If you've started pricing up a bathroom renovation in Ireland, you've probably already noticed that quotes can vary wildly. One contractor says €8,000. Another says €18,000. Someone on a forum says they did it for €5,500, but they "did a lot of it themselves." So what does a modern bathroom remodel actually cost?
The honest answer: it depends on more variables than most guides admit. Bathroom size, scope, whether you move a single pipe, the tiles you choose, the sanitaryware spec, all of it shifts the total. What this guide does is break those variables down into real numbers so you can build an accurate budget before you commit to anything.
Quick answer: typical modern bathroom remodel cost in Ireland (2026)
Here are the broad ranges, cross-checked across multiple Irish sources updated in 2025 and 2026:
| Project type | Typical Ireland range | Dublin (tends toward) |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh | €4,000 – €8,000 | €5,000 – €9,000 |
| Full mid-range renovation | €9,000 – €16,000 | €10,000 – €18,000 |
| Luxury / wet room | €16,000 – €40,000+ | €18,000 – €40,000+ |
The single biggest factor in where your project lands isn't the tiles. It's whether you keep the same layout. Move a toilet, relocate a shower drain, or shift a basin to the other wall, and your plumbing costs alone increase by €1,200 to €2,500. Keep everything in the same position and you're working from a far more predictable cost base.
Cost tiers explained: which one fits your project?
A "bathroom remodel" means three very different things depending on what you're actually doing.
A. Cosmetic refresh (€4,000, €8,000)
This is the scenario where the layout stays, the plumbing stays, and the structural work is minimal. You're typically replacing the suite, updating brassware, retiling part or all of the room, fitting a new vanity unit, and maybe adding a new mirror or heated towel rail. The bones of the room don't change. The look does.
This tier suits bathrooms that are structurally sound but feel dated.
B. Full renovation (€9,000, €16,000 nationally, up to €18,000 in Dublin)
Strip everything back to the walls and floor, carry out full waterproofing and tanking, lay a new screed or floor substrate if needed, full retile, new suite, new shower enclosure or bath, and possibly a new extractor. Most homeowners planning a "proper" renovation are in this bracket. Some bathroo renovation companies project between €6,500 and €12,000, while others push the upper end of mid-range closer to €16,000–€18,000 for larger or more specified rooms.
C. Luxury or wet room conversion (€16,000, €40,000+)
Layout changes, drainage relocation, linear drains, premium large-format porcelain, walk-in wet room systems with thermostatic controls, underfloor heating, bespoke vanity furniture. The labour intensity and material spec both increase significantly. Companies projects sit between €15,000 and €20,000+ and the highest-end projects clear €40,000 once premium stone, custom glass, and smart fittings are involved.
Where the money actually goes
Labour accounts for 40–50% of a full renovation budget once you add up plumbing, tiling, electrics, and second-fix carpentry. The other 50–60% covers materials, sanitaryware, waste removal, and any design fees.
Tiling is often where budgets swing most dramatically. A small bathroom with basic ceramic wall tiles feels very different to a project with large-format porcelain on all four walls and the floor. The tile choice alone can shift your total materials spend by €500 to €1,500 on a standard bathroom, and the tiling labour cost moves with it.
Waterproofing (tanking) is the line item many homeowners try to cut. This is a mistake. Tanking wet areas properly, behind shower enclosures, around baths, in wet rooms, is what prevents water ingress into the subfloor and the room below. Failures are expensive to fix (far more than the cost of doing it right first time), and good tilers include tanking as part of their labour rate. If a quote doesn't mention it, ask why.
Itemised costs: what each trade typically charges in Ireland
Use these as sanity-check figures when comparing quotes.
Plumbing
Qualified, insured plumbers in Ireland typically charge €65 to €95 per hour. A like-for-like bathroom job (same layout, same positions) takes two to four days. If you're moving pipe positions, add €1,200 to €2,500 on top.
Tiling (materials)
Standard ceramic tiles start from €20 to €30 per m². Porcelain and large-format tiles sit higher, quality mid-range porcelain typically runs €40 to €80+ per m² depending on format and finish. Don't forget to calculate wall and floor areas separately, add 10–15% for cuts and waste, and factor in tile adhesive, grout, and trim profiles.
To get your quantities right, work out wall and floor areas separately and add 10–15% for cuts and waste. Bathrooms usually sit at the higher end because of boxing-in, pipework and fixtures. Our guide on how much tile you actually need walks through measuring awkward spaces and choosing the right wastage allowance. Every tile page on our website also has a quantity calculator that turns your m² into the exact number of boxes.
Don't forget tile adhesive, grout and trim profiles. When you add tiles to your basket, we calculate the grout and adhesive you'll need automatically, so trim is the only item left to add yourself.
Tiling (labour)
Tiling labour in Ireland is typically €60 to €90 per m² . For a 4 m² bathroom floor plus walls up to 2.4 m (approximately 25–30 m² of tiled surface total), that's €1,500 to €2,700 in labour alone, before a single tile is purchased.
Electrics and ventilation
Anything requiring a certified electrician, electric shower installation, extractor fan, LED mirror, new lighting circuit, adds €400 to €800 in most standard projects. Older homes or those needing a new circuit, fuse board upgrade, or additional sockets will push toward the top of that range and beyond.
Skip hire and waste removal
For a full strip-out in Dublin, skip hire typically costs €350 to €550, with city-centre parking permits adding €150 to €250 on top. Outside Dublin, skip hire is generally at the lower end of that range without the permit premium.
Dublin vs rest of Ireland: how much does location add?
Dublin consistently prices 10–20% above the national average for bathroom renovation work. The reasons are practical rather than arbitrary: higher labour demand, limited parking for skips and delivery vehicles, permit costs, and the structural realities of older terraced and semi-detached homes (narrow hallways, original pipework, tight access).
For context: a mid-range full renovation that might cost €10,000–€12,000 nationally could land at €12,000–€15,000 in Dublin. A luxury wet room project sitting at €18,000 elsewhere can reach €20,000 or higher in the city.
If you're in Leinster outside Dublin (Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Wexford), expect costs to sit between national averages and Dublin rates, depending on how urban your location is and how easily tradespeople can access the property.
Three cost scenarios to sanity-check your budget
Scenario A: Small bathroom refresh (2–4 m², same layout)
New basin and WC, retile floor and part of walls, new vanity unit, new brassware, no structural changes.
Likely total: €4,500, €7,500
Scenario B: Full mid-range renovation (4–5 m²)
Full strip-out, tanking/waterproofing, new screed, full retile (floor + walls to ceiling), new bath or shower enclosure with tray, new suite, new extractor, LED mirror, new vanity furniture. Same layout as before.
Likely total: €9,000, €14,000
A rough "where costs land" breakdown for this scenario:
| Line item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Plumbing (same layout, 2–3 days) | €1,200 – €2,000 |
| Tiling labour (approx. 22–28 m²) | €1,400 – €2,500 |
| Tile materials + adhesive/grout | €700 – €1,800 |
| Waterproofing/tanking | Included in tiling rate |
| Sanitaryware and shower/bath | €1,500 – €3,500 |
| Electrics/ventilation | €400 – €700 |
| Vanity unit, mirror, accessories | €500 – €1,200 |
| Waste/skip hire | €350 – €600 |
| Total (excl. contingency) | €6,050 – €12,300 |
Scenario C: Luxury wet room (6–10 m²)
Layout change, relocated drainage, linear drain, full large-format porcelain (walls and floor), thermostatic shower system, underfloor heating, bespoke furniture, smart mirror.
Likely total: €16,000, €30,000+
The three biggest cost drivers here are the plumbing reroute, the tile spec (large-format porcelain at €60–€100+ per m²), and the shower system. Under-floor heating adds a further €500 to €1,500 depending on floor area and system type.
Hidden costs that blow the quote
Based on our years of experience working with bathroom projects, we recommend adding a 10–15% contingency to every bathroom renovation budget to cover unexpected costs or changes that may arise during the project. On a €12,000 project, that's a €1,200 to €1,800 buffer you'll be very glad you held back.
Common surprises include:
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Subfloor rot or water damage found after strip-out (particularly under old bath surrounds)
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Old or inadequate wiring that requires upgrading before an electric shower or new circuit can be connected
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Drainage issues that weren't visible before the floor was lifted
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Lead pipework in older homes that needs replacing
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Material lead times that push out your tiler's schedule, adding downtime costs if a contractor is waiting on a delivery
Ordering materials before your tiler arrives matters more than most homeowners realise. A tiler who turns up and can't start because tiles are three days away costs you both time and money.
Supply-only vs supply-and-fit: which costs less?
There's a VAT difference that most homeowners don't know about. Supply-and-fit contractor packages are charged at the reduced 13.5% VAT rate. If you buy goods yourself as a retail customer (tiles, shower enclosures, sanitaryware), you pay the standard 23% VAT rate.
This means a contractor buying and supplying your materials as part of a package is working at a lower VAT rate than you'd pay buying the same items separately. On a large materials order, that difference is meaningful.
The practical approach for most homeowners: use a trusted contractor for the labour-intensive and regulated work (plumbing, certified electrics, tanking), but take control of specifying and sourcing your tiles, brassware, and sanitaryware yourself. You know what you want. Buying the tiles yourself means you're not paying a markup on someone else's choice, and you can compare finishes properly before committing.
How to get an accurate quote (and spot a bad one)
A proper, comparable quote should be itemised. Ask specifically for:
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Strip-out (what's included, how waste is handled)
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First-fix and second-fix plumbing separately
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Waterproofing/tanking (this should never be absent)
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Tiling labour quoted per m², with the m² stated
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Sanitaryware and shower system (supplied by whom?)
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Electrical and ventilation work
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Waste removal and skip hire
Watch for these red flags: no mention of tanking or waterproofing, a single lump-sum figure with no breakdown, payment in cash only, no written scope of works. Any of these suggests the quote won't survive contact with the actual project.
Confirm lead times for materials before work starts. If your tiles are coming from overseas and need two weeks, plan the project around that, don't let the tiler arrive to an empty site.
How Tile Merchant can help you build your materials budget faster
Sorting out tiles, flooring, and wall finishes is one of the most enjoyable parts of a bathroom renovation, but it's also where people frequently underestimate the quantities they need or buy the wrong spec for the application.
At Tile Merchant, we work with homeowners and trades across Ireland who are going through exactly this process. The questions we hear most often: How many m² of wall tile do I actually need? Will this tile work with underfloor heating? Should I go full tile or use wall panelling in some areas to manage costs?
On quantities: measure your wall areas (width x height for each wall, subtract door and window openings), add the floor area, then add 10–15% for cuts and waste. Large-format tiles (600x600 or 1200x600) have lower cut waste on regular walls but need accurate measurements. Mosaic feature bands use less material overall but require careful planning around level lines and grout joints.
On spec: if you're installing underfloor heating, confirm the tile's thermal resistance (Rvalue) is suitable. Most porcelain tiles are excellent for this application. SPC vinyl flooring is also compatible with underfloor heating and offers a lower-cost alternative to full porcelain for bathroom floors where budget is a consideration.
On wall panelling: decorative PVC wall panels are genuinely worth considering in certain areas. They're faster to fit than tiles, waterproof, and significantly cheaper per m² in some configurations. They work particularly well for bath surrounds, ceiling details, or areas where you want the look without the full tiling cost.
You can order free samples from Tile Merchant before committing to anything, with delivery across Ireland in 2–4 days. If you're based in Dublin, Kildare, Meath, or Wicklow, you can visit one of our four showrooms in Ballymount, Coolock, Deansgrange, or Ashbourne to compare finishes in person and talk through quantities. Click & Collect is free if you'd rather pick up once you've ordered.
The goal is to arrive at your tiler's start date with everything on-site and nothing left to chance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bathroom Renovations
How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Ireland?
Based on multiple Irish sources, a bathroom renovation typically costs between €4,000 and €40,000 depending on scope and specification. Most standard mid-range renovations in Ireland land between €9,000 and €16,000.
How much does a small bathroom remodel cost in Ireland?
A small bathroom (2–4 m²) cosmetic refresh keeping the existing layout typically costs €4,000 to €8,000. A full renovation of the same small space can reach €9,000 to €12,000 once tanking, tiling, and suite replacement are included.
What's the single biggest cost driver?
Whether you change the plumbing layout. Keeping existing pipe positions can save €1,200 to €2,500 compared to rerouting, and it reduces project duration significantly.
How much does it cost to tile a bathroom in Ireland?
Tile materials start from €20 to €30 per m² for standard ceramic, rising to €40 to €80+ per m² for mid-range porcelain. Tiling labour is typically €60 to €90 per m². For a full bathroom with approximately 25 m² of tiled surface, expect to budget €2,000 to €4,500 for labour and materials combined, depending on spec.
How much do plumbers charge per hour in Ireland?
Qualified, insured plumbers typically charge €65 to €95 per hour in Ireland. A same-layout bathroom job usually takes two to four days.
Do I need a designer?
Not necessarily. Many homeowners manage the specification themselves with help from a good tile or bathroom retailer. A designer adds value for complex layouts, large spaces, or high-spec projects where cohesion across finishes matters most.
Does Dublin cost more for bathroom renovations?
Yes. Dublin bathroom renovations typically sit 10–20% above national averages due to higher labour demand, access logistics, skip permit costs, and the structural characteristics of older city properties.
Should I tile over existing tiles?
Generally no. Tiling over existing tiles adds floor height (which can affect doors and thresholds), and any movement or adhesion failure in the layer beneath will eventually affect the new tiles too. A full strip-out gives you the opportunity to inspect the substrate and carry out proper waterproofing before anything goes back on.
Why Choose Tile Merchant?
Ready to start? Browse our full range of bathroom tiles online or in store.
We offer extremely competitive pricing on our entire range of tiles and likewise. We stock a huge range of wall and floor tiles, and our prices are competitive for retail and trade. Our stock is widely available in our tile stores in Ireland, which are open 7 days a week.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer to shop our tiles online, we can supply you with free samples delivered for free.
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