Plumbers

[garrymum]

Looking to re-do our ensuite. Plumber came round and gave us a ball park figure of £3,000. This included supply and fit of:

Shower
Shower Tray
Shower Enclosure
Basin
Toilet
Towel rad (relocated to opposite wall)

The £3,000 is purely a ball park figure as we have not chosen the above items yet.

I asked if I removed the existing toilet, basin etc would this reduce the price. He said it would save a days labour and reduce the £3,000 by £200. Is £200 a day the average for a plumbers labour? I am in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Keep thinking about having a go myself. Only thing I would be unsure of is relocating the radiator to the opposite wall.

 

[JohnD]

Speaking as a householder, if he is good (and you need to get recommendations and look at some other houses he has done) then he will do it much faster, and a bit better, that you will do it yourself (you will have less skill and equipment, but as it is your own house you will be more painstaking), and he is much less likely to make mistakes or have leaks.

If you do it yourself you will be very conscious of the time it takes when you have no satisfactory bathroom.

It is worth drawing up a plan of how you want it done, and writing down all the work, and discuss it with him. This can save misunderstandings, diappointment, and extra costs from late change. For example are you including tiling, new floor (the old one will be cut about and probably damaged already by water), new skirting, shaver socket, wall cabinet, towel rail, service valves, flexible connectors, supplementary bonding, electric shower or pump etc; skip away the old stuff including plaster and brick rubble.

BTW don't put a cabinet above the basin. Women like to put unguents in heavy glass jars and bottles in these cabinets, and from time to time drop them into the basin and crack it. Just have a mirror above the basin and your shelves and cabinets nearby.