Small bathroom renovation

What is different in a small bathroom

In a small room the wet zone takes up almost the whole floor. Water from the shower reaches the door and the washing machine, so the waterproofing is applied to the whole floor and to the walls around the shower or bath, not just in one corner.

The second difference is cutting. The smaller the room, the more tiles have to be cut around pipes, the door opening and the riser niche. The number of corners and the size of the tiles therefore also affect the price.

The third is risers. In apartment buildings they can run through the bathroom or toilet and take up part of a wall. They are common property, so work on them needs the consent of the apartment owners' association and they cannot simply be moved; access to them, such as a hatch, must be kept.

Bath or shower with a floor drain

A bath takes up the whole length of one wall, but you can bathe children and soak laundry in it. A shower with a floor drain at floor level frees up space for a washing machine or a shelf, but the floor needs a slope towards the drain. That means the floor is levelled anew and its height at the door changes.

Installing a floor drain costs from €100 per drain; the slope and the tiling are separate jobs. Replacing or installing a bath costs from €130 per bath. For a shower without a tray, see the page shower with a floor drain.

The order of work in a small bathroom

1. A plan on paper Draw the room with its dimensions, the position of the risers, the door and the ventilation duct. Mark where you want the shower, sink, toilet and washing machine.
2. Demolition The old tiles and fittings are removed. After that you can see whether the walls are straight and how much levelling is needed.
3. Pipes and socket The washing machine needs a water supply, a drain pipe and a socket. They are installed before the finishing so that new tiles do not have to be drilled through afterwards.
4. Levelling and waterproofing The floor is levelled, a slope is made for the shower, then waterproofing is applied. The manufacturer of Ceresit CL 51 recommends at least two coats and tape in the corners.
5. Tiling The tiles are glued and grouted. In corners and next to sanitary fittings the joints are filled with silicone.
6. Fittings The sink, toilet, shower or bath and the taps are installed.

How to gain space in a small room

• A sink above the washing machine or a narrower sink: write it in the request, because the position of the pipes changes.
• A toilet with a concealed cistern in the wall takes up less space at the front, but the cistern needs room in the wall or in a false wall.
• Shelves in the niche between the riser box and the wall.
• A door that opens outwards, if it gets in the way inside.
• Lighter and larger tiles with fewer joints; large-format tiles do cost more, though.

If the room is too small and there is a separate toilet next door, you can consider combining the two. That is replanning: according to Riga municipality's explanation, for demolishing a non-load-bearing wall to combine rooms, a certified architect prepares a plan, and a construction notice is submitted in BIS. The bathroom renovation price from €3,000 applies to the bathroom; for combining, the replanning documents are separate. More on the page combining a bathroom with a toilet.

How much a small bathroom renovation costs

Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. A whole bathroom renovation costs from €3,000. Individual jobs in a small bathroom, for example with 20 m² of wall and floor to be tiled:

• removing old tiles 20 m² × €9 = from €180;
• waterproofing 6 m² × €6 = from €36;
• tiling 20 m² × €24 = from €480;
• floor drain installation from €100.

In total, these four jobs are from €796. That does not include levelling, pipes, plumbing installation and materials. The price is also affected by the condition of the walls, whether pipes and risers are replaced, and the chosen tiles. All prices are on the page prices.

What is in the price