Bathroom renovation: labour costs in 2026, task by task

A complete bathroom renovation costs €4,000–9,000, and for an old 4 m² bathroom at the standard level the bill usually comes to €4,500–5,500. These amounts include the labour and all the construction materials for the job – adhesives, waterproofing, screeds, plaster. The tiles, sanitaryware, drains and traps are not included: you choose and buy them yourself.

Where your bathroom falls within this range depends mostly on the tiled area, the condition of the walls and pipes, and how complex the details are.

Below are the labour prices for each task from our price list, a worked example for a 4 m² bathroom and the calculator’s formula – with these, you can work out an estimate for your own bathroom. The prices are as of October 2026 and may change; the current ones are always in the price list.

Labour prices by task

The prices in the tables are from the price list and are for labour only; construction materials appear on a separate line in the quote. The screed and the suspended ceiling are priced per item – in the worked example below, there is one of each for a 4 m² bathroom. We walk through the renovation itself, step by step, in the article bathroom renovation in Sofia – cost and process.

Strip-out, preparation, tiling and ceiling

Waterproofing is applied over the whole floor and in the shower area, and waterproofing tape is fitted in the corners. We explain exactly how it is done, and how it is tested with water before the tiles go on, in the article on bathroom waterproofing.

Plumbing, sanitaryware installation and electrics

Worked example: a 4 m² bathroom with a shower

The example is a bathroom renovation costed from our price list: a 4 m² floor, walls tiled up to the ceiling (about 22 m²), a concealed shower with a linear drain and a shower screen, a wall-hung toilet, a vanity unit and a suspended ceiling.

Tile removal, waterproofing, wall preparation and tiling are priced per square metre, and together they come to €2,678.86 of the €4,355.19 total for labour – over 60% of the amount. That is why the tiled area determines the price more than anything else.

For your own bathroom, change the quantities: the tiled area is the floor plus the tiled walls, minus the doorway. To the per-square-metre prices, add the per-item lines for whatever your bathroom will have, for removing the old fittings and for waste removal – and, if there is no lift, for carrying the tiles and sanitaryware upstairs. And leave a margin for whatever comes to light after the strip-out.

Why an old bathroom usually comes to €4,500–5,500

The worked example shows the main tasks and covers labour only. A real quote for an old bathroom adds three more things.

First, items that the example does not list but that a quote usually includes. If the old bathroom has a floor-standing toilet and a basin, and the new one is like the one in the example, these are:

With these, the labour comes to €4,355.19 + €230.84 = €4,586.03; if there is an old bathtub, removing it adds another €53.69 for labour.

Second, the construction materials: adhesives, waterproofing, screeds, plaster, profiles, plasterboard, mesh and primers. They appear in our quote on a separate line. In our bathroom quotes over the past year they have usually come to between 11% and 16% of the labour – for €4,586.03 of labour, that is about €500–730. That brings the total to about €5,100–5,320, still before any surprises after the strip-out.

Third, what comes to light after the strip-out:

• The screed. If the old screed is cracked, crumbling or has no fall towards the drain, it is broken out – ‘Breaking out floor screed’ is €16.11 per m² for labour – and a new one is laid.
• The pipes. It makes sense to replace the old pipes in the wall while the wall is open; there is then more plumbing work, which is priced in the quote. The new pipes are pressure-tested before they are closed up in the wall.
• The walls. Crooked or crumbling walls need more preparation, and sometimes lining with moisture-resistant plasterboard; how much work that is becomes clear after the strip-out, and it goes into the quote.

That is why, for an old 4 m² bathroom, the real figure – labour and construction materials – is usually €4,500–5,500, exactly the range the calculator gives at the standard level. If the strip-out shows that work outside the quote is needed, it is approved in writing, with a price, before it starts.

The walls and pipes in the photos are from the white and grey marble bathroom with black taps. For what else we find under old tiles, and the decisions we make, see the article on renovating an old bathroom.

How the calculator works

The calculator on our website prices a bathroom by its tiled area, not by its floor area – for the reason you can see in the worked example.

The calculator assumes a square room tiled to a height of 2.5 m: the walls are the perimeter (4 × √floor area) times 2.5 m, plus the floor. For a 4 m² floor, that is 4 × 2 × 2.5 = 20 m² of walls and 4 m² of floor – 24 m² of tiles in total. In the worked example, the walls are tiled up to the ceiling, which is why the tiles there come to 26 m².

The figure is a fixed part plus an amount for every square metre of tiles: at the basic level, €1,400 + €120; at the standard level, €1,640 + €140; and at the premium level, €2,000 + €165 per m² of tiles, with a range of ±10%. It covers the labour and the construction materials, but not the tiles and sanitaryware. The fixed part covers what does not depend on the area: installing the sanitaryware, the plumbing and electrical points, the ceiling and the waste removal.

For a 4 m² floor at the standard level: €1,640 + 24 × €140 = €5,000, or €4,500–5,500 with the ±10% range.

The level describes how complex the work is, not the grade of the tiles and sanitaryware: the format and laying pattern of the tiles, niches, a concealed shower and other hidden elements. Basic is for an unchanged layout – no moved points, standard-format tiles, surface-mounted fittings. Standard is the usual renovation of an old bathroom: new installations and every layer redone. Premium is for complex details – concealed fittings, large-format or mosaic tiles, precise joints and corners.

What the amounts include and what you buy yourself

The task prices and the worked example are for labour only, while the €4,000–9,000 and €4,500–5,500 ranges and the calculator figure also include the construction materials. The final bill for the bathroom has three parts:

• labour – according to the price list, as in the tables above;
• construction materials – adhesives, waterproofing, screeds, profiles, plasterboard, mesh, primers; these are in our quote, on a separate line, and are included in the ranges above;
• tiles and sanitaryware – the tiles, the toilet (for a wall-hung one, also the concealed frame with its cistern), the basin, the taps, the shower, the drains and traps; you choose and buy these yourself, and they are not included in any amount in this article.

What pushes the labour price up or down

What affects the labour price is not the grade of the materials but the work they require. Here is what changes it:

• The condition of the walls. Preparing the walls for tiling costs from €2.68 per m² (primer only), through €16.11 (‘plasterboard/plaster’), to €21.47 per m² (plaster and mesh) for labour – depending on what the walls are like after the strip-out. For 22 m² of walls, that is anything from €58.96 to €472.34 for labour.
• The layout. If the shower, toilet and basin stay where they are, there is less plumbing work. ‘Moving the shower supply points’ is €107.37 for labour, and each ‘plumbing alteration’ is €240.31 for labour.
• The tiled area. Every square metre of wall where the old tiles come off and new ones go on costs €102.00 for labour: removal €16.11 + preparation with plaster and mesh €21.47 + tiling and grouting €64.42.
• Tile format and pattern. ‘Tiling and grouting, floor’ is €48.32 per m², while ‘…floor (herringbone)’ is €80.53 per m² for labour. Large-format tiles and mosaic also take more work and fall under the higher level in the calculator.
• Niches. Each niche has to be built (for example, ‘Building plasterboard niches’ – €140.00 for labour) and lined with tiles (‘Lining a niche with tiles’ – €107.37 for labour).
• A concealed shower. On top of the installation – €107.37 for labour – its in-wall body is set into the wall before tiling: another €241.59 for labour. Installing an exposed shower mixer costs €48.32 for labour.
• No lift. The tiles and sanitaryware are carried up the stairs – ‘Carrying tiles and sanitaryware upstairs’ is €91.27 for labour.

For where you can save without taking risks – and where you should not – see the article bathroom renovation on a budget.

Frequently asked questions

Are materials included in the price?

Construction materials – yes: the €4,000–9,000 and €4,500–5,500 ranges and the calculator figure include them, and in the quote they appear on a separate line. The task prices and the worked example are for labour only. The tiles, sanitaryware, drains and traps are not included – you buy them yourself.

Why does the calculator price by the square metre of tiles rather than by floor area?

Because most of the labour goes into the walls: a bathroom with a 4 m² floor has about 24 m² of tiles. Two bathrooms with the same floor area but tiled to different heights come out at different prices.

Can the price change after the site visit?

The calculator gives a guide without having seen the bathroom. After the free site visit, you receive a written quote with the work described and priced. If the strip-out shows that extra work is needed, it is approved in writing, with a price, before it starts.

How much does it cost just to replace the tiles?

In the worked example for a 4 m² bathroom, the labour for 26 m² of tiles – removal, waterproofing, wall preparation, tiling and grouting – is €2,678.86. The waterproofing is redone along with the tiles. On top of this comes the removal and refitting of the sanitaryware.

How much does it cost to install a wall-hung toilet?

The labour usually comes in two items: ‘Installing a concealed frame + plasterboard cladding’ – €187.90, and ‘Installing a wall-hung toilet’ – €59.05, making €246.95 for labour in total. The frame hides the cistern and the pipes in the wall. For comparison, installing a close-coupled toilet costs €42.95 for labour.

Who buys the tiles and sanitaryware?

You do – you choose and buy them, while the construction materials are in our quote. It is best to have the tiles and sanitaryware chosen before work starts: the supply points are positioned to suit them, and the drain is set in before the screed is even laid.

If you would like to know what your bathroom will cost, take photos of it and upload them to our estimate from photos – you will get an indicative price for the labour and the construction materials. The site visit is free, and afterwards you receive a written quote with the work described and priced.