How Much Does It Cost to Replace Just a Bath or Shower in Glasgow?

The Short Answer

Replacing one item in a bathroom sounds like a small job, and sometimes it is. A new shower fitted into an existing enclosure can cost as little as £100 to £350 fitted. A whole new enclosure and tray in the same position is typically £1,200 to £2,200. Taking a bath out and creating a shower in its place is typically £3,500 to £5,500.

What catches people out is that a bath or a shower is never really on its own. It is sealed to the walls, plumbed through the floor and boxed in with panels or tiles. The item itself is often the cheapest part. The cost sits in putting everything around it back to a finish you are happy to look at.

We do not publish a single price for a bath-only swap, because it varies too much with the walls around it. The sections below explain what decides it.

Typical Glasgow Prices

These figures are the same ones used in our guide to shower room costs in Glasgow, so you can compare like with like.

Job	Typical cost	Time on site
Replacement shower in an existing enclosure	£100 to £350 fitted	A short visit
New shower unit, as part of a larger job	£300 to £600	1 day
Shower enclosure swap, same position	£1,200 to £2,200	2 to 3 days
Bath removed, shower room created	£3,500 to £5,500	3 to 6 days
Like-for-like bath swap	Priced after a look at the walls and floor	Depends on the wall finish
Full bathroom, for comparison	£5,500 to £8,000	3 to 6 days

Within a full bathroom, the suite itself (bath, basin and toilet) is typically £400 to £1,000, and a bath filler or basin tap £25 to £150. That shows how small a share of the bill the actual bath is.

Replacing Just The Bath

A like-for-like bath swap means the new bath is the same length as the old one and goes in the same place, with the taps and waste at the same end. Most UK baths are 1,700mm long, which helps, but older baths come in odd sizes, so measure before you fall for one.

What decides the cost:

• The wall finish above the bath. Tiles nearly always sit on top of the bath rim. When the old bath comes out, the bottom row usually comes with it, and matching tiles that are years old is rarely possible. Wet wall panels can often be fitted over the bath area alone, which gives a clean result without redoing the whole room.
• Getting the old bath out. An acrylic bath lifts out easily. A cast iron bath is extremely heavy and often has to be broken up in the room before it can be carried out.
• The floor underneath. Years of slow leaks around the edge of a bath often leave soft or stained floorboards. They need sorting before the new bath goes in.
• Taps, waste and bath panel. These are normally replaced at the same time. Old pipework may need new isolating valves so the bath can be shut off on its own in future.

On material, an acrylic bath is light, warm to the touch and good value. A steel enamel bath is more rigid and very hard wearing, but colder and heavier. Either is a sound choice if it is fitted on a solid, level base and sealed properly.

Replacing Just The Shower

"The shower" can mean two different things, and the prices are far apart.

The shower unit. This is the part that controls the water. An electric shower heats cold water as you use it. Swapping one for a similar model is a simple job, but a more powerful model may need a heavier cable, so the work should be done by a qualified electrician. A mixer shower blends your hot and cold supply. If the valve is on the surface it is easy to change. If it is hidden in the wall, the wall has to be opened to reach it, and that means making good the tiles or panels afterwards.

The enclosure and tray. This is the glass and the base you stand in. A tray swap disturbs the seal with the walls, so the bottom of the wall finish normally needs renewing too. That is why an enclosure swap typically costs £1,200 to £2,200 rather than the price of the glass alone.

If your current tray has ever leaked, say so at the survey. It is far cheaper to lift a board and check the floor now than to seal a new tray over damp timber.

Swapping A Bath For A Shower

This is a very common request, especially from anyone who finds stepping over the side of a bath harder than it used to be. It typically costs £3,500 to £5,500 in Glasgow, and it costs more than the other two for good reasons.

• The full length of wall where the bath stood is exposed and has to be waterproofed and finished.
• The floor under the old bath has usually never had flooring on it, so the floor covering is normally renewed.
• A shower tray needs its own waste with a proper fall to the drain, which is lower than a bath waste.

A low-profile tray is the most affordable route. If you want no step at all, a level-access wet room costs more because the whole floor is waterproofed. If the change is for mobility reasons, our accessible bathrooms page covers seats, grab rails and slip-resistant floors.

One thing to weigh up: if this is the only bathroom in a family-sized house, think about who might need a bath in future, including small children. If the home has a second bathroom, the decision is easier.

The Knock-On Work People Forget

• Making good the walls. Even a careful removal damages the finish next to the old bath or tray.
• Flooring. Vinyl and tiles are usually cut around the old bath, not run under it.
• Sealing and waterproofing. This is the part you never see and the part that decides whether the job lasts.
• The extractor fan. If the room already suffers from condensation, a new shower will make it worse unless the fan is up to the job. Our guide to bathroom ventilation in Scotland explains what to check.
• Waste removal. An old bath and a pile of tiles have to go somewhere, and a good quote says who is taking them.

When you compare quotes, check that each one covers these points or clearly says it does not. A low price that leaves out the making good is not a low price.

When A Full Refit Makes More Sense

Replacing one item is good value when the rest of the room is sound and you are happy with it. It stops being good value when the new item shows up everything around it.

It is worth pricing a full refit if:

• the tiles cannot be matched and the patch would be obvious
• the toilet and basin are the same age as the bath and look it
• a leak has damaged the floor beyond the bath or tray
• you already plan to redo the room within a few years

A full bathroom in Glasgow typically costs £5,500 to £8,000 fitted. Once a bath-to-shower swap is heading towards the top of its range, the gap to a complete new room can be smaller than people expect, and you only pay for the strip-out and the disruption once.

Glasgow Flats And Older Houses

A few local points affect even a small job.

Tenement stairs. Carrying a cast iron bath down three flights of a shared close is slow, careful work, and the new bath or tray has to come up the same way.

Timber floors. Older floors flex. A shower tray needs a rigid, level base or the seal around it will crack, so some strengthening under the tray is common.

Water pressure. Upper flats and older tank-fed systems can have weak pressure. It is worth testing before choosing a shower, because the wrong type will disappoint however good it looks.

Our Glasgow bathrooms page has more on how we work in the city, and the full range is on the main fitted bathrooms page.

Quick Answers

How much does it cost to replace a shower in Glasgow?

A replacement shower in an existing enclosure can cost £100 to £350 fitted. Replacing the whole enclosure and tray in the same position typically costs £1,200 to £2,200.

How much does it cost to replace a bath with a shower?

Typically £3,500 to £5,500 in Glasgow, including the tray, enclosure, wall finish, flooring and making good. A level-access wet room costs more.

Can I replace a bath without retiling?

Sometimes, but the row of tiles sitting on the bath rim usually has to come off. Wet wall panels around the bath area are often the neatest fix.

How long does it take?

A shower unit swap is a short visit. An enclosure swap takes 2 to 3 days, and a bath-to-shower conversion 3 to 6 days.

Can I pay monthly?

Finance is available on our bathrooms from £22 a week, subject to status. See the finance page for details. Various deposit options are available.

Is the work guaranteed?

Yes. All workmanship is guaranteed, and the products carry their own manufacturer warranties.