Bathroom Refurbishment Quote Checklist for UK Builders

1. Survey, dated scope and existing layout

Write down the site address, survey date and who was there. Measure the room and record the existing layout: where the bath or shower, basin, WC, radiator, window, door and soil stack sit now. If the client wants things moved, note the new positions against a dated sketch or drawing revision. Keep survey photos with the quote.

• Room dimensions and ceiling height, with the date measured.
• Existing fittings and their positions; what is being moved.
• Anything you could not see or reach, recorded as not inspected.

2. Protection, strip-out and waste

Say what you will protect (landing carpet, stairs, adjoining rooms) and what you will remove: suite, tiles, flooring, boxing, old pipework. State who arranges waste removal and whether it is in your price. Removing packaging from new items is different from disposing of the old bathroom, so list both.

3. Who supplies the suite and fittings

Many clients buy their own suite, taps, shower and tiles. That is fine, but write down who orders, who receives the delivery, who checks it against the order and who chases missing or damaged parts. Agree when items must be on site and where they will be stored. If a client-supplied valve or tray arrives wrong, record the delay and any extra visit as a change rather than absorbing it.

• List each item as client-supplied or contractor-supplied.
• Agree who inspects deliveries, and by when.
• Note that you fit client-supplied items as delivered; faults in the product sit with the supplier.

4. Plumbing, drainage and ventilation

Describe the plumbing scope in plain terms: new supply and waste positions, valve type, any change to the hot water system, and the connection to the existing drainage. State your assumptions, such as adequate water pressure for the chosen shower and a usable fall to the existing waste. If those assumptions prove wrong, the fix is a variation. Say whether an extractor fan is included, who supplies it, how it will be ducted and who makes the electrical connection.

5. Electrical work by a competent electrician

Bathrooms carry specific electrical safety requirements, and work there should be carried out by a competent, registered electrician. Name who is doing it, what they are doing (lighting, fan, shaver point, heated rail) and that the relevant certificate or notification record will be handed over. If the electrician is the client's own contractor, list it as outside your scope and agree when they need the room.

Electrical Safety First: electrical safety in bathrooms

Electrical Safety First: building regulations and registered electricians

6. Substrate, opening up and asbestos

You rarely know what is behind old tiles until they are off. Price boarding or making good on a stated assumption, for example ‘walls assumed sound once tiles are removed’, and exclude repairs to rotten joists, failed plaster or hidden leaks until you have seen them. In older properties, textured coatings, panels and floor tiles can contain asbestos. Before disturbing building fabric that could contain it, confirm there is sufficient information about it, such as an appropriate survey. Record what was confirmed and when.

HSE: arranging an asbestos survey

7. Waterproofing, tiling and finishes

Say which areas are tanked or waterproofed and with what system, and allow drying or curing time in the programme. For tiling, list the areas (full height in the shower, half height elsewhere, floor), the tile format, the layout and where cuts will fall, plus trims and grout colour. Then cover carpentry (boxing, door, skirting), plastering, decoration and flooring as included or excluded.

8. Programme, access and services

• Proposed start and expected duration, subject to deliveries and drying times.
• Lead times for client-supplied items and any made-to-measure screen or vanity.
• Working hours, parking, access route and where materials are cut.
• When water or power will be off, and whether another toilet is available.
• Explicit exclusions written as a short list the client will read.

9. Variations, payments and handover

If something changes, record it before doing it: the issue, photos, the proposed work, price, time impact and the client's written approval. Recording a variation is not the same as the client approving it. Tie payments to visible milestones such as strip-out complete or tiling complete, and check the stages add up to the quote total. At handover, record testing, snags, certificates passed over, care instructions and any return visit.

Fictional worked example: small bathroom refit

Before you send it

Read the quote as the client would. Can they see what they are buying, what they are supplying and what happens if something hidden turns up? This guide is practical record-keeping help, not legal, electrical or asbestos advice; check specific requirements with the relevant qualified person. The four-question business guide gives a curated, editable example draft, not live AI, and you can compare current plans before choosing.