It's the most searched question among people renovating, and it almost always gets the worst answer: a flat number over the phone, without anyone having seen a thing. "Bathroom renovation, €6,000." Then the site opens, the pipes turn out to need redoing, and the quote grows.
In this guide you'll find the real 2026 prices, explained by tier, with every item that makes up the cost — including the ones nobody mentions. So when you receive a quote you know how to read it, and you spot straight away whether someone is hiding something from you.
The 2026 prices, by tier
We're talking about a standard 5-6 sqm bathroom, renovated completely: demolition, plumbing and wiring, waterproofing, surfaces, fixtures and finishes. These are the updated market references:
| Type of work | Indicative cost |
|---|---|
| Light refresh Replacing fixtures and shower enclosure, without touching services or flooring |
€2,500 – 4,000 |
| Full renovation, essential tier Everything redone, standard materials and fixtures |
€6,000 – 8,000 |
| Full renovation, mid-to-high tier Wall-hung fixtures, flush shower, good finishes |
€8,000 – 12,000 |
| Premium tier High-end materials, bespoke pieces, tailored details |
over €12,000 |
Why such a wide range? Because two bathrooms that look identical can hide very different work. The variable that weighs most is not taste: it's the state of the services. On a 1970s bathroom with original pipework, the hidden part absorbs a huge slice of the budget — and it's exactly the part you can't see once the works are finished.
The cost items, one by one
A serious quote is broken down roughly like this. The percentages are indicative for a full renovation:
- Demolition and disposal (about 8-10%). Removing surfaces, fixtures and screeds, plus transport to an authorised landfill. Disposal is a real item: if a quote doesn't show it, ask where it went.
- Plumbing (15-20%). New supply and drainage pipes, connections, any relocation of the water points. Moving a fixture two metres costs far more than you'd imagine.
- Electrics (5-8%). Light points, sockets, forced ventilation, earthing. In a bathroom the safety rules are stricter than elsewhere.
- Waterproofing and screeds (10-12%). The most underrated item and the most important: it's what stops leaks reaching the floor below. You can't see it, but it's the one thing you can't afford to save on.
- Surfaces and laying (25-30%). Tiles or large-format slabs on floor and walls. Here the material can range from €20 to over €100/sqm, and it's the item where you have the most room for a conscious choice.
- Fixtures and taps (15-20%). WC, bidet, basin, unit, shower tray or bath, mixers. Here too the range is enormous.
- Finishes and sundries (5-10%). Painting, sealing, fitting accessories, final cleaning.
When a quote compresses everything into a single line — "bathroom renovation, lump sum" — you're not saving: you're just giving up knowing what you'll be handed over.
The five things that push the quote up
If your final cost drifts away from the estimates, the cause is almost always one of these:
- Moving the water points. Changing the position of the WC and bidet means working on the drains, with slopes to respect. It's the intervention that most often turns a simple job into a complex one.
- Old services to redo entirely. On dated properties it's almost always necessary, but it should be checked beforehand, not discovered along the way.
- Surprises under the floor. Deteriorated screeds, traces of past leaks, slabs to consolidate.
- Out-of-format or bespoke materials. Large slabs, special pieces, niches: beautiful, but they take more hours of skilled laying.
- Very small bathrooms. It sounds like a paradox, but below 4 sqm the cost per square metre rises: the operations are the same, spread over less surface.
How long it really takes
Roughly, three to five weeks on site for a full bathroom. The sequence is fixed: demolition, services, screeds and waterproofing, drying times, laying, fit-out, finishes.
The critical point is precisely the drying times: screeds and membranes need their days, and they can't be compressed without compromising the result. Anyone who promises you "ten days turnkey" is either skipping a step or only counting the days when someone's on site. If it's the home's only bathroom, this needs planning in advance: it's a manageable inconvenience, but only if you know about it ahead of time.
The 50% bonus applies to the bathroom too
Good news: a bathroom renovation is among the extraordinary-maintenance works and qualifies for the deductions. In 2026 that means 50% on your main home and 36% on second homes, within the €96,000 ceiling, recovered over ten annual instalments.
On a €10,000 bathroom that means €5,000 of deduction on a main home. But watch out for two conditions that make you lose it all if overlooked: payments must be traceable via the dedicated bank transfer, and the property must be in order from a building and cadastral standpoint. As we explained in the guide on cadastral compliance, it's a check to do before opening the site, not after.
A detail few make use of: if the bathroom renovation is part of a recovery project, you can also access the furniture bonus for the fit-out. You'll find the full picture of the incentives in the guide on how to renovate a house in 2026.
How to read a quote without getting fleeced
Three simple rules, worth more than any haggling over the price:
- Insist on the itemised bill. Item by item, with quantities and unit prices. It's the only way to truly compare two offers: without it, you're comparing two numbers that describe different works.
- Check that everything's there. Disposal, waterproofing, masonry reinstatement, final cleaning. The "forgotten" items are the ones that reappear halfway through as extras.
- Be wary of the quote that's much lower than the others. Nine times out of ten it's not efficiency: it's something missing, and you'll find out when the walls are already open and your bargaining position is weak.
The best-value quote isn't the one with the smallest number at the bottom: it's the one that tells you precisely what you'll receive, and that holds up all the way to handover.
Frequently asked questions
For a standard 5-6 sqm bathroom renovated completely, the 2026 market reference ranges from around €6,000 for an essential solution to €12,000 for a mid-to-high tier. Premium finishes can go beyond that. The price depends above all on whether the plumbing and wiring need redoing and on the level of the materials chosen.
A full bathroom takes roughly three to five weeks on site, including demolition, plumbing and wiring, screeds and waterproofing, laying the tiles and the final fit-out. The technical drying times can't be compressed: anyone promising ten days is usually skipping a step.
Yes, a bathroom renovation is among the extraordinary-maintenance works that qualify. In 2026 the deduction is 50% on your main home and 36% on second homes, within the €96,000 ceiling. Payments must be made by traceable bank transfer and the property must be in order from a building and cadastral point of view.
Replacing only the fixtures or the shower enclosure costs much less, but it only makes sense if the plumbing and waterproofing are in good condition. If the pipes are more than thirty years old, a half-measure almost always means going back in: in that case the full renovation is more cost-effective in the long run.
Want a clear quote for your bathroom?
With Pietraviva you get an itemised bill of quantities, a price that holds up to handover and a single technical point of contact from design to keys. Not the firm that sells you the works — the professional who stands behind them.
The prices and tax figures given are current as of August 2026 and are purely indicative. Every project must be assessed case by case with an on-site visit and a dedicated bill of quantities.