planning an ensuite..

I have couple of builders/plummers coming round this week to have a look and quote on adding an ensuite showeroom between the two bedrooms in my eves top floor.

The work will be

two stud walls around the vacant landing area.

Knocking the bedroom wall through and erecting new wall eating some space into one of the bedrooms.

Pulling a grotty ceiling down and re-plastering it.

Adding a velux roof window to the new ensuite.

i KNOW ITS HARD TO SAY FELLAS BUT WHATS THE BALL PARK FOR THIS KINDA JOB?

i can give you a ball park figure....

id guess between 1 and 20k

Noseall's luverly cheer leaders aside, I would be slightly more optimistic than rssteve & say between 5 & 10K but it really depends on circumstances: standard/cost of everything; chosen sanitary ware & fittings; tiling & tanking; floor finish; type of shower & fittings; water supply (or lack of it); gravity or power shower; new soil stack & connection to the foul drain (don't go with a macerator ); forced ventilation (fan); are structural walls involved; then there is the dreaded Part P electrics to comply with!

Just for good measure, don’t forget what your doing is notifyable & subject to BR's & possible/probably inspection with regard to the landing modifications, electrics, foul drain provision & sound insulation between rooms where a W/C is involved; it’s no longer acceptable for people in the next room to hear you fartt so sound block plasterboard & insulation is required & a Building Control Inspection fee based on the cost of the work

The guys you’re getting in to quote won’t necessarily tell you all this cos it’s not necessarily in their interest & it’s not their problem; but it will ultimately be yours! By the way, I'm doing one at the moment!

thanks for the reply richard,

Regarding authorities etc should i contact my local planning office, will they be in a position to tell me if what i am doing is given the ok??

i have a couple of quick questions for you.

1) Is it much more expensive for me to add a water tank in the loft to increase water presure to the ensuite? as i use a combi boiler so a pump is out!

2) I am planning to get a velux window put into the ensuite for natural light etc..is this a big/costly/time consuming job??

thanks

I have a conventional boiler & vented HW system & I’m not that familiar with combi systems; I know they operate at mains pressure so, in theory, the hot water pressure should be sufficient directly from the boiler & again, in theory, all you need do is match this with a separate mains cold feed to the shower mixer. The question is how high up your new en-suite will be, how this will affect the water pressure/flow rate & how this will ultimately govern your choice & performance of shower fitting. The other problem with combi boilers, particularly older ones, is that they can’t deliver enough hot water to keep the shower running satisfactorily if someone turns on a hot water tap elsewhere! A HW storage tank is one solution but I’m unsure if these must be unvented (DIY not allowed) or vented; either way tank, pipe work & fittings is going to add considerably to the cost; hopefully, someone else with more experience on combi systems can chip in or correct me if I’m wrong! Have you though about installing an electric shower?

I was in the situation where my whole installation (including the CH heating system but not the oil boiler) was old & completely shot so I ripped it all out & installed a 2nd 50 gall hot water (I have a solar heating system feeding the original), 1 x 50 gall cold, new 22mm pipe work from the tanks to the bathroom & en-suite, full flow isolation valves, thermostatic control valve & a 3 bar, whole house pump; that little lot alone came to well over a grand & I installed it all myself! But it delivers water to the 2 power showers & bath we have at one heck of a rate & the showers work great!

You’re confusing Planning Permission with Building Control, they both live at your main local council office but the 2 are completely different; you don’t need PP for what your doing but you will need to comply with the relevant Building Regs. Re BC guidance; they can be very helpful but their role is not one of a free Design Consultant. How much they are prepared to help & advise you will depend on how cooperative your local guys are. Ideally, you need to employ someone who knows & understands the regs. to produce a specification your trades can quote/work to or do what everyone else has to, download them (free), learn them, plan & supervise the work yourself. You need to submit a building notice outlining the work your doing, a realistic cost & a fee based on that cost; a BCO will then visit to inspect (mainly drains, electrics & insulation) as you complete various stages & either pass or otherwise comment on what you’ve done. If the en suite is in an eaves top floor, do you still have a loft space? Has the loft been converted in the past or are you doing that now? Either way, if you’re putting a new room & a Velux up there, BC may require the eaves insulation to be upgraded to current standards! Velux units themselves are not that expensive & are fairly easy to install but, again, it will have to comply with BR’s & a DIY installation will also need inspection as far as I’m aware.