Costs of installing a downstairs cloakroom
In newly built homes, it can sometimes seem as though there are as many toilets as there are rooms. It’s very rare these days to find a new house that doesn’t have a downstairs cloakroom, and this can be particularly helpful if you have a houseful and a queue for the loo.
Installing a downstairs cloakroom has obvious benefits, but how easy is it? Take a look through our guide and find out what it takes.
What do I need?
The most important thing you need when installing a downstairs toilet is space. If you’re in an older home, it’s surprising the places you can find to partition and tuck away a toilet and sink!
If you can find space near your kitchen, this can be helpful when it comes to plumbing in your new cloakroom. Alternatively, plumbing in your new toilet and sink in a room that’s directly below your upstairs bathroom can give you the chance to share amenities and reduce the cost and impact of work for installation. However, with modern pumps and macerators you can install a toilet just about anywhere with minimum fuss.
For the partition, stud walling and plasterboard will make a wall in no-time. Pop in a door and you’ve got an almost instant room. Once inside, you’ll need a small sink and a toilet. If you’re away from the mains for water and drains, a pump and macerator to go with some clever plumbing will bring the water where it needs to be. It’s recommended that if you’re putting in a toilet you get an extractor fitted to the wall. One that is activated whenever you turn on the light is the most common. Once you have those, you’re good to go!
How much will it cost?
Depending on the area you’re planning to partition, costs will vary. Depending on the length of the wall to be erected, you could pay between £300 and £1,500 for materials and labour. Add a door to this for an additional £50-£100 and you have the space you need to install the ceramic.
The costs of your plumbing will differ depending on how much work you need to carry out. If you’ve already got the plumbing accessible, the costs will be minimal. However, if you don’t there’s no need to fear. Saniflo have in their range of solutions a cisternless toilet with built in macerator that uses mains water and costs under £400. The pump and macerator in the toilet unit will also pump away the waste from the sink, making it an inexpensive solution.
Fitting a light and extractor is something that can be done yourself, but it’s strongly recommended that you get a qualified electrician to do the work for you. Getting someone in to do it will likely cost around £100.
If you choose to go with a contractor to install the cloakroom, the all-in cost will be somewhere between £1,500 to £4,000. This will vary depending on the amount of work that needs to be done and toilet and sink units you plan to install. With that you get the peace of mind of a qualified plumber to do the work for you, though you’ll need to weigh up the additional cost.
