Bathroom renovation in Hackney
Bathroom Renovation in Hackney
A narrow shower room in King’s Park, E9, went from bare walls to tiled floor to ceiling on 4 August 2025 and was finished with its tray, glass enclosure and rainfall shower by 8 August. Most bathroom work in Hackney is like that: tight rooms in Victorian terraces around Dalston, London Fields and Clapton, plus warehouse flats in Hackney Wick and Shoreditch where the drainage decides the layout.
Quick answer
A full mid-range bathroom renovation in London typically costs £8,000 to £12,000, and Hackney sits at inner-London rates. A like-for-like refit needs no Building Control application; a new layout does, and Hackney charges by cost of works, for example £636.30 for £5,000 to £10,000 of work.
Every enquiry gets a written reply within 2 hours, Monday to Saturday.
By home type
What a bathroom renovation involves across Hackney
Hackney’s homes run from Georgian squares to converted factories, and each one changes where the water can go.
Victorian terraces
London Fields, Dalston and Hackney Downs (E8), Clapton (E5) and Stoke Newington (N16). These homes typically have one small bathroom, often in the rear addition on a timber floor. Large-format tiles and a walk-in shower make a narrow room feel bigger; a wet room needs the floor stiffened and fully tanked first.
Warehouse and live-work conversions
Hackney Wick and Shoreditch (E9, E2). Concrete floors and fixed soil stacks decide where the shower and toilet can go. Where gravity drainage cannot reach, a pumped waste unit is one option, within Building Regulations and the management company’s rules.
Georgian and listed homes
De Beauvoir Town and Clapton Square (N1, E5). Hackney has more than 1,300 listed buildings across its 36 conservation areas, and in a listed building internal changes, bathrooms included, usually need listed building consent.
Estate and conversion flats
Leaseholders on Hackney’s post-war estates, and in the many Victorian houses split into flats, normally need the landlord’s written permission before changing a bathroom’s layout or services. Check the lease and apply before booking the work.
Rules that apply
Do you need approval for a bathroom renovation in Hackney?
Planning permission: rarely. Internal bathroom work needs none, except in a listed building, where listed building consent is usually needed even for internal changes.
Building Control: only for some jobs. A like-for-like refit in the same positions usually needs no application. A new bathroom or en-suite, a new connection to the soil stack or drains, or a structural change does. Hackney prices this work by the estimated cost of works, not by room. Its schedule effective 1 April 2026, including VAT:
- Work under £1,000: £318.16; £1,000 to under £5,000: £530.77, one fee paid with the application.
- £5,000 to under £10,000: £636.30, one fee paid with the application.
- £10,000 to under £15,000: £890.20 (£356.08 plan charge plus £534.12 inspection charge on full plans).
- £15,000 to under £20,000: £1,009.27 (£403.71 plus £605.56).
- Several items together: where plans show more than one item of work, each is charged with a 10% discount.
- Electrics: Hackney charges £554.40 if notifiable electrical work is not done by a 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 is notifiable 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 Hackney?
Across London a bathroom renovation costs £3,500 to £22,000+ depending on scope. Hackney prices sit at inner-London rates, with period homes in Stoke Newington and De Beauvoir towards the top of each range. Compact rooms cost less: our King’s Park shower room refit is estimated at £4,600 to £7,500.
Typical London market ranges, not fixed Soraiz Builders prices
| Scope | London range | Time on site | Hackney notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh (retile, new taps and fittings) | £3,500 to £5,500 | 3 to 5 working days | Common in rented flats around Dalston and Hackney Central |
| 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 | Typical for a family bathroom in an E8 or E5 terrace |
| High specification or wet room | £12,000 to £22,000+ | 12 to 18 working days | Timber floors in E8 and E5 terraces need tanking work |
Sources: London ranges and durations from our bathroom renovation in London page and bathroom renovation cost guide. Local figures: BizHub365’s Hackney guide (complete suite installation £2,500 to £5,500, full renovation labour only £4,500 to £9,500), MyBuilder’s South Hackney guide (£1,900 for a small budget bathroom to £7,400 for a large luxury one) and Bestbuilders’ Hackney guide (full strip-out and refurbishment £5,000 to £20,000, tanked wet room £6,500 to £30,000).
Hackney fees for bathroom work
| Item | Fee (inc. VAT) | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Building Control, £1,000 to under £5,000 of work | £530.77 | A small new en-suite or WC |
| Building Control, £5,000 to under £10,000 | £636.30 | Most bathroom refits with a new layout |
| Building Control, £10,000 to under £15,000 | £890.20 | Larger renovations and wet rooms |
| Through lounge (opening between rooms) | £423.67 full plans | Joining two rooms across a loadbearing wall |
| Electrical work not by a registered electrician | £554.40 | Avoided when a registered electrician certifies it |
| Skip licence | Approved skip companies apply | 7 working days’ notice in a parking zone, 3 elsewhere; up to 4 weeks |
Sources: London Borough of Hackney Building Control Schedule of Fees and Charges, effective 1 April 2026 (Tables B and C); Hackney Council skip licence page (approved companies only, licences of up to four weeks, unlicensed skips fined up to £1,000). Keeping the toilet where it is saves £600 to £1,200, and often keeps the job out of Building Control entirely.
Local work
A narrow shower room in King’s Park, E9
The room was narrow, with a small window, so we tiled it floor to ceiling in large-format porcelain, including the window reveal, then fitted a shower tray, glass enclosure, rainfall shower, vanity basin unit and chrome towel rail, with wood-effect flooring laid the following week. At 2026 London rates the shower room refit is estimated at £4,600 to £7,500.
★★★★★
“I have used a lot of contractors over the years and I must say Hussain is by far one of the very best I have used.”
Charles, Hackney Wick · April 2025 · a one-bedroom skim, not a bathroom
The process
How a Hackney 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, leasehold or a converted warehouse, then send an itemised quote with the layout options.
Permissions where needed
The landlord’s or freeholder’s written permission for a flat, listed building consent where it applies, and a Building Control application to Hackney if the layout or drainage changes.
Strip-out and first fix
An approved skip company applies for the licence first, with 7 working days’ notice inside a parking zone. Then 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 tray, enclosure, suite and vanity go in and everything is tested.
Handover
A final walk-round, the electrical certificate and, where the job needed it, Hackney’s Building Control completion certificate.
Areas we cover
Bathroom renovation across Hackney
- Dalston E8
- London Fields E8
- Hackney Central E8
- Clapton E5
- Stoke Newington N16
- De Beauvoir Town N1
- Homerton E9
- Hackney Wick E9
- Victoria Park E9
- Shoreditch E2
- Hoxton N1
FAQ
Bathroom renovation in Hackney: common questions
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Hackney?
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, and Hackney sits at inner-London rates. Our King’s Park shower room refit is estimated at £4,600 to £7,500 at 2026 rates. Keeping the toilet in place saves £600 to £1,200.
How much is a bathroom renovation in Dalston?
Dalston follows Hackney’s inner-London prices: 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. Many Dalston bathrooms are small rooms in Victorian rear additions, where tanking a timber floor for a walk-in shower is the main extra cost.
Does Hackney Council need to approve my bathroom renovation?
Not for a like-for-like refit. A new bathroom, new drainage or a structural change needs Building Control, which Hackney prices by cost of works under its April 2026 schedule: £530.77 for £1,000 to £5,000 of work, £636.30 up to £10,000 and £890.20 up to £15,000. Listed buildings usually need listed building consent too.
Can you renovate a bathroom in a Hackney Wick warehouse flat?
Yes, but the concrete floor and fixed soil stack usually decide where the shower and toilet can go. Moving them far from the stack can need a pumped waste unit, which must meet Building Regulations and the management company’s rules. Get the managing agent’s consent in writing before work starts.
Do I need permission to change the bathroom in my leasehold flat?
Usually, if the layout or services change. Leases normally require the landlord’s written permission, whether the landlord is Hackney Council on an estate or a private freeholder of a converted house. Whether a like-for-like suite swap needs it depends on the lease, so check it and apply before booking the work.
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 12 to 18 working days. In King’s Park the shower room went from fully tiled to finished in four days. Allow extra time beforehand for landlord permission or listed building consent.
Get a free bathroom quote in Hackney
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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