Bathroom renovation, mid-range, Midlands

£5,500 to £8,000

Ask each trade whether VAT comes on top. An indication, not a quote: prices vary per trade and property.

Take it further

Where a guide says its prices exclude VAT, I added 20%. Most guides don't say, so ask each trade whether VAT comes on top. A trade under the £90,000 VAT threshold is often not registered and then charges none.

On top of whatever you agree with a builder, set aside a contingency of 15 to 20% for the unforeseen: this work opens up the existing fabric, where damp, rotten timber or outdated wiring only show once things are apart.