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If you’ve got a big master bedroom that could potentially be partitioned, or a little used adjacent room, then adding or creating an en suite could be a great way to add a sense of luxury to your bedroom. It is also a great way of adding to the value of your home, especially if you currently have only has one bathroom.

There are several things you need to think about before you go ahead and add a new en suite to your house, from the cost of adding the bathroom, to relocating plumbing, wiring the space and deciding exactly what sanitary ware to invest in.

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How much will an en suite bathroom cost?

The most quoted, average cost of adding a new bathroom to a house is £3000. This is inclusive of labour, fixtures, fittings and finishes like flooring, tiling and painting. However, adding a new bathroom to your house can vary in cost, depending on where your proposed bathroom is going to be. Ideally, you want to add your en-suite directly next to an existing bathroom on the same floor, or above a bathroom on the lower floor.

The issue is, it gets more expensive to add a bathroom if you have to redirect plumbing, especially soil stacks and waste pipes. It is possible to install a small bore pipe with a macerator, but this isn’t an ideal solution. You will have to factor in the day rates of a plumber, but again, it is difficult to predict how long this job is likely to take.

It is far easier to estimate how much fixtures and fittings are going to cost once plumbing has already been sorted.

Bath

A new bath will cost from £70 for a low end, acrylic model, but expect to pay from £300 – £500 for a good quality steel example. When you start looking at cast iron, stone and composite baths, expect to pay north of £1000.

Shower

Your basic electric shower is cost effective, both to buy and to run. They can cost a little as £50, but look at paying between £100 and £200 for a stylish and functional unit. Power showers start at around £200, and feature a pump that increases the force of the water. Digital showers, shower towers, shower columns and shower cabins will cost £500 and up if you want quality, and advanced models can even cost as much as £2000

Shower enclosure

Your shower enclosure is an important decision, because this will create the overall look of the shower. A shower tray and enclosure combo will probably cost you around £150, but could cost you up to £600if you want higher quality.

Wet room enclosure

A wet room will cost upwards of £500depending on the structural work required, this includes waterproofing, plumbing, the shower and a screen, if you’ve chosen one. The cost of a wet room shower can vary depending on your fixtures and fittings, and tiling it afterwards will need to be factored in.

Basin

A simple ceramic basin is an inexpensive choice and will cost upwards of £50. Basins made for vanity units are more expensive, and the cost of the unit is usually separate. These can cost around £100 for a basic unit, but on average you will pay £200 – £300.

Toilet

Toilets are much the same as basins, with ceramic, wall-mounted examples costing around £50.Expect to pay between £150 and £300 for a good quality toilet, and quite often, savings can be made by buying it in a bundle with a matching basin.

Taps and hardware

Bathroom taps often come as an afterthought when your bathroom fixtures, but they are an important addition. A statement tap is usually enough to make even the cheapest basin look high end. You can pay as little as £20 for a basic mixer, and an average of £100 for a good quality one. To get something luxurious, you can easily pay upwards of £400,but this isn’t as extravagant as it seems if you have made a saving on your sanitary ware.

Planning permission for an en suite bathroom

Adding an en suite bathroom rarely requires planning permission if the work is happening in an existing house. If you plan on adding a bathroom to a listed building, then planning permission is essential, as you will be altering the internal fabric of the building.

Building new walls for your en suite

If you are creating a complete new room or partitioning an existing room, then you will need to build extra walls. These will usually be stud walls constructed with a timber frame with plasterboard over the top. Choose water resistant plasterboard when creating a new bathroom to avoid damp.

In the case of a bathroom, you can get structural metal components that will support the weight of wall-mounted basins. The cavity in this type of wall is also perfect for concealing pipework, cisterns, wiring and additional storage

Having a stud wall built will cost you around £15 per m², not including any internal works, like plumbing and wiring, which will need to be planned out in advance.

En suite bathroom heating and plumbing

If you have a combi boiler, which provides hot water on demand rather than requiring a cylinder, you need to ensure that it has sufficient hot water flow to supply an extra bathroom. You should also check your water pressure and choose appropriate mixer taps and shower fittings.

Most people choose heated towel rails for bathrooms, rather than radiators ad these basically offer a solution to both, drying your towels, and the need to heat the room. These can cost as little as £30 for wall mounted options, and can cost as much as £500, not including installation.

Choosing lighting for your en suite bathroom

The most important factor you need to consider when you’re choosing bathroom lighting is safety. There are strict regulations on what lighting can be used in a potentially wet environment. A lights IP rating depends on its distance to the water source, and that determines the type of light you can use. The higher the rating, the better protected the light.

The bathroom is then broken up into zones that correspond with the IP ratings of certain lights.

• Zone 0 is inside the bath or shower, so the light needs an rating of at least IP67.
• Zone 1 is the area directly above the bath or shower to a height of 2.25m. IP45 is recommended, but it is always safer to go higher when this close to water.
• Zone 2 is the area stretching 0.6m from the perimeter of the bath or shower where a minimum IP rating of 44 is required.
• The outside zone is any area where water isn’t likely to go. However, if this is still within the bathroom, it’s a good idea to choose a light with a IP44, just incase.

Featured image: This en suite bathroom was created as part of a whole-house renovation. Read more about this en suite bathroom.

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