Back to journal

Bathroom Renovation Service in Kildare and Dublin: What to Expect

Completed Kildare bathroom with bronze fittings

A good bathroom renovation service takes the whole job off your hands: a survey, a design you can see before anything is ripped out, the supply of fixtures and tiles, the trades, the project management and the final snag check. If you are comparing providers in Kildare or Dublin, the real difference is not the finish on the brochure. It is how much of the work sits with one accountable team, and how clearly the plan is written down before day one.

This guide explains what a full service should include, how the work is staged, which Irish rules can matter, how to plan the layout and accessibility, and how to check the result at handover.

Planbbathrooms
Plan Your Bathroom Transformation
Plan B Bathrooms combines tailored design, photorealistic mockups and expert installation for bathroom transformations in Kildare and greater Dublin.
Explore bathroom design

TL;DR

  • A full renovation service should cover survey, design, supply, strip-out, plumbing, electrics, tiling, fitting, project management and a snag check, under one written plan.
  • Settle layout, fixtures and accessibility features on paper before ordering anything, and have the room measured, not estimated.
  • Minor changes to a house generally do not need planning permission, but ventilation, plumbing and electrical standards still apply to the work.
  • Ask for a quote that itemizes supply, labor and finishing, because the total depends on the size of the room, the layout changes and the materials you choose.
  • Inspect the finished work in daylight and with the water running, and do not sign off until the snag list is closed.

Table of Contents

What a bathroom renovation service actually includes

The phrase covers a wide range, from a single tradesperson swapping a suite to a managed project that touches walls, floors, pipes, lighting and ventilation. When you read a quote, look for these elements and ask who is responsible for each one.

Survey and measurement. Someone should visit the property, measure the room, note where the soil pipe, water supply and extraction run, and check the condition of the floor and walls. Quotes built from a phone call are guesses.

Design. This means a layout, a fixture list and a finish schedule. At Plan B Bathrooms we produce photorealistic 3D mockups in our studio, so you can see the room before work starts, and our AI Concept Engine turns your room dimensions and style preferences into layout and materials suggestions in seconds. It gives you a starting point to react to, and our designers refine it with you on site.

Supply. Sanitaryware, vanity units, tiles, shower doors and flooring. A service that supplies as well as fits can coordinate delivery dates with the trades, which avoids the common stall where the work is ready and a tray is still on backorder.

Strip-out and preparation. Removing the old suite, tiles and flooring, making good the substrate, and dealing with whatever is behind the walls.

First-fix and second-fix trades. Plumbing and electrical work, then waterproofing, tiling, fitting of the suite, shower enclosure, lighting and extraction.

Project management. One person who sequences the trades, answers your questions and tells you early when something changes. This is the part most people underestimate until they have tried to coordinate it themselves.

Handover. A walk-through, a snag list and a clear record of what was fitted, so you know where to find the stopcock and who to call if something needs attention.

If you want to see how these pieces come together on real jobs, our gallery of completed projects shows finished bathrooms, tiles and flooring.

Types of bathroom project and who they suit

Not every renovation is the same job, and the service should match the brief.

  • Full refit. New suite, new tiling, new floor, often a new layout. This is the most common request and benefits most from design before work.
  • Bath-to-shower conversion. Popular where a bath is rarely used. It involves waterproofing, a new tray or a level-access floor, and a screen or door. We cover the costs, rules and process in our guide to bathtub to shower conversion in Ireland.
  • Wet room. A fully tanked room with a floor-level shower. It rewards careful waterproofing and falls, so it is not a job to improvise.
  • Accessible bathroom. Designed around reduced mobility, with level access, rails and clear turning space. See accessible bathroom refurbishments for how we approach these, including help with grant applications.
  • Ensuite or under-stairs WC. Small rooms where every centimeter counts and the layout is the whole problem.
  • Developer and commercial fit-outs. Repeatable specifications across several units, where consistency and programme matter more than one-off design.

How the work is staged

A typical bathroom runs in a predictable order, whatever the size. Published schedules from Irish fitters tend to describe a compact sequence of days for a standard bathroom, but how long yours takes depends on the room, any repairs found at strip-out and how long tile adhesive and waterproofing need to cure. Treat any promised number of days as a plan that holds only if the survey was thorough and the materials are on site.

  1. Survey and design. Measurements, brief, layout options and visuals. Allow time here, because every decision made now saves a change order later.
  2. Quote and written plan. The scope, the fixture list and the finishes, agreed in writing.
  3. Ordering. Long-lead items such as vanity units, glass and special tiles are ordered and checked on arrival, before the old bathroom is touched.
  4. Strip-out. Old fittings and finishes come out, and the room is cleared back to the structure.
  5. First fix. Pipework, waste runs, electrical cabling and ventilation ducting are positioned.
  6. Walls and floor preparation. Boarding, leveling, tanking and waterproofing, followed by the cure time the products require.
  7. Tiling and grouting. Often the slowest visible stage, because quality tiling cannot be rushed.
  8. Second fix. Suite, taps, shower, screens, vanity, lighting, extractor, accessories.
  9. Snag and handover. A walk-through with a written list of anything to fix.

Planning layout, fixtures and accessibility

Start with the room, not the products. One planning guide advises documenting all dimensions and clearances before selecting products, and that is sound practice anywhere. It also suggests drawing every door, drawer and enclosure in its open position to catch conflicts, which is a simple test you can do yourself on graph paper or on a printed plan.

A few practical checks:

  • Door swing. Does the door hit the vanity or the toilet when open? An outward-opening or sliding door can free up space in a small room.
  • Fixed pipework. Moving a toilet means moving the waste, which affects floor build-up and cost. Keeping the toilet where it is usually keeps the budget calmer.
  • Shower size and entry. A shower enclosure should be comfortable to enter and to clean, with a door that does not fight the layout.
  • Storage. Decide where towels, products and cleaning items go before choosing a vanity, not after.
  • Lighting. Plan task light at the mirror and softer light elsewhere, and think about where switches go.

Building for the long term

If you may need the bathroom to work for an older relative or for your own later years, build it in now. According to Citizens Information, homeowners adapting a home may widen doorways, install grab rails and replace a bath with a level-access shower. It is far cheaper to add rail backing and a level floor during a renovation than to reopen finished walls later. Our team can also help you through the grant application process for accessibility works, and the accessible bathrooms page explains how that works.

Irish rules that can touch a bathroom renovation

Most homeowners do not need to deal with the regulations directly, but your provider should know them, and you should know enough to ask sensible questions.

Planning permission. Minor changes to a house generally do not need it. Citizens Information notes that an extension of more than 45 square metres or a material change of use may require it. A bathroom refit inside the existing footprint is normally well short of that, but if you are building an extension to create the bathroom, check first with your local authority.

Ventilation. Bathrooms generate moisture, and Part F of the Building Regulations requires that adequate and effective ventilation is provided to limit moisture and prevent mould. In practice, that means asking what extraction is being fitted, where it vents and whether it suits the room size. A new tiled room with no working extractor is a damp problem waiting to happen.

Extractor grille fitted above a tiled shower

Plumbing. The NSAI publishes standard S.R. 50-3:2021, which sets requirements for the design, installation and commissioning of domestic hot and cold water systems in dwellings. You do not need to read it, but you should expect a provider to work to it and to commission the system, meaning test it, before handover.

Accessibility under Part M. The Part M amendment applies to specified works and buildings undergoing a material change of use, and does not apply to works on existing dwellings that do not create a new dwelling. So a refit of your own bathroom is not bound by it, though the principles are a useful design guide. Wider Building Regulations also set standards for health, safety, welfare and accessibility, with specific requirements when existing buildings undergo material alterations, which matters most for commercial and developer projects.

Electrical and gas work. Electrical work in a bathroom should be done and certified by a qualified, registered electrician, and any gas appliance work by a registered gas installer. Ask for the certificates at handover and keep them with your house records, since a buyer’s solicitor may ask for them later.

What affects the price

We do not publish fixed prices for our services, because a bathroom in a 1970s semi in Naas and a ground-floor wet room in south Dublin are different jobs. What we can tell you is what moves the number, so you can compare quotes properly.

  • Room size and shape. More wall and floor area means more tile, more boarding and more labor.
  • Layout changes. Moving the toilet, shower or basin means moving pipework and waste.
  • Condition behind the walls. Rotten floor boards, old pipes or damp are discovered at strip-out. A thorough survey reduces surprises but cannot remove all of them.
  • Materials. Large-format porcelain, natural stone, premium taps and bespoke vanities cost more, and they also cost more to fit.
  • Shower type. A standard tray and enclosure is a different job from a tanked wet room.
  • Accessibility features. Level access, rails, seating and wider doors all add to the scope, though grants may help in some cases.
  • Access and parking. Upper floors, tight stairs and difficult deliveries add time.

Published Irish cost guides give broad ranges for a standard bathroom, but treat these as orientation only. The only figure that matters is an itemized quote for your room, split into supply, labor, and finishing, with a clear line for anything that may change once the walls are open. Ask what happens if the survey missed something, and how a variation is agreed before it is charged.

Perspective: why we put design before demolition

Most bathroom regrets we hear about are not about the tiles. They are about decisions made in a hurry: a door that swings into the vanity, a shower that is a few centimeters too tight, a niche in the wrong place. Almost all of them can be caught on a screen before they are built.

That is why our process starts with the room. We survey on site, then build the concept in our studio, using our AI Concept Engine for quick layout and materials ideas and photorealistic 3D mockups for the version you will actually sign off. The engine is fast, but it is a tool: a designer still checks that the pipes, the door swing and the clearances work in your real room.

We also keep design, supply, installation and project management in one in-house studio team. When one team owns the whole job, there is no gap between the person who drew the bathroom and the people who build it, and you have one number to call. For anyone planning an accessible bathroom, we would also say: decide early. Support rails, level access and room to turn are easy to include in a first plan and expensive to retrofit.

— David

Reducing disruption while the work is on

Living through a renovation is the part nobody photographs. A few habits make it easier.

  • Confirm the order of work. Know which days the water will be off and which days the room is unusable.
  • Plan the alternative bathroom. If you only have one, decide in advance how you will manage, whether that is another toilet in the house, a gym membership for showers or a few nights with family. Ask your provider how long the room is likely to be out of use.
  • Clear the route. Move furniture and floor coverings from the entrance to the bathroom, and agree where materials will be stored.
  • Protect the rest of the house. Ask about dust sheets and floor protection, and agree where waste leaves the property.
  • Choose one point of contact. Daily updates by message are easier than a chain of phone calls with several trades.
  • Order early. Delays most often come from missing products, not slow trades. Have everything delivered and checked before strip-out.

This is where full project management pays for itself. With one team coordinating the plumber, electrician, tiler and fitter, the room is empty for the shortest realistic time.

How to judge the finished work

Do the check in good light, with the water running, and take your time. Our checklist:

  1. Tile lines. Joints should be even and straight, and the pattern should line up at corners and around niches. Look along the surface with a torch held flat to see lippage, which is one tile edge sitting proud of the next.
  2. Grout and sealant. Continuous, clean and without gaps, especially where the shower meets the wall and around the bath or tray.
  3. Water performance. Run the shower and the taps. Check pressure, temperature, drainage speed and that water leaves the floor toward the waste instead of pooling.
  4. Leaks. Look under the basin and around the toilet base. Look at the ceiling below if there is one.
  5. Fixtures. Toilet seat, flush, taps, shower screen and doors should all move freely and sit level.
  6. Ventilation. Switch on the extractor and confirm it runs, is quiet enough to use and moves air. Check it vents to the outside.
  7. Electrics. Lights, switches, shaver sockets and any heated mirror or towel rail should work, and you should be handed the certificates.
  8. Finish. No chips, scratches or paint splashes, and silicone lines are neat.
  9. Paperwork. Product details, warranties, care instructions and contact details for aftercare.

Write down anything you find and agree a date for it to be fixed before you make the final payment. A professional team expects a snag list and will not take it personally.

Choosing a bathroom renovation provider

There are broadly three types of provider in Ireland: the individual tradesperson, the multi-trade renovation company and the design-led studio that supplies and fits. Each can be right. The question is what you need.

  • A single trade suits a like-for-like swap where nothing moves.
  • A multi-trade firm suits a standard refit with some changes.
  • A design-led studio suits a room where layout, materials or accessibility need real thought, or where you want to see the result before it is built.

Whichever you choose, ask these questions:

  • Who will survey the room, and will they do it in person?
  • Is the quote itemized, and what is excluded?
  • Who is on site each day, and are the electrical and gas people registered?
  • What is the programme, and what could change it?
  • How do you handle variations, and how is payment staged?
  • Can I see completed local projects? Our local inspiration page shows work across Kildare and Dublin.
  • What aftercare is offered if something needs adjusting?

Working with Plan B Bathrooms

We design, supply and install bathrooms across Kildare and greater Dublin, from bespoke designs and luxury wet rooms to accessible refurbishments, with tiles, flooring, vanity units and Roman shower doors supplied through our showroom. You get an onsite consultation, a photorealistic 3D mockup before work begins and one team managing the project from survey to completion.

Planbbathrooms

If you are ready to talk through your room, see our bathroom, kitchen and flooring services and arrange a consultation. If you are still shaping ideas, our guide to planning a custom bathroom design is a good next step.

FAQ

Do I need planning permission to renovate a bathroom in Ireland?

Usually not. Minor changes to a house generally do not need planning permission, and a refit within the existing footprint is normally in that category. If you are adding an extension or changing the use of a space, check with your local authority before starting.

Can I stay in the house while the bathroom is being renovated?

Most people do. The main issues are access to a working toilet and shower, and dust and noise during strip-out and tiling. Ask your provider for the order of work and the days the water will be off, and arrange an alternative bathroom for those days.

Is there help with the cost of an accessible bathroom?

Grant support exists in Ireland for adapting a home for an older or disabled person, and Citizens Information explains the adaptations commonly involved, such as grab rails and level-access showers. Eligibility and amounts are set by the scheme, so check the current rules with your local authority. We can help you with the application for accessibility renovations.

Should I choose a bath or a shower?

It depends on who uses the room. If nobody takes baths, a larger shower or a level-access shower makes better use of the space and is easier to enter later in life. If you have children or value a soak, keep the bath. Our guides on bath to shower conversion and walk-in baths go into the trade-offs.

What should a quote include?

A written scope, a fixture and finish list, an itemized split of supply and labor, the programme, what is excluded and how variations are handled. Be wary of a single lump sum with no detail.

Sources

All articles
WhatsApp