Bathroom renovation cost: what makes up the price

Why two similar bathrooms cost differently

Two flats in the same Lasnamäe panel building can have bathrooms of identical size and still end up with quotes that differ by a thousand euros or more. The difference is rarely the tiles chosen — it is what is happening underneath them and behind the walls.

The condition of the existing waterproofing, the state of the pipes, whether the floor is level, and how easy it is to get materials and a skip into the building all change the number of hours a job takes. A renovation is priced on labour and materials, not on the room's dimensions alone.

This is why we give a fixed quote after seeing photos or the flat itself, rather than a price per square metre. A bathroom renovation with us typically starts from 3500 € per job, but that figure covers a straightforward case — the real number depends on what we find once the old tiles come off.

What a standard renovation price usually includes

A typical full renovation covers demolition and removal of old tiles and fittings, waterproofing of the floor and wet walls, tiling, reinstalling or replacing the toilet, basin and shower or bath, and reconnecting the plumbing and electrics on a like-for-like basis.

It also includes protecting the rest of the flat during demolition, disposing of the rubble, and a final clean of the finished room. Materials such as tile adhesive, grout, waterproofing membrane and fixings are part of the job unless the customer is supplying their own tiles and fittings.

What is usually extra is anything that changes the layout: moving a drain, adding underfloor heating, moving a wall socket, or fitting a bathtub where there was a shower. These are still normal parts of a renovation — they are simply priced as additions once we know the plan.

What pushes the price up

The single biggest cost driver is moving the drain or supply pipes. Estonian bathrooms, especially in older panel buildings, often have the floor drain in a fixed spot tied into the building's stack, and shifting it means breaking into the screed and sometimes coordinating with the apartment association.

Underfloor heating, a larger bathroom, poor access such as a fifth floor with no lift, and finding rotten joists or old cast-iron pipework once demolition starts all add hours. In 1930s wooden houses in Kalamaja or Nõmme, the floor structure itself sometimes needs attention before waterproofing can even begin.

Custom joinery, a walk-in shower with a glass screen, natural stone tiles that need special adhesive, and heated towel rails wired into the electrics also add to the total. None of this is unusual — it is simply work beyond a like-for-like swap.

• Moving the floor drain or supply pipes
• Adding underfloor heating
• Poor access — no lift, narrow stairwell, street parking for a skip
• Rot, mould or old pipework found after demolition
• A larger footprint or a more complex layout
• Natural stone or large-format tiles needing extra preparation

What keeps the price down

A like-for-like refresh is the cheapest kind of renovation: same layout, same drain position, new tiles and fittings in the same places as before. This avoids replumbing and keeps the waterproofing work to a straightforward reapplication.

Standard-size tiles are quicker to lay than large-format or mosaic ones, and a straightforward tile pattern costs less in labour than a herringbone or mixed layout. Our tiling work starts from 35 € per job for smaller areas, which suits touch-ups and single-wall jobs rather than a full renovation.

Buying your own tiles, toilet and basin also saves the 10 % handling fee that applies to materials we purchase on your behalf, provided you are confident about quantities and can have them delivered on time for the schedule.

How plumbing and electrics are costed separately

Plumbing inside a bathroom renovation is usually charged as part of the fixed quote, but standalone plumbing work — a leaking valve, a new mixer tap, reconnecting a washing machine — is billed hourly, from 45 € per hour with a call-out fee of 25 € within Tallinn that is deducted if the job goes ahead.

Electrical work in a bathroom, such as adding a socket, moving a light fitting, or wiring a heated towel rail, is carried out by a qualified electrician and is priced separately from the tiling and waterproofing labour, since it follows its own safety requirements around water.

We do not do gas work, so if a bathroom renovation touches a gas water heater, that part goes to a gas specialist. We also do not open up load-bearing walls; if a layout change involves one, we will say so before quoting rather than after.

How the actual quote gets put together

For a small job — refitting a tap, patching grout, replacing a single section of tile — we give an hourly estimate over the phone, from 39 € per hour with a 25 € call-out that comes off the bill if we proceed.

For a full bathroom, we ask for photos of the current state and a description of what you want changed, then visit or assess remotely to give a fixed quote, valid for 30 days, that itemises demolition, waterproofing, tiling, fixtures and any electrical or plumbing work.

That figure is what you pay, not a starting estimate that grows once work begins — unless something is found during demolition that genuinely changes the scope, such as rot or old pipework, in which case we tell you before continuing, not after the invoice arrives.