A bathroom installation replaces your old suite with new sanitaryware, a bath or shower, tiling and fittings, including the plumbing, electrics, ventilation and waterproofing needed for a complete, watertight room.
If you live in Braintree and are weighing up a new bathroom, the starting point is a visit to measure up and talk through what you want, which costs nothing. We cover homes across CM7 and CM77, and a typical project of this kind in the East of England lands somewhere in the £5,200–£12,500 bracket, including VAT. The exact figure depends on size, access and the finish you choose.
- Guide price
- £5,200–£12,500 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–2 weeks per bathroom
- Postcodes
- CM7 and CM77
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Essex
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for a new bathroom in Braintree?
What should you budget for a new bathroom in Braintree? Use the figures below as a starting point. Prices in the East of England sit about 5% above the national guide, so the range here is £5,200–£12,500 including VAT. Your fixed price comes in writing once we've surveyed the property, at no charge.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Braintree |
|---|---|---|
| Shower room or en-suite | A compact room with a shower, basin and toilet, keeping the existing layout. | £4,200–£8,400 |
| Family bathroom | A full suite with bath and shower, new tiling, lighting and an extractor fan. | £5,200–£12,500 |
| Premium bathroom or wet room | Standalone bath, wet room or walk-in shower, underfloor heating and large-format tiles. | £12,500–£21,000 |
Expect these to shape the final quote:
- Room size and the amount of tiling
- Suite, shower and tap specification
- Moving the toilet, bath or shower to a new position
- Condition of the floor, walls and existing pipework
Scope of the work
- Measured survey and layout planning for your room
- Removal and disposal of the old suite and tiles
- Waterproofing behind showers and in wet areas
- Wall and floor tiling to your chosen design
- Bath or shower, basin, toilet and taps fitted and tested
- Heated towel rail, silicone sealing and a final clean
Building in Braintree
Essex ranges from timber-framed and weatherboarded cottages in the north, some with decorative pargeting, to Victorian terraces in Colchester, Chelmsford and Southend. Basildon and Harlow were built as post-war new towns, much of the south-east has interwar suburbs and bungalows, and large new estates continue to appear around Chelmsford and Braintree.
Essex is one of the driest counties in England, and London Clay in the south shrinks in dry spells, so trees and foundation depth matter.
Building traditions across Essex also raise conservation and planning questions, so we check those for a new bathroom in Braintree at the survey stage.
Planning and building rules in Braintree
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Braintree is in England. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
Internal work such as a new kitchen, bathroom, flooring, plastering or decorating does not need planning permission in England, unless the house is listed, when listed building consent may be needed even for internal changes.
Some internal work is covered by Building Regulations: new electrical circuits and work in bathrooms (Part P), new drainage, structural changes, extractor ventilation and any new window. Notifiable work is certified by a registered installer or by building control.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
How does the job run?
Free site survey
We begin by looking at the job in person. During the free survey we discuss options, materials and budget for a new bathroom, and photograph or measure anything the quote needs to reflect.
Quote in writing
We put everything into a written, fixed-price quote: the specification, what's excluded, staged payments and the expected time on site. Take whatever time you need to decide; there's no pressure to commit.
Dates and permissions
We handle the paperwork side: checking whether planning permission or building control approval is needed, submitting applications where they are, and scheduling the trades and materials around your dates.
Finish and handover
The work is carried out to the agreed specification, with floors and furniture protected and the site kept tidy. At the end we clean up, walk through the finished job with you and hand over any certificates.
Why homeowners choose us
Common questions
Do I need a new boiler for a new shower?
You do not always need a new boiler for a new shower, but your hot water system decides what kind of shower will work well. Combi boilers suit mixer showers directly from the mains. Tank-fed systems may need a pump for good pressure, and electric showers heat their own water. We check your boiler, cylinder and water pressure during the survey and recommend a shower to match.
What happens at the survey?
We visit your home at a time that suits you, look at the area involved, take measurements and check access, condition and any services that might be affected. We talk through what you want from a new bathroom, explain the options and answer questions. There is no charge and no obligation; afterwards we send a written quote.
Do you cover Witham, Chelmsford and Maldon?
Yes. As well as Braintree, we cover Witham, Chelmsford and Maldon and the rest of Essex. Our coverage is UK-wide, so the process is the same wherever you are: a free site survey, a quote in writing that fixes the price for the agreed scope, and one point of contact while the work is planned and carried out.
Which tiles are easiest to keep clean?
Large-format porcelain tiles are usually easiest to keep clean, because there are fewer grout lines to collect dirt and porcelain absorbs very little water. Glossy tiles show water marks more than matt ones, while textured floor tiles give better grip. Grout colour matters too: mid-grey hides staining better than white. We can suggest anti-slip ratings and grout options that suit how you use the room.
How long does it take to fit a bathroom?
Fitting a typical bathroom takes one to two weeks on site. Strip-out and first-fix plumbing and electrics come first, followed by any plastering or boarding, waterproofing, tiling and then the suite, taps and fittings. Wet rooms and rooms with underfloor heating take longer because screeds and waterproofing need time to cure. We give you a day-by-day plan before work starts.
Near Braintree
Live in Braintree? Our coverage takes in the CM7 and CM77 postcode areas and reaches out to Witham, Chelmsford and Maldon, so homes on the outskirts and in the next town along are included.