Comparison Guide · Updated 14 September 2026
Wet Room vs Standard Bathroom: Best Choice for a Small London Flat
A wet room costs £2,000 to £4,000 more than a standard mid-range bathroom and takes 3 to 4 extra days, mainly for tanking and screed to cure. In return, you get a step-free, tray-less shower that makes a small London flat’s bathroom feel and function larger. A standard bathroom keeps the option of a bath, costs less, and does not usually need a structural floor check in an upper-floor flat. Which wins depends on your space, your budget, and whether you actually want a bath.
At a Glance
Standard Bathroom
Best for: budget, keeping a bath
VS
Wet Room
Best for: small flats, step-free access
Figures from our own Bathroom Renovation Cost guide, 2026 London market data.
Side by Side
Wet Room vs Standard Bathroom: The Full Comparison
Cost and timeline figures pulled directly from our own Bathroom Renovation Cost guide, so they match what you will see if you read it in full.
| Criteria | Standard Bathroom | Wet Room |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost (mid-range) | £8,000 – £12,000 | £10,000 – £16,000 |
| Cost premium | Baseline | £2,000–£4,000 more, for tanking, screed and drainage |
| Build time | 9–14 days | 12–18 days (curing time adds 3–4 days) |
| Waterproofing | Standard tanking around the bath or shower only | Full-room tanking membrane, gradient screed, linear drain |
| Bath option | Yes | No, shower only |
| Structural check needed | Not usually | Often required in upper-floor flats (£400–£600) |
| Best for | Family bathrooms, most flats and houses | Small flats where a shower tray wastes space; step-free access |
| Leaseholder consent | Needed for plumbing or structural changes | Same, plus the structural check for upper floors |
| Accessibility grant | Not typically eligible | Disabled Facilities Grant (up to £30,000) may apply |
Which One Is Right For You
When Each Option Actually Makes Sense
The right choice comes down to your flat’s layout, your budget, and whether losing the bath is actually a trade-off you want to make.
A wet room makes more sense when…
- Your bathroom is small enough that a shower tray and its surrounding upstand genuinely eat into usable space.
- You or someone in the household needs, or will eventually need, step-free access.
- You are on an upper floor and have confirmed the floor can take the extra structural check (budget £400 to £600 for it).
- You do not use a bath and would rather put the space into a larger shower area.
- You can accommodate the extra 3 to 4 days of curing time before tiling starts.
A standard bathroom makes more sense when…
- You want to keep a bath, for children, resale appeal, or your own preference.
- Budget is the binding constraint and you want to save the £2,000 to £4,000 wet room premium.
- You are on a ground floor or solid concrete slab, so the structural check is not a live question either way.
- You want the shortest possible build time.
- You are renovating to sell soon and want the widest possible buyer appeal.
Common Questions
Wet Room vs Bathroom: Frequently Asked Questions
A wet room conversion in London costs £10,000 to £16,000, roughly £2,000 to £4,000 more than a full mid-range bathroom renovation at the same size. The premium covers the gradient screed, tanking membrane, linear drain, and, in upper-floor flats, a structural check on the floor.
Often, yes. Removing the shower tray and its upstand, and running the floor level throughout, makes a small bathroom feel and function larger, which matters most in compact London flats. The trade-off is losing the option of a bath and, in upper-floor flats, needing a structural check before work starts.
Yes, in almost every leasehold flat. Most leases require written consent from the freeholder or managing agent before plumbing or structural changes, which a wet room’s altered drainage and floor build-up both count as. A licence to alter typically costs £500 to £2,500 or more and can take 4 to 8 weeks to approve, so start this early.
Possibly. The Disabled Facilities Grant provides up to £30,000 in England for essential adaptations, including wet rooms and level-access showers, where necessary for a disabled person in the household. It is means-tested for adults, applied for through your local council, and usually requires an occupational therapist assessment first.
A wet room takes 12 to 18 days from strip-out to handover, against 9 to 14 days for a full mid-range standard bathroom. The extra time is almost entirely the tanking membrane and gradient screed curing properly before tiling can start, not the plumbing or fit-out itself.
Often, if the flat is on an upper floor. The floor build-up for a wet room’s drainage and screed adds weight and depth, so a structural check (£400 to £600) confirms the joists and floor can take it before work starts. Ground-floor flats on a solid concrete slab rarely need this.
It depends on the buyer. A wet room can be a strong selling point for downsizers and accessibility-focused buyers, and in a small flat it often reads as a smart use of space. Family buyers and some traditional buyers still expect at least one bath in the property, so if you only have one bathroom, that is worth weighing before removing the bath entirely.
Yes, if there is room for both. This keeps the bath while giving you a level-access, tray-less shower area, tanked and screeded the same way as a full wet room. It costs more than either option alone, since you are tanking and screeding a shower zone on top of fitting a separate bath, so it suits a larger bathroom rather than a small one.
Go Deeper
Related Reading
Still Deciding?
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Every London flat is different, and the right answer often comes down to details a guide cannot see, your actual floor structure, your lease terms, your real layout. Send us your address and what you are hoping to gain, and we will come back with a straight recommendation and a free, itemised quote within 2 hours.