Bathroom renovation in Greenwich
Bathroom Renovation in Greenwich
On Woolwich Common in October 2025 we finished a flat with a refreshed shower room, new flooring and full redecoration. Bathroom work across Royal Greenwich, from the Arsenal-era terraces of Woolwich and Plumstead to the 1930s semis of Eltham and Kidbrooke and the new riverside flats, comes with its own council charges and a few local catches this page explains.
Quick answer
A full mid-range bathroom renovation in London typically costs £8,000 to £12,000; Greenwich and Woolwich directory quotes for a refit run about £3,000 to £10,000. A like-for-like refit needs no Building Control application; a new layout with new drainage does, and Royal Greenwich charges about £1,055 for it.
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By home type
What a bathroom renovation involves across Greenwich
Royal Greenwich has some of London’s most varied housing, and the bathroom job changes with it.
Arsenal and dockyard terraces
Woolwich, Plumstead and Charlton (SE18, SE7). Long streets of Victorian and Edwardian terraces built for the Royal Arsenal and dockyard workforce. Bathrooms are often in the rear addition on a timber floor, so walk-in showers need the floor stiffened and tanked, and old lead supply pipe is a common find.
Eltham, Kidbrooke and New Eltham
SE9 and SE3. Interwar semis where the toilet often sits in its own room beside a small bathroom; joining them is the usual upgrade. On the Progress Estate in Well Hall, an Article 4 direction covers front and side elevations, so check any new vent or pipe on those walls with the council first.
Listed and conservation homes
Greenwich town centre, Ashburnham and Blackheath (SE10, SE3), with 23 conservation areas across the borough. Several Blackheath villas are individually listed, and in a listed building internal changes, bathrooms included, usually need listed building consent.
Riverside and regeneration flats
Greenwich Peninsula, Royal Arsenal Riverside and Kidbrooke Village. Leasehold rules and managing agents decide what can change, and the Peninsula and riverside sit in Flood Zone 3, so ground-floor bathrooms benefit from flood-resilient detailing such as raised electrics and water-resistant boards.
Rules that apply
Do you need approval for a bathroom renovation in Greenwich?
Planning permission: rarely. Internal bathroom work needs none, except in a listed building, where internal changes usually need listed building consent, and for external changes such as new vents or pipes on an Article 4 property like the Progress Estate’s 1,298 houses.
Building Control: only for some jobs. A like-for-like refit in the same positions usually needs no application. These do: a new bathroom or en-suite, a new connection to the soil stack or drains, or removing a structural wall. Royal Greenwich’s April 2026 charges, including VAT:
- Internal alterations including drainage work: £1,056 as a Building Notice, or £1,054.80 on full plans (£421.20 plan charge plus £633.60 inspection charge). This is the category most new bathroom layouts fall into.
- Internal alterations without drainage: £826.80 as a Building Notice, or £825.60 on full plans.
- Two items together: where works go on one application, the second category is generally charged at half cost.
- Electrics: the council’s standard charges assume a Part P registered electrician. Notifiable electrical work is carried out and certified by a registered electrician.
Other rules for every bathroom: mechanical extract of at least 15 litres per second (Approved Document F, 2021); a bath holding over 230 litres to the overflow must be notified to the water company first (Water Fittings Regulations 1999, regulation 5, with Thames Water asking for 10 days’ notice); and any gas work is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers.
Costs
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Greenwich?
Across London a bathroom renovation costs £3,500 to £22,000+ depending on scope. Greenwich and Woolwich directory figures for a refit commonly run £3,000 to £10,000, with complete renovations involving new layouts at £8,000 to £15,000 or more.
Typical London market ranges, not fixed Soraiz Builders prices
| Scope | London range | Time on site | Greenwich notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh (retile, new taps, vanity, towel rail) | £3,500 to £5,500 | 3 to 5 working days | The tier our Woolwich Common shower room sits in |
| Suite replacement, same layout | £5,500 to £8,000 | 5 to 9 working days | No Building Control application |
| Full mid-range renovation | £8,000 to £12,000 | 9 to 14 working days | Add about £1,055 if new drainage needs Building Control |
| High specification or wet room | £12,000 to £22,000+ | 12 to 18 working days | Timber floors in SE18 and SE7 terraces need tanking work |
Sources: London ranges and durations from our bathroom renovation in London page and bathroom renovation cost guide. Local figures: MyBuilder’s Woolwich guide (£1,900 for a small budget refit to £7,400 for a large luxury one), BizHub365’s Greenwich guide (simple suite refurbishment £3,000 to £6,000, complete renovation £8,000 to £15,000+) and Bookabuilder (£3,000 to £10,000). HaMuch reports Greenwich and Woolwich bathroom fitters averaging about £55 an hour.
Royal Greenwich fees for bathroom work
| Item | Fee (inc. VAT) | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Internal alterations including drainage work | £1,054.80 full plans, £1,056 Building Notice | New bathroom layout, moved toilet, new en-suite |
| Internal alterations without drainage | £825.60 full plans, £826.80 Building Notice | Structural change with no new drainage |
| Knock-through (through room) | £825.60 full plans | The council’s through-room category, for removing a loadbearing wall between rooms |
| Skip licence | £74 | Applied for by an approved skip operator on the council’s list |
Sources: Royal Greenwich Building Control Charges, April 2026 (standard charges table); skip licence as on our Greenwich borough page. Keeping the toilet where it is saves £600 to £1,200 and usually avoids the drainage category altogether.
Local work
A shower room on Woolwich Common
On Woolwich Common (SE18) we refreshed a flat’s shower room with a new vanity basin unit and towel rail, alongside grey oak-effect laminate through the rooms and white walls and woodwork throughout, finished on 1 October 2025. The shower room part is a cosmetic-tier job, estimated at £2,900 to £4,600 at 2026 London rates.
★★★★★
“Soraiz Builders were a pleasure to deal with. They were responsive to my messages, had reasonable pricing, were timely for their appointments and completed the work to a good standard. I have referred them to other property owners for more work”
Dillon, Woolwich · March 2025 · painting a hallway and stairwell, not a bathroom
The process
How a Greenwich bathroom renovation runs
Survey and written quote
We check the floor, the soil stack and waste route, the supply pipes and the extract route, and whether the home is listed, on the Progress Estate or in a flood zone, then send an itemised quote with the layout options.
Approvals where needed
A Building Notice or full plans application to Royal Greenwich if the layout or drainage changes, a freeholder’s licence in a flat, and listed building consent where it applies.
Strip-out and first fix
An approved operator applies for the skip licence. Old fittings come out, pipework, wastes and the extractor go in. Notifiable electrical work is carried out and certified by a registered electrician.
Tanking, tiling and second fix
Shower areas are tanked before tiling, then the suite, brassware and vanity go in and everything is tested.
Handover
A final walk-round, the electrical certificate and, where the job needed it, the Building Control completion certificate.
Areas we cover
Bathroom renovation across Royal Greenwich
- Greenwich SE10
- Blackheath SE3
- Charlton SE7
- Woolwich SE18
- Plumstead SE18
- Eltham SE9
- Well Hall SE9
- New Eltham SE9
- Kidbrooke SE3 and SE9
- Greenwich Peninsula SE10
- Thamesmead SE28
FAQ
Bathroom renovation in Greenwich: common questions
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Greenwich?
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. Greenwich and Woolwich directory quotes for a refit are commonly £3,000 to £10,000. A new layout with new drainage adds about £1,055 in Building Control charges.
How much is a bathroom renovation in Eltham?
Eltham follows the same London ranges: about £5,500 to £8,000 to replace a suite in the same layout and £8,000 to £12,000 for a full mid-range renovation. Joining a separate toilet and bathroom, common in Eltham’s interwar semis, adds structural work and £825.60 in Royal Greenwich Building Control charges if the wall is loadbearing.
Does Royal Greenwich need to approve my bathroom renovation?
Not for a like-for-like refit. Building Control is needed for a new bathroom, new drainage or structural change: £1,054.80 on full plans for internal alterations including drainage, or £825.60 without, under the April 2026 charges. In a listed building, internal changes usually need listed building consent as well.
Can I renovate the bathroom in my Greenwich Peninsula flat?
Usually, with the managing agent’s or freeholder’s written consent first, and new-build leases often set rules on noise, working hours and contractors. The Peninsula sits in Flood Zone 3 behind the Thames Barrier, so on lower floors we use flood-resilient details such as raised electrics and water-resistant boards.
Do I need permission for bathroom changes on the Progress Estate?
Inside the house, no planning permission is needed. The Progress Estate’s Article 4 direction, in place since 1973 across all 1,298 houses, covers front and side elevations, windows, doors and roofs, so check any new extractor outlet, vent or pipe on those walls with Royal Greenwich before fitting it.
How long does a bathroom renovation take?
A full mid-range renovation takes 9 to 14 working days on site, a suite replacement 5 to 9 working days, and a wet room or large en-suite 12 to 18 working days. Allow extra time beforehand for a freeholder’s licence, listed building consent or made-to-order glass screens.
Get a free bathroom quote in Greenwich
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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