Bathroom renovation in Ealing
Bathroom Renovation in Ealing
In one West Ealing property we fitted three new shower rooms, each in a different finish, and handed them over in February 2023. Bathroom renovation in Ealing usually means one of three jobs: a cramped bathroom in a Victorian rear addition in Hanwell or Acton, a 1930s semi in Greenford or Perivale with the toilet in a separate room, or a flat where the freeholder’s consent comes first.
Quick answer
A full mid-range bathroom renovation in London typically costs £8,000 to £12,000, with Ealing quotes for a full refit often £5,000 to £10,000. A like-for-like refit rarely needs Building Control; a new bathroom does, and Ealing charges £403, or £201 when it is built with a loft or extension.
Every enquiry gets a written reply within 2 hours, Monday to Saturday.
By home type
What a bathroom renovation involves in your Ealing home
The same budget buys very different bathrooms depending on where the room sits and what is under the floor.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces
Hanwell (W7), West Ealing (W13), South Ealing (W5) and Acton (W3). The bathroom is often in the first-floor rear addition, over the kitchen, on a suspended timber floor. A walk-in shower or wet room here needs the floor stiffened and fully tanked, and strip-out often finds old lead supply pipe that should be replaced.
1930s semis
Greenford and Perivale (UB6) and Northolt (UB5). Many still have a small bathroom with the toilet in a separate room next door. Taking out the partition to make one larger bathroom is the most common upgrade; we check first whether the wall carries any load.
Converted and purpose-built flats
Many Ealing houses are now flats. Moving a toilet or adding a wet room usually needs the freeholder’s licence to alter, typically £500 to £2,500+ with surveyor fees, and a route for the waste that does not cross the flat below.
New en-suites in lofts and extensions
An en-suite built with a loft conversion in Ealing or a house extension in Ealing counts as a new bathroom for Building Control, but Ealing charges it at the discounted £201 when it is part of the same application.
Rules that apply
Do you need approval for a bathroom renovation in Ealing?
Planning permission: almost never. Internal bathroom work needs no planning permission, apart from listed buildings, which need listed building consent for internal changes.
Building Control: only for some jobs. Replacing a suite in the same positions usually needs no application. These do:
- creating a new bathroom, shower room or WC, including an en-suite
- a new connection to the soil stack or drains, for example moving the toilet to another wall
- removing or altering a structural wall, such as a loadbearing partition between bathroom and toilet
Ealing’s 2026 schedule charges £403 for forming a new bathroom or making controllable alterations to an existing one, and £201 for each further room or when it is part of a loft or extension application.
- Electrics (Part P): a bathroom is a special location, so a new circuit or new work in the bathroom zones is notifiable. Notifiable electrical work is carried out and certified by a registered electrician; without one, Ealing charges £483 to inspect it.
- Ventilation (Part F): a bathroom needs mechanical extract of at least 15 litres per second (intermittent), or 8 l/s running continuously (Approved Document F, 2021).
- Large baths (Water Fittings Regulations 1999, regulation 5): a bath holding more than 230 litres to the overflow is notifiable to the water company before fitting. Thames Water asks for 10 days’ notice and its consent first.
- Gas: moving a boiler or gas appliance is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers.
Costs
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Ealing?
Across London a bathroom renovation costs £3,500 to £22,000+ depending on scope. Ealing directory figures for a full refit run a little lower, commonly £5,000 to £10,000, with Victorian bathrooms often going past £10,000.
Typical London market ranges, not fixed Soraiz Builders prices
| Scope | London range | Time on site | Ealing notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh (retile, new taps and fittings) | £3,500 to £5,500 | 3 to 5 working days | Common in rental flats across W5 and W13 |
| Suite replacement, same layout | £5,500 to £8,000 | 5 to 9 working days | Usually no Building Control application |
| Full mid-range renovation | £8,000 to £12,000 | 9 to 14 working days | Ealing quotes often £5,000 to £10,000 |
| High specification or wet room | £12,000 to £22,000+ | 12 to 18 working days | Victorian rear additions need floor and tanking work |
Sources: London ranges from our bathroom renovation in London page and bathroom renovation cost guide (2026 sources named there). Ealing figures: MyBuilder’s West Ealing guide (full suite refit £3,000 to £6,000, complete overhaul £5,000 to £10,000+) and BizHub365’s Ealing guide (single room £3,500 to £8,000+, Victorian suites often over £10,000). HaMuch reports Ealing bathroom fitters averaging about £58 an hour.
Ealing Council fees for bathroom work
| Item | Fee | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Building Control, new bathroom or shower room | £403 | Creating a room that was not a bathroom |
| Building Control, controllable alterations to an existing bathroom | £403 | New drainage connection, structural change |
| Each further bathroom, or as part of a loft or extension | £201 | Same application as other building work |
| Electrical work not done by a registered electrician | £483 | Avoided when a registered electrician certifies it |
| Skip licence | £50 for 14 days (£100 in a parking bay) | Skip on the road for the strip-out |
Sources: Ealing Council Domestic Building Control Charges (schedule dated 1 April 2026, prices include VAT); skip licence as on our Ealing borough page. Keeping the toilet where it is saves £600 to £1,200 compared with moving it, the biggest single lever on a bathroom budget.
Local work
Three shower rooms in West Ealing
In a property in Walpole, West Ealing (W13), arranged as more than one home, we fitted three shower rooms: one in white metro tiles with a patterned floor and black fittings, one in large grey tiles with a walk-in enclosure, and one in marble-effect porcelain with a black-framed sliding screen. At 2026 London rates the three would cost an estimated £20,000 to £30,000.
★★★★★
“Hard working and punctual. Both Hussain and his colleague completed the paint job to a good standard within the time promised.”
MyBuilder user, Greenford · April 2025 · a hallway and landing painting job, not a bathroom
The process
How an Ealing bathroom renovation runs
Survey and written quote
We check the floor, the soil stack and waste route, the supply pipes and the extract route, ask about any lease or listing, and send an itemised quote with the layout options and their cost difference.
Strip-out
Old suite, tiles and boarding come out, with the skip licence in place first. Any lead pipe, rotten joist or failed waste found is shown to you the same day before it is priced.
First fix
New pipework, wastes and the extractor run, and floor preparation. Notifiable electrical work is carried out and certified by a registered electrician.
Tanking, tiling and second fix
Shower areas and wet rooms are tanked before tiling, then the suite, brassware, vanity and lighting go in and everything is tested under pressure.
Handover
A final walk-round, the electrical certificate and, where the job needed it, Ealing’s Building Control completion certificate.
Areas we cover
Bathroom renovation across Ealing
- Ealing Broadway W5
- South Ealing W5
- West Ealing W13
- Hanwell W7
- Acton W3
- Northfields W5
- Greenford UB6
- Perivale UB6
- Northolt UB5
- Southall UB1 and UB2
- Hanger Hill W5
FAQ
Bathroom renovation in Ealing: common questions
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Ealing?
London ranges run from £3,500 for a cosmetic refresh to £8,000 to £12,000 for a full mid-range renovation and £22,000 or more for a wet room. Ealing directory figures for a full refit are often £5,000 to £10,000, with Victorian bathrooms frequently over £10,000. Keeping the toilet in place saves £600 to £1,200.
Do I need Building Regulations approval for a bathroom renovation in Ealing?
Not for a like-for-like suite replacement. You do for a new bathroom or en-suite, a new soil or drain connection, or structural changes; Ealing charges £403, or £201 alongside other work. Notifiable electrics are certified by a registered electrician, and the room needs a 15 litre per second extractor.
Can you combine my separate toilet and bathroom into one room?
Yes, and it is the most common upgrade in Ealing’s 1930s semis in Greenford, Perivale and Northolt. We check whether the partition carries any load. If it does, a structural engineer specifies the support and the work goes through Building Control; a non-structural stud wall can simply come out.
Can I have a wet room in an Ealing flat?
Usually, with the freeholder’s licence to alter first, typically £500 to £2,500+ including surveyor fees. The floor must be strong enough and fully tanked, and the waste needs enough fall without running through the flat below. On timber floors in converted Victorian houses, the floor work is most of the cost.
Do I need to tell the water company about a new bath?
Only for a large one. Under regulation 5 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, a bath holding more than 230 litres to the overflow is notifiable before installation. Thames Water asks for 10 days’ notice and its consent before work starts. Standard baths are well under that size.
How long does a bathroom renovation take?
A full mid-range renovation takes 9 to 14 working days on site, a suite replacement in the same layout 5 to 9 working days, and a wet room or large en-suite 12 to 18 working days. Allow extra time before starting for a freeholder’s licence in a flat, and for made-to-order items such as glass screens.
Do you fit en-suites in loft conversions and extensions?
Yes. An en-suite built with a loft conversion or extension goes on the same Building Control application, where Ealing charges £201 for the bathroom instead of £403. The soil stack route and head height are planned at design stage, so the en-suite does not force changes later.
Get a free bathroom quote in Ealing
Send a few photos of the room and your postcode. We visit, check the floor, waste and pipework, and send a written, itemised quote within 2 hours of the visit.
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