If you search for this on Google you will find figures running from €3,000 to €10,000 with nobody explaining why. Most of them are national averages taken from quote portals, and a national average is no use for deciding anything: it lumps together a three-metre village bathroom and a penthouse in Madrid.
These are our prices in Alicante, which is where we work, and what lies behind each one.
The three bands that actually exist
A complete bathroom renovation in Alicante falls into three fairly clear bands. The difference between them is not the size of the bathroom: it is the quality of the material and how much of the services get renewed.
From €8,000: complete renovation with standard material
Everything is stripped out, the wall tiles and the floor are renewed, the sanitaryware, the unit, the taps and the screen are changed, and the wet area is waterproofed. The material is standard catalogue range. It is a complete renovation, not half a renovation: the word “standard” refers to the finish, not to what gets done.
From €11,000: the services get renewed too
All of the above plus new plumbing and electrics up to the connection point, and higher-range material: large-format porcelain, screens with treated framing, concealed taps. It is the band most flats over thirty years old end up in, because in those, changing the pipework stops being optional.
From €15,000: a bespoke project
This is where the interior design comes in: new layout, made-to-measure pieces, niches drawn out, lighting designed. A drawing is made before anything is touched, and the price comes out of the drawing.
And the bath to shower conversion, separately
It is not a complete renovation and it is not charged as one. It starts at around €3,000 and only touches the bath area: removal, new tray, screen, tiling of the recess and waterproofing. The rest of the bathroom stays as it is. If you also want to change the floor, the unit and the sanitaryware, you are already into a complete renovation and the price is the one above.
What moves the figure within each band
Four things explain almost all the difference between two quotes in the same band. None of them has anything to do with square metres.
- Moving the waste. Leaving the WC where it is costs a fraction of moving it two metres, because moving the soil pipe means lifting the floor and rebuilding the fall. It is the decision that moves more money than any other.
- The depth of the floor structure. A flush shower needs space under the tray. If there is none, either the floor goes up or a surface-mounted tray goes in, and each solution has its price.
- The format of the wall covering. A 120 × 60 piece leaves fewer joints and looks better, but it is heavy, it needs two people and cutting with a wet saw. The material costs more and so does the labour.
- The screen. It is the piece that varies most. A stock slider and a made-to-measure three-panel one with treated framing are several hundred euros apart.
The items that tend to be missing
When two quotes for the same bathroom are €2,000 apart, it is almost always because one includes these things and the other is going to invoice them later:
- Rubble taken to a licensed tip, with the receipt.
- Waterproofing of the wet area before tiling. It cannot be seen once the job is finished, and that is why it is the first thing to drop out of a cheap quote.
- Builder's work for the plumbing and electrics: the chases, the filling and the making good afterwards.
- Painting the ceiling and the door opening, which always ends up marked.
If a quote does not mention them, it is not cheaper: it is incomplete. Ask about them before you sign, not afterwards.
Can a bathroom be renovated for €2,000?
It is one of the most common questions and it deserves a straight answer: no, not if we are talking about a complete renovation with building work, material and a guarantee. With €2,000 you can do a facelift —change the taps, the unit and the screen without touching the tiling or the services— and there are cases where that is exactly what is needed. But calling it a complete renovation would be misleading you.
How to find out what yours costs
On the site there is a calculator that gives you a range in two minutes, without leaving your phone number or any other detail. It is not a quote: it is there so you know which band you are in before you call anyone. The fixed price comes after the visit, because until the bathroom has been seen there is no telling where the soil pipe is.
