oh.”

Customer: “Doesn’t that sloping ceiling need to have insulated plasterboard?”

Fitter: “Who’s told you that love, Facebook? It will be fine, plasterers coming tomorrow we’ve got to get it up.”

Customer: “Won’t the floorboards need replacing as they look old and feel spongy?”

Fitter: “Nah they’ll be fine, worst case we’ll put a bit of ply over it.”

Customer: “I can see bumps and imperfections in the plastering.”

Fitter: “It’ll be ok just needs a rub over with sandpaper before you paint it.”

Fitter: “Theres’s stuff wrong/broken here; we need it sorting as we’re waiting around now.”

Customer: “But I have to go to work.”

Customer A: “The electrician has just turned up a day early and wants to turn off the power.”

Customer B: “The fitters just said we can’t turn off his power and wants to know why the flooring isn’t here?”

Customer: “The worktop join doesn’t look right.”

Carpenter: “That’s how it’s supposed to look, they all look like that.”

I need to stop there as I really could go on and do those for hours! 

Bottom line is you don’t complete full projects day in, day out to the calibre we do for nearly two decades without being efficient at it. Knowing how to mesh aspects of the job together with reliable people is the backbone of keeping on schedule and withing budget.

I strive to manage expectations with every customer. Clear and direct ownership of the set job. I see it as our responsibility to relay the planned finish for every part of that room and to make it the best it can be from top to bottom. What’s the point of spending thousands of pounds on a room when the lock doesn’t work? Or the door doesn’t shut properly? Of course everyone’s quality levels are different. Mine personally are very high and it’s often a hindrance as much as a benefit. But it’s a valuable quality you really do want in a main contractor. Care and skill are equally, if not more valuable and important than just selecting premium materials.

Building trust with potential customers looking to undertake a kitchen or bathroom refurbishment isn’t pushed upon, it’s earned – but I only have a small window in which to build it.

We strive to be honest and realistic. Everyone has a budget; my job is to be realistic with how much it can cover. We recently completed a part-refurbishment where the newbie homeowners were on a really tight budget. The flooring was left as-is, painted wallpaper on sections wasn’t touched, the ceiling was just over-painted, no woodwork. It felt odd but it got the main aspects in and functional and under their budget and they loved it. They will replace the floor covering and paint in time, and it worked for them. The project was a lot quicker than normal. It highlighted to me how trades can market a ‘full kitchen/bathroom’ refit but actually omitting many aspects that I consider standard/expected. I did install a ‘full bathroom’ but only completed half of what we usually do. I always wonder what the decorator says when they come to look at a brand-new bathroom that they’ve got to sheet everything over to paint the ceiling, 

“We can’t touch those spotlights; we’ll just have to try paint around them all…”

Or kitchen cabinets that they’ve go tread all over and rest ladders against just to get in and paint all the nooks. (That chip you found on the cabinet edge that evening along with the tap that now feels weirdly looser probably wasn’t them.)

It will surely be more costly doing things in ‘trade blocks’ but the reality is that the cost being separated and staggered will somehow feel less. That fact makes me frown but I encounter it when discussing past projects. 

“We had that whole ensuite done last year for £6,000.”

“Right, that’s excellent, did that Include the door and the blinds and things?”

“On no those were separate, he was going to come back after the painter, but in the end, we had to get someone it to do that, and all the airing cupboard stuff…”

Or, “I only paid £3,000 labour to have my kitchen fitted.”

“Including electrics and plumbing as well?”

“Oh no that we had to sort ourselves and the electrician then said we couldn’t have underlights as the fitter had a day off and didn’t get the wall units hung. The flooring guy had a mare too and charged us extra.”

Or;

“Oh, we would’ve loved one of those boiling taps but we just didn’t think of it at the time.”

Or;

“We were told we couldn’t have pop up sockets in quartz.” 

Or;

“We had to keep our extractor in the wall over there.”

There are many little nuggets to leave out to get that sale price down, and surprising to me – it often works and very quickly customers are left to fend for themselves taking on project-managing the work. It’s not to be taken lightly.

You know that electrician you booked 8 weeks ago? He calls you the day before apologising saying he’s had a job run over and just can’t do it anymore. But you already had to wait a week longer for the kitchen to come out so they could get at the consumer unit. And now you have a week-long window starting tomorrow before the booked fitters turn up to start installing the kitchen. Also, lunch break is over and you have to go back to your own job.

Cancel the fitters and you lose your slot, and deposit. So, you now need to find a reputable electrician who can quote, agree and give you a week, starting tomorrow.

Issues like this are really common, it’s just life.

So, weighing it up – where do you go? Who’s the best ‘all-rounder’ to complete such a project?

Trust us. I’m biased, of course I am, but let me pitch why.

When I was a wee lad if you wanted a big name for your bathroom, you went to Dolphin Bathrooms. The next big go-to name was Bathstore. Massive names but both failed. Why? Primarily – Fitters. Tradespeople.

I don’t know of one bathroom or kitchen company that employs a fitter. 

They are all subcontracted. Why? 

Because they can call upon them ad-hoc and also get rid quick and easy. Why is that important? Because getting rid quick and easy is a frequent and necessary process in this industry. Unfortunately, a high number of sub-contractors that work for showrooms aren’t up to the standard many customers expect. A sub-contractor in your home has very different priorities than yours. Get in, get done, get paid. What John promised in the showroom about that awkward wall angle of yours, or sorting that unsightly pipe boxing-in is between you and John. Fact is the wheels are in motion and that subby probably won’t want to enjoy sharing your exciting vision of a contemporary dream space, more likely make some tea, stop talking and slowing them down, and close the door behind you. Too late to start feeling uncomfortable now.

But trading on the big brand name works. Dealing with and buying from a company everyone has heard of fills people with comfort and assurance has been going on forever, not just in the building game. Strange thing is people know it, and worse – accept it! If you were asked to constantly wear a Nike trainer at over £200 on your one foot, and an unbranded trained at £30 on the other for six months – how sure are you the Nike one would prevail in durability in that test? It’s a bit of a face-pull of uncertainty, isn’t it? And we’re talking big money here not a silly test. But something about branding, recognition fills us with comfort. It’s everywhere. Food, fashion, electronics, just everywhere. My last T.V. from Samsung I was told had mostly unbranded LG parts…

I’m not saying going with a huge company is a bad thing. They all have many satisfied customers or else they wouldn’t exist, would they? It’s your choice to make. Churning out multi-millions in sales and owning a big chunk of the market share is a success story, but it will also mean a proportion of dissatisfied customers. The degree of the problem and how they are handled, and the proportion of blame is often a clouded variable but some stories are really shocking. Disgruntled customers can be found teaming up and forming Facebook groups as a last resort to share their problems and dissatisfaction in an attempt to feel heard and get noticed. They are out there to find for all the big brands, but many people only go looking after the fact. Some of these groups have also been bought for thousands of pounds and de-activated to quell any uprising and stem bad publicity.

Quality, communication, expectation, responsibility, accountability and policy problems are apparent and often multiple aspects of all. It’s a tricky situation often with emotions escalating quickly.

Whenever I do get involved in a story, not to sneer but out of interest, or genuinely giving advice if I feel it could help – familiar issues often bubble to the surface within the details. Reading such issues is not only interesting but enlightening and informative to help me carve our experience to avoid as many of these issues as possible.

Of course there are smaller, independent showrooms for bathrooms and kitchens that again have merit and are a fair consideration. My parting shot is though that someone does still have to pay for those showrooms. The cost has to be passed onto someone somehow…

If I tell you we can address that awkward little corner, or that we will have an Alexa on that floating shelf – then it will happen, because we will be there doing it. Concept to completion. Satisfied customers remember that experience. 

I believe in my company, our feedback we collect on Houzz paints a picture I’m proud of. 

Start your kitchen renovation journey today with us today, or begin your dream bathroom refurbishment. Meet us and make your own mind up.