Luxury Bathrooms in South London

What Affects the Cost?

• •Material specification, from large-format porcelain through to natural stone such as marble or limestone, which carries extra cutting and sealing
• •Brassware and sanitaryware level, from mid-range fittings up to bespoke or imported pieces
• •Whether the layout changes, since moving a soil stack, basin run or shower drain adds first-fix plumbing and structural work
• •Electrical scope, including electric underfloor heating, layered lighting circuits and the mains feed a heated system needs
• •Substrate and tanking, with stone and large-format tile needing a flatter, stronger base than a standard suite
• •Hidden frames and concealed services, where wall-hung WCs, recessed cisterns and channel drains add joinery and ducting

Areas We Cover

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my floor take a freestanding bath in a period house?

Most can, but a filled freestanding bath is heavy, and on the suspended timber floors in Victorian and Edwardian houses across South London I check the joists before I commit to the position. A cast-iron or stone bath full of water and a person can run well over 300kg sitting on a small footprint, so the load wants spreading. Where the joists are undersized or the span is long, we sister the timbers or add noggins so the floor does not bounce or crack the tiling around the bath. The feed and waste also have to be planned at first fix, because a floor-standing tap or a centre waste means pipework coming up through the floor in an exact spot. I set that out before the screed goes down. On a solid concrete ground floor the weight is rarely an issue, and there the question becomes drainage falls instead.

Does natural stone work in a bathroom, or is porcelain the safer choice?

Both work, and the right answer depends on the stone and how the room gets used. Natural stone such as marble or limestone is porous, so it has to be sealed before grouting and resealed over its life, or it stains from soap, oils and hard-water marks. In a busy family bathroom I often steer people toward large-format porcelain, which now copies marble and stone convincingly, holds its colour and shrugs off everything. In a master en-suite where the stone is the point, we use it properly, sealing every face, using a stone-safe adhesive and grout, and keeping a fall to the drain in wet zones. Large-format pieces, in stone or porcelain, need a flat, strong substrate and a notched bed with full coverage, because a slab tile over a hollow lifts and cracks. That preparation is most of the work behind a high-end finish.

How is the lighting planned in a high-end bathroom?

Layered lighting is what separates a luxury bathroom from a bright one, and it has to be designed before the electrician first-fixes, because each layer is a separate circuit. I plan four typically: task light at the mirror so faces are lit evenly rather than shadowed from above, ambient ceiling light zoned to the right IP rating for its location, a feature light such as a recessed niche or under-vanity glow, and a low-level setting for night use. Anything inside the shower or over the bath has to meet the zone rules in the wiring regulations for that part of the room, so the fittings are chosen to match. We run the circuits so the scenes switch independently, and the heated mirror and underfloor heating sit on their own feeds. Planning this late means chasing walls you have already tiled, which is why it belongs at the design stage.

What does underfloor heating add, and can it go in any bathroom?

Electric underfloor heating warms the floor and the room from the slab up, so stone and porcelain stop feeling cold underfoot, which is the main reason people want it in a high-specification bathroom. It goes under almost any bathroom floor, suspended timber or solid concrete, as long as the build-up is planned. On timber we lay insulation boards first so the heat goes up into the room rather than down into the void, then the mat or cable, then the tile adhesive and stone. The system needs its own electrical feed and a programmable thermostat, both set out at first fix. It pairs naturally with a freestanding bath and stone floor because the warmth offsets the cool of the material. We commission it and leave you the certification, and the floor is sized so the heating reaches the edges, not just the centre.

How long does a luxury bathroom take, and what is the sequence?

A high-specification bathroom runs longer than a standard refit because the stone, the heating and the concealed work all need time done right. Most take 4 to 7 weeks. The sequence is fixed. We strip out and remove waste, then first-fix the plumbing and electrics for the new layout, heating feed and lighting circuits. Next the tanking goes on every wet zone and cures, then the underfloor heating mat is laid and tested. Setting out and cutting natural stone or large-format porcelain is the slow stage, because mitred edges and full grout lines have to line up across the room. After tiling we second-fix the brassware, hang the WC and vanity on their frames, set the freestanding bath, then commission the heating and lighting scenes. Building Control sign-off is included where the work needs it. One project manager holds the whole programme so the trades follow each other in order.

Related Services