Long gone are the days when wet rooms were just installed for disability reasons. Wet rooms can be, and are, a stylish way to design your bathroom. With a range of styles, shapes and designs, there is no end to what a wet room can look like these days.
Which can make it quite difficult to determine exactly what a wet room might cost! With so many options, it can feel impossible to know what sort of figure to expect to pay out for wet room installation.
So here's what you need to know about how to judge the overall price of a wet room, and where to seek advice about the cost of a wet room installation.
A wet room is a different style of bathroom that breaks away from the traditional bathroom. Rather than having a shower cubicle or a shower over a bath with a shower curtain, in a wet room, the entire bathroom is waterproofed. They were once largely considered to be for those with disabilities, but they've since developed into a highly sought-after addition to a home.
They're easy to clean and can be customised to include things like underfloor heating. There are several benefits to a wet room. They can be great for people who want the ease and style of something continuous, perfect for limited mobility, or those who need additional support in the bathroom and can be fitted into most houses for a cost.
It is incredibly hard to pin down a price when it comes to wet room cost. The cost is dependent on several factors, all of which will vary depending on a number of things. As a result, the national average is quite a large ballpark figure.
According to Checkatrade, the average cost for a wet room installation is between £4,000 and £12,000, with most projects sitting close to the £8,000 mark. That is inclusive of the labour costs, which, on average, sit at £200 to £300 per day.
But as mentioned, these costs can swing either way depending on who you are, where you are, and what you want. That's why it's always best to contact professionals like Bath Vision to get an in-depth quote before you start to plan your new wet room.
So what exactly can impact the cost of installing a wet room? Which things should you consider a little bit more closely when you're looking at fixtures and fittings for your brand-new wet room?
Some of the factors that will impact wet room installation costs include:
As with any home renovation project, a smaller room will cost significantly less. There will be fewer materials needed, and thus fewer labourers working fewer hours. However, you will also be limited in what you can put in your wet room installation.
You might, for example, have to have a shower tray to ensure the shower area drains quicker and to prevent standing water, as you might not have the space to angle the floor area correctly. But these are all discussions that can be had with experts like Bath Vision, who will run you through your vast range of options to come up with a final price.
This is a big one. The bathroom that you currently have plays a big part in the wet room cost. If you've currently got timber bathroom flooring, for example, the entire floor will need to be removed when installing a wet room so that a suitable waterproof membrane can be put in its place.
You need to have non-porous material when building a wet room due to the water from the shower and the moisture in a bathroom. Alternatively, if you've got a waterproof floor already, then installing a wet room will be a little bit cheaper.
The same goes for things like underfloor heating, waterproof lighting and waterproofing on the whole. If your current bathroom has these facets already, you won't need to splash the cash to buy new materials for them, nor will the labourers need to spend hours sorting them out when they're installing a wet room.
Different people have different tastes, and some tastes come with a more luxurious price tag. If you've opted for marble, or lots of natural stone that can withstand water, you will more than likely find that your wet room cost is quite high. Alternatively, waterproof non-slip tiles (both regular or larger tiles) are just as good but will cost significantly less. Even with the tile adhesive, it will be cheaper.
The same goes for fixtures and fittings. Chrome or gold may cost more than the cheaper metals when it comes to faucets, shower heads and pipework.
When you're looking at getting a wet room, the wet room cost will also be impacted by what kind of wet room you want installed. When you get a wet room installed, you can choose between a range of 'styles' (or completely go off and make yours completely unique!).
Generally, these styles fit into:
The luxury spa wetroom cost will be much higher than that of a traditional wet room. These often have multiple shower heads, a larger shower enclosure and more space than a standard wet room. They often have slanted floors to allow the shower drain to work instead of having shower trays.
Family wet rooms are designed to be durable and sturdy, and large. This last factor often makes them more expensive.
A compact wet room will likely cost less, as it will be significantly smaller than most, and as discussed, smaller bathrooms cost less to transform into a wet room. This is because the wet room takes less time and material to create.
Minimalistic and affordable, a traditional wet room will be what you likely imagine when you think of a wet room.
With grab bars, shower seats and wider doors these are often built purely for function over style, but have lots of features necessary to make them suitable.
Check out our post “How much does a disabled wet room cost”.
One of the ways to increase the price of a wet room installation is to add underfloor heating. But for most people, it is absolutely worth it. Keeping your wet room floor warm will help to add to the ambience of the room, and adds a feeling of luxury.
Adding underfloor heating can be done in a few ways, through the use of underfloor heating mats or a water floor heating system. These will have differing price points, and which is best suited to your wet room will depend on the other materials and features you decide upon when having the wet room installed.
If you're installing a wet room, it makes sense to design your perfect bathroom. Choosing the accessories is a big part of that, but it can also very quickly become a big part of your budget, too. Additional features essentially just mean additional costs.
Radiators, doors, showers, sinks, taps, windows, windowsills, even the shower tray -- all of this costs money, and depending on the accessories and additional features you choose, you could double the wet room cost with accessories alone.
The question you have to ask yourself is whether it's worth it. If you're making your perfect home, then why not go all out and get the shower tray of your dreams when you're installing a wet room?
Or, if you're looking to sell, is getting the expensive-looking and stylish shower tray and pedestal sink worth the value it'll add?
When you get more things, it will naturally cost more. But it could also make the difference between a standard bathroom, and a high-quality wet room that you fall in love with.
Labour costs will make up a big chunk of the money you spend on a wet room. Who you choose as your wet room installer is a big question, and it should be taken seriously.
You need to know that you can trust whoever you hire to take your existing bathroom and transform it completely into a completely waterproof and stunning wet room. They need to have the right knowledge, and they need to be affordable.
That's where Bath Vision comes in. Our team is highly trained and works tirelessly throughout the entire job to make sure your wet room installation costs are worth it, and to give you the wet room of your dreams, whether it is a luxury spa stone wet room or a traditional wet room. No job is too small or too big.
There's no denying that £8,000 as an average is a lot of money, and not very many people have that just sitting around, especially if they're in the middle of buying or selling, or if they've just renovated the rest of the house.
This often leads people to look into how to cut corners and save money. The best way to do so is by looking at the several factors listed above that can change the overall cost and tweaking your plans until your bathroom is more affordable.
The average cost often scares people into wondering whether installing a wet room is really that hard, and whether they can do it themselves. It'd save money, after all. No labour costs, just the cost of a wet room. Surely the building work isn't that extensive!
The answer? Yes, technically, you could purchase each item and material and construct your own bathroom.
However, you would need a lot of equipment and will need at-length tutorials for every step of the journey, in addition to a working knowledge of plumbing and the local building regulations.
Generally speaking, it is better to simply hire a professional when installing a wet room. It will save you money in the long run, by providing you with a high-quality wet room. From your heated wet room floor to the shining shower screen, by hiring Bath Vision, you can guarantee your wet room will be worth the investment.
With some home renovation work, there are grants etc. available to help people take their property to the next level.
When it comes to installing a wet room, the only grants available are there to help people with disabled wet room installation. These grants offer 20% off or more to help towards the disabled wet room cost, but are not on offer for a standard wet room installation.
Get in-depth information in our post "Grants for disabled bathrooms".
You've decided to invest in your property. You know what the costs are likely to be, and you want to go ahead and pursue a stylish wet room for your property. So what next?
Well, the first step is to start looking online and in brochures for inspiration. What would you like this new wet room to look like, if money was no object? Which shower screen would you choose? What about the shower tray? Toilet? Think about it as much as you can.
Once you've got an idea, you can call professional bathroom experts like Bath Vision to start the ball rolling! You'll be able to get a comprehensive quote for your bathroom remodelling, and from there, the rest is history!
Contact Bath Vision today to find out more about what a wet room installation might cost you, and how we can help you to reach your bathroom goals!
