Shower screens vs shower curtains
A glass shower screen looks cleaner and is easier to maintain long-term than a curtain, but costs more and needs to be fitted correctly to avoid water escaping at the edges. A curtain is the cheaper, more flexible option, particularly for an over-bath shower.
Making the most of a small bathroom
A corner shower, wall-hung suite, and a mirrored cabinet instead of a separate cabinet and mirror are common ways fitters maximise a small bathroom without a full structural change. Layout planning matters more in a small space, where a few centimetres can determine whether a design actually works.
Water-saving bathroom fittings
Dual-flush toilets, aerated taps and water-efficient shower heads reduce water usage without necessarily reducing how the fixture feels to use — worth asking about if reducing water bills or environmental impact is a priority, since the difference in fitting cost is usually small.
Why bathroom electrics need a registered electrician
UK wiring regulations split a bathroom into zones based on distance from water, restricting what electrical fittings can go where. This makes bathroom electrical work notifiable under Part P — a fitter doing the tiling and plumbing will typically bring in (or should) a registered electrician for any new sockets, extractor fans or lighting circuits.
What affects the cost
Cost depends on whether pipework and electrics need moving (not just swapping fixtures in place), the tiling area, fixture quality, and whether structural changes are needed (like removing a bath for a walk-in shower). Moving a toilet's position, in particular, is one of the more expensive changes because of the soil pipe work involved.
Bathroom lighting and IP ratings
Lighting near water (over a shower, close to a bath) needs to meet a minimum IP (ingress protection) rating for that specific zone — not every light fitting is suitable everywhere in a bathroom. This is part of what a registered electrician checks as part of the notifiable electrical work.
Three steps to hiring the right bathroom fitter
First, ask to see photos of similar completed jobs, ideally local ones. Second, clarify exactly who does the electrical and plumbing work — the fitter directly, or a subcontracted registered tradesperson. Third, get a written quote that separates labour, fixtures and tiling.
Why waterproofing (tanking) matters
Tanking is a waterproof membrane applied behind tiles, particularly around showers and baths, to stop water getting into the wall or floor structure below. Skipping this step is a common cause of hidden damp and rot that only becomes visible years later — worth confirming it's included, not assumed, in a refit quote.