How to Quote a Bathroom Installation - The Tradesman's Guide

A bathroom installation is one of the highest-risk jobs to quote if you get the scope wrong. Fixtures can be swapped, tiling can overrun, and customers often have a different mental image of “full bathroom fit” from what you priced. This guide covers how to quote a bathroom installation that protects your margin and sets clear expectations with customers.

Why bathroom quotes go wrong

Three common mistakes plumbers make when quoting bathrooms:

1. Not specifying fixtures. If you quote “supply and fit bathroom” without specifying which fixtures, the customer assumes top of the range. You priced mid-range. The conversation becomes difficult.
2. Including tiling without clarifying scope. Tiling a bathroom is a significant additional cost. If your quote mentions tiling without specifying how many square metres, what tile grade, and whether waste is included, you have opened yourself to scope creep.
3. Not accounting for first-fix and second-fix time separately. First-fix plumbing (rough-in, pipework, waste runs) and second-fix (fitting fixtures, connecting, commissioning) happen at different stages and may be separated by other trades. Your quote should reflect this.

What a bathroom installation quote should cover

A complete bathroom installation quote should address each of these categories:

Strip-out and prep

• Removal and disposal of existing bathroom suite
• Removal of existing floor covering (if in scope)
• Removal of existing wall tiles (if in scope)
• Any making good to walls or floor before tiling (if in scope)

Be explicit about skip hire or disposal costs. Who is paying for skip hire?

Plumbing first-fix

• New waste runs (bath waste, shower waste, basin waste, toilet soil pipe)
• New supply pipework (hot and cold to each fixture)
• Any upgrades to existing supply or waste infrastructure

Fixtures - specify by make, model, and colour

Never just write “bath,” “shower,” or “basin.” Specify:

• Bath: make, model, size, material (steel, acrylic, cast iron), and whether panels are included
• Shower enclosure: make, model, dimensions, glass thickness (6mm or 8mm), door type
• Shower valve: thermostatic or manual, brand, finish (chrome, brushed nickel)
• Basin: wall-hung or pedestal, size, make, model
• Taps: make, model, finish - specify separately for basin and bath
• Toilet: close-coupled or wall-hung, make, model, flush specification, seat type
• Radiator/towel rail: size, output, finish

If the customer is supplying their own fixtures, note that clearly in the quote. “Customer-supplied fixtures: plumber is not responsible for manufacturer defects.”

Tiling (if in scope)

If tiling is in your scope, specify:

• Square metres of floor tiling
• Square metres of wall tiling (how high - full height, half height, or wet areas only?)
• Tile grade included in price (cost per m2 allowance, e.g., “up to €30/m2 supply”)
• Adhesive, grout, and edge trim included or excluded
• Tile cutting and waste included
• Disposal of old tiles included

If tiling is NOT in your scope, state this explicitly: “Tiling by others - to follow plumbing first-fix.”

Plumbing second-fix

• Fit and connect all fixtures
• Commission shower
• Pressure test
• Final check and customer handover

What to exclude - and say so in writing

List what the price does not cover. For a bathroom, the usual exclusions are:

• Electrical work - extractor fan, lighting, shaver point, electric shower or towel rail connection - unless you have priced it and are qualified to do it
• Making good and decorating once you finish - plastering, ceilings, painting
• Tiling, if it is not in your price
• Extra work found once the old suite is out - rotten floorboards or joists, hidden leaks, old pipework that needs replacing - reported and priced before you carry on
• Asbestos, if found - work stops and removal is quoted separately
• Faults in customer-supplied fixtures

Bathroom installation VAT in Ireland and the UK

Ireland: 13.5%, unless the goods pass two-thirds

A bathroom fit on a home in Ireland is usually one supply of construction services at 13.5% - labour and materials together. The trap is Revenue's two-thirds rule: if the VAT-exclusive cost to you of the goods on the job is more than two-thirds of the VAT-exclusive price, the whole job is taxed at 23%. A high-end suite on a short labour job can cross that line.

Fitting bathrooms as a subcontractor for a principal contractor under RCT? The reverse charge applies: you do not charge the VAT, and your invoice says the principal contractor accounts for it.

UK: 20% for most bathroom work

In the UK there is no reduced rate for an ordinary bathroom fit on a home. The exceptions are narrow:

The disabled-customer zero rate only applies with a signed eligibility declaration, kept separate from your quote and invoice. Subcontracting for a VAT-registered contractor who pays you under CIS? The domestic reverse charge usually applies: your invoice shows the VAT but does not charge it, and the contractor pays it to HMRC.

See our guides on VAT rates for plumbers in Ireland and VAT rates for plumbers in the UK, and our UK VAT guide for tradesmen, for the full detail.

A worked example: bathroom installation quote structure

Example structure for a full bathroom renovation in Ireland - existing bathroom strip-out and replace. These are example figures only - price your own job.

The two-thirds check: say the suite, taps, valve and pipework cost you €1,000 before your markup. That is under two-thirds of the €2,500 price (about €1,667), so the job is 13.5%. In the UK, the same job for a homeowner would be 20%.

Handling the tiling question

Many customers ask plumbers to handle tiling because they want a single point of contact. You have a few options:

• Include tiling in scope - and price it properly. Get a quote from your regular tiler, add your management margin, and include it as a line item.
• Exclude tiling, recommend a tiler - you coordinate the trades but the customer contracts separately. Keeps your liability cleaner.
• Exclude tiling entirely - simplest, but the customer now has to manage two contractors and there can be blame issues at the seam between plumbing and tiling.

Whatever you choose, be explicit about it in writing before work starts.

Quote validity and stage payments

Set your quote validity at 30 days. Bathroom fixture prices and delivery lead times can change, and a 3-month-old quote can become unprofitable.

For bathroom installations, stage payments are common and sensible:

• Deposit on acceptance of quote (to cover materials order): 30-40%
• Payment on completion of first fix: 30-35%
• Final payment on completion: balance

See our guide on scope of works for tradesmen for the complete framework.

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