Renovating a bathroom means upgrading what is already there instead of tearing it out. If you leave the technology behind the wall untouched and renew surfaces and sanitaryware in a targeted way, you can often end up with a completely new room in just a few days.
The biggest cost block in a bathroom renovation is not the materials. Around 60 per cent goes on the tradespeople's labour and only about 40 per cent on tiles, furniture and sanitaryware. This split explains a great deal about why some bathrooms look like new for a manageable sum while others cost many times as much. What matters is not how expensive the tap is, but how many working hours your project generates. Every wall that is chiselled open, every pipe that is moved, every square metre of tiles that comes down costs hours. If you understand this, you will plan your renovation differently from the start.
Renovation or refurbishment: the first decision
The two terms are often mixed up in everyday language, but they mean very different kinds of work. A renovation stays on the surface. You replace taps, renew the wall covering, put a new shower in the same place, fit different furniture. The technology behind the wall stays where it is. A refurbishment, on the other hand, affects the fabric of the building because something is defective or worn out: leaking pipes, damp walls, waterproofing at the end of its service life. In practice the two often overlap, because when a refurbishment is needed anyway, more modern parts are installed at the same time or visual defects are fixed too.
For your planning, one question matters above all: does anything need to happen behind the wall or not? As long as the pipes are watertight, the drain works and the waterproofing is intact, you are talking about a renovation. Then you stay in the range of days rather than weeks and save most of the tradespeople's hours. As soon as damp is involved or the layout is to change, it is a refurbishment with everything that entails.
A bathroom lasts 20 to 30 years on average. If your bathroom is in this range and the technology needs renewing anyway, it is worth combining the two instead of starting again in five years' time.
Renovating a bathroom without removing the tiles
Knocking off old tiles is the step that creates the most dirt, noise and hours. So avoiding it makes a big difference. Wall finishes without tiles include wallpaper, wood products, decorative panels and plaster or lime plaster. Because many of these options are jointless, they create smooth surfaces that are easier to clean than a tiled wall with silicone joints.
However, this only really works outside the areas that get directly wet. In the shower and around the bathtub, it is not the look but the waterproofing that decides whether a solution will last. Moisture that gets behind a wall covering causes damage over the years that nobody sees until it becomes expensive. So have the splash zone assessed by a specialist company before you decide on a material. The substrate also has to be suitable. Loose or hollow tiles will not hold a new covering, and every additional layer adds thickness, which can be noticeable at doors and transitions.
A second point is often overlooked. You can leave the tiles on the wall and still replace the sanitaryware. A new shower in the old position, a different vanity unit, modern taps and a new lighting concept change the impression of the room more than a new wall covering. That is the real trick when renovating without demolition.
Ideas for small spaces and small budgets
In just a few square metres, the space in front of each fitting is what counts most. If possible, keep 100 to 150 centimetres clear in front of the bathtub, WC and vanity unit. Where there is not enough space for that, allow at least 70 centimetres in front of the washbasin, WC and shower tray. There should be about 20 centimetres between a wall and a fitting, and around 25 between two fittings. A washbasin is usually mounted at a height of 85 to 90 centimetres. These figures are general planning dimensions for a comfortable bathroom and should not be confused with the requirements for accessible building.
If the layout is tight, replacing large fittings usually achieves more than any choice of colour. A space-saving sitting bathtub needs considerably less length than a classic bathtub and frees up space for a larger washing area. If you do without the bathtub altogether, a shower cabin with a low entry gives you both floor space and freedom of movement. Neither requires a change of layout, as long as the water supply and drain stay where they are.
On a small budget, it is worth looking at the parts you touch and see every day. New bathroom furniture and vanity units, a mirror cabinet with decent lighting and up-to-date taps visibly lift a bathroom without a single day of chiselling work by tradespeople. The ceiling is often forgotten, too. A fresh coat of paint or a suspended ceiling with built-in lights costs little and changes the effect of the whole room.
How the renovation works step by step
A complete bathroom renovation including plumbing and electrical work usually takes two to four weeks. Smaller jobs such as replacing taps or individual surfaces are done in a few days. The timeframe depends less on the actual working time than on delivery times, coordination between the different trades and defects that only become visible when the wall is opened up.
In practice, the following sequence has proven its worth. It starts with an assessment of the current state, in other words an honest evaluation of what can stay and what has to go. Then you put together your vision and set a rough budget. Next comes the first floor plan, even if it is only a sketch, because it forms the basis for every conversation with tradespeople. Only then do you look for a plumbing company and draw up the outline plan together. Choosing the products deliberately comes after this step, because your installer knows what will actually work with your connections. You then finalise the quote and place the order. On site, removal and first-fix installation follow, then installation and fitting, and finally commissioning and handover.
Allow a buffer of 10 to 15 per cent in your budget. Not because the costs were badly calculated, but because an opened-up bathroom regularly holds surprises that nobody could see beforehand.
Why the order of the trades determines the result
On the building site itself there is a logic that cannot be changed without work having to be done twice. First comes removal. Old furniture and sanitaryware such as the vanity unit and WC are dismantled and old coverings removed. Only when the room is empty can the new infrastructure be installed properly.
This is followed by first-fix installation. At this stage, water, waste water and electricity are exposed and moved to their future positions, often together with a pre-wall installation that hides the cistern and pipes. Then the waterproofing is applied, and this is the most important step in the whole process. Anything that is not watertight now will stay leaky for decades, invisible behind tiles and plaster. Only then come the wall and floor coverings, followed by the final fitting of the shower, bathtub, washbasin and taps, and finally the silicone joints and the electrical installation of the visible parts.
The most common renovation mistakes are linked to exactly this sequence. Tiles that are laid before the final first-fix installation have to be chiselled off again. An hour saved on waterproofing will cost you twice as much later. And the wish for a shower with a lower threshold can no longer be fulfilled once the tiling is done.
Do it yourself or hire a specialist
Because the lion's share of the costs lies in working hours, doing work yourself is the most effective way to save money. However, it is not permitted or sensible everywhere. Jobs you can easily do yourself include dismantling and disposal, painting, fitting decorative panels or cladding outside the wet zone, assembling furniture and mirrors, and preparing the site.
On the other hand, waterproofing in the splash zone, all work on water and waste water pipes and all electrical installations in the bathroom belong in the hands of professionals. With electrical work, it is not only about quality but also about safety and insurance cover in a room where water and electricity are close together. A sensible middle way is to agree clearly with the company which preparatory and finishing work you will take on. Many tradespeople are happy to factor this in if it is agreed beforehand and not improvised in the middle of the job.
Budget guidelines
A reliable figure cannot be given across the board, because the range between a refreshed surface and a completely new bathroom is enormous. As a guide, the split of about 40 per cent materials and 60 per cent labour helps, and you can use it to roughly check whether any quote is plausible. We have broken down in detail how the costs are made up and what individual items account for in a detailed overview of bathroom renovation costs. If you would like to calculate by room size, you will find the prices by bathroom size in a separate comparison.
Renovating a bathroom in a rented flat
As a tenant, too, you are not limited to paint and towel rails. Structural alterations generally require the landlord's permission, but in Germany you are entitled to it if the alterations reduce barriers. Under Section 554 of the German Civil Code (BGB), you can demand that your landlord permits structural alterations that serve use by people with disabilities.
This entitlement is not unlimited. It does not apply if the landlord cannot reasonably be expected to accept the alteration, even taking your interests into account. In addition, permission may be conditional on you providing special security for the later removal. In practice, this means you should talk to your landlord early and describe the planned work in concrete terms, rather than informing them after the event. Written consent protects both sides.
Planning for later life from the start
The most expensive mistake when renovating is having to work on a bathroom twice. If you have the walls open anyway, you can make preparations that will later only require minor work. These include load-bearing substrates where grab rails will be fitted one day, sufficiently wide passageways, slip-resistant floor coverings and lighting that still works well when eyesight declines. Standardised clearances, heights and manoeuvring spaces for accessible building are set out in the German standard DIN 18040-2.
Switching from a bath to a shower does not have to mean giving up bathing altogether. A bathtub with door lets you keep bathing and makes getting in and out much easier. If you would rather have a shower, a comfort shower offers a low entry and can be installed in the position of the old bathtub. We have put together the dimensions and details involved in a senior-friendly conversion in our guide to planning an age-appropriate bathroom.
If you are not sure which bathtub or shower will fit your layout, looking at the actual external dimensions helps more than any catalogue text. In compact bathrooms in particular, a few centimetres decide whether a door can still be opened.
A renovation is the best time to think about the next 20 years. Take your time to look at suitable bathtubs and showers, and we will be happy to advise you on the dimensions for your bathroom.
Frequently asked questions about bathroom renovation
What is the difference between renovating and refurbishing a bathroom?
When renovating, the technology behind the wall stays untouched and you renew surfaces, sanitaryware and fittings. Refurbishing affects the fabric of the building, for example because pipes are leaking or the waterproofing needs to be renewed. In practice the two often merge, because a refurbishment that is needed anyway is used to modernise at the same time.
How long is the bathroom out of use during the renovation?
With a complete renovation including plumbing and electrical work, you will usually have to manage without the bathroom for two to four weeks. Individual jobs such as replacing taps or furniture are done in a few days. Delays are usually caused not by the work itself, but by delivery times, coordination between several trades and defects that only become visible once things are opened up.
What can you put over old bathroom tiles?
Outside the wet zones, old tiles can be covered with decorative panels, cladding, plaster or suitable wallpaper to create a jointless, easy-care surface. This requires a firm substrate without loose tiles. In the shower and around the bathtub, the waterproofing decides whether such a solution will last. Have this area assessed by a professional.
Which bathroom renovation jobs can you do yourself?
Dismantling, disposal, painting, furniture assembly and wall cladding outside the wet zone are easy to do yourself and noticeably reduce costs, because around 60 per cent of the total goes on working hours. Waterproofing, water and waste water pipes and all electrical work, on the other hand, belong in the hands of a specialist company for safety reasons.
