Bathroom fitters in Fulham for flats and period houses

Bathroom fitting in Fulham, from one basin to a full room

Not every bathroom needs ripping out. Often the bath is sound but the basin is cracked, the toilet rocks, and the shower screen leaks onto the floor every morning. We can swap one item, or several, and leave the rest alone. When the whole room has had its day, we strip it out and fit the new suite, tiles and seals in the right order.

Most of the bathrooms we see in Fulham are in Victorian and Edwardian terraces, many of them split into flats, along with mansion block flats and newer riverside developments. Each one brings its own problems. The pipes in an older house may be a mix of copper and plastic, the floor may slope, and the walls are rarely square. We look at all of that on the first visit, so the quote matches the room you actually have.

Basins, toilets, baths and shower trays

A new basin or toilet is often a straight swap, as long as the waste pipe lines up with the new one. Where it does not, we adjust the pipework rather than forcing the pan or trap into place, since a joint under strain is the one that weeps a year later. Wall hung basins and toilets need a solid fixing, so we check what the wall is made of first. Lath and plaster in an old house will not hold a heavy basin on its own.

Replacing a bath means taking out the old one, which can be a heavy cast iron tub in a period house, and carrying it down narrow stairs. The new bath is set level on its feet, the taps and waste are connected, and we fill it with water before we seal it so the joint is not stretched later. Shower trays need a firm, flat base and enough fall for the water to drain. A tray that flexes on soft boards will crack its seal again and again, so we fix the floor first if it needs it.

• Basins and pedestal basins, including taps and wastes
• Close coupled toilets (where the cistern sits on the pan) and wall hung toilets
• Steel, acrylic and replacement baths with new bath panels
• Shower trays, wastes and shower screens
• Vanity units and mirrored cabinets

Small bathrooms in Victorian terraces and flats

Many Fulham bathrooms were added long after the house was built. In a terrace that can mean a narrow room in the back addition, and in a converted flat a bathroom squeezed under a sloping ceiling or into part of a bedroom. Space matters more than anything here. A short bath, a corner basin or a slim vanity unit with storage under the basin can make a small room feel much less cramped.

We fit shower screens to suit the space, including a fixed panel over the bath where a full enclosure would not fit. Tiling a small room well takes care with the cuts around pipes, window reveals and boxing in. You can see more about our tiling on the tiling and grouting page, and more on seals on the resealing page.

Fitting a bathroom in a flat above neighbours

If your bathroom sits over someone else's ceiling, a small leak becomes their problem fast. We find the stopcock before we start, protect the floor, and check every joint with the water on before any panel or boxing goes back. Water left to drip behind a new bath can soak the boards for weeks before a stain shows below.

Flats also bring practical points. Old baths and tiles have to go down shared stairs, so tell us about lifts, parking and any rules from the managing agent on working hours. If you are a leaseholder, check your lease before you book. Many leases ask you to get consent from the freeholder or landlord before you make alterations, and moving a toilet or shower to a new spot is more likely to count than a like for like swap.

Extractor fans, lights and electrics near the bath

A steamy bathroom with no fan is where mould starts. Approved Document F, the government guidance on ventilation, gives a minimum rate of 15 litres a second for an intermittent extractor fan in a bathroom. It also says that when building work is done in a bathroom, an existing fan should be kept or replaced. Swapping an old fan for a new one on the existing cable does not need to be notified to building control, and that is a job we do.

Wiring around a bath or shower has stricter rules. Approved Document P calls the space around a bath or shower a special location. It runs from the floor up to 2.25 metres, or the shower head if that is higher, and 0.6 metres out from the edge of the bath or shower tray. Any addition or alteration to a circuit in that space, and any new circuit such as one for an electric shower, is notifiable. This is done by a registered electrician who can self certify the work. We arrange it.

Gas, water rules and older materials

Some refits involve the boiler, for example when a combi boiler sits in the bathroom and needs moving to make room. Any gas work is done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. We will arrange this for you. We never move a boiler, flue or gas pipe ourselves.

Under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, a few items must be notified to the water company before work starts. These include a bath that holds more than 230 litres up to the overflow, a bidet with an ascending spray or flexible hose, and a pump that draws more than 12 litres a minute. Most standard baths are well under that size, but if you have picked a large freestanding bath, tell us and we will check.

The Health and Safety Executive says asbestos can be found in any building built before 2000. If we find old boards, panels or floor tiles we are unsure about while stripping out, we stop and recommend getting them tested before work goes on.

Getting a quote from a local bathroom fitter in SW6

Tell us what you want changed and send a few photos of the room, the floor and the pipes under the basin. Let us know if you are in a house or a flat, and whether you have bought the new suite yet. We cover Fulham, Parsons Green, Sands End and Fulham Broadway, and we will come back to you with a free quote.

Common questions