How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Belgium?

What a bathroom renovation costs in Belgium depends less on the taps than on whether you move the pipework. Refreshing a bathroom in the same layout costs a fraction of a full rebuild in which everything comes out. Below are the three levels, the items that make the difference, and the VAT gap that many owners overlook.

Three levels, three prices

The refresh is the cheapest. You replace the sanitary ware in the same position, paint, and perhaps change the mirror cabinet and the tap. The plumber and the tiler stay largely out of it, and the work is done in a week.

The standard renovation goes further: new sanitary ware, new tiles on floor and walls, a new shower or bath, and usually new ventilation. The layout stays broadly the same, but everything visible is new. Allow two to three weeks on site, with different trades following one another.

The full rebuild moves the layout. Shower where the bath stood, toilet against another wall, sometimes a partition removed. Plumbing, electrics, screed and tiling all come together, and that is immediately the most expensive category.

What really pushes the price up

Moving pipework is the single biggest item, because it touches the waste pipe, the water supply and often the floor build-up. Relocating a drain means breaking out and re-screeding, with a drying time that pushes the whole planning back.

Tiling comes next. The number of square metres, the size of the tiles and the pattern decide the tiler's days more than the price per tile. Large formats and herringbone take more laying time than standard straight tiles.

Underfloor heating, a walk-in shower with a lowered drain, made-to-measure units and a second basin are the classic options that quietly grow a budget. Ventilation, on the other hand, is not an option: without mechanical extraction you get damp and mould back, however good the rest looks.

The VAT gap people forget

For a dwelling that is old enough, usually at least ten years, a contractor may invoice renovation work at the reduced VAT rate of 6 percent instead of 21 percent. The contractor has to invoice the occupant directly for that.

On an invoice of ten to fifteen thousand euro, that difference easily exceeds the gap between two quotes. Ask your contractor explicitly whether your file meets the conditions and have the rate stated on the quote, because materials you buy yourself do not qualify.

Small bathrooms

In a small bathroom the sum works differently. Material costs fall with the surface area, but the fixed costs do not: the plumber, the electrician and the ventilation cost roughly the same in four square metres as in eight.

The gains come mainly from choices that create space. A walk-in shower instead of a bath, a wall-hung toilet with a concealed cistern, a narrow basin and a mirror cabinet up to the ceiling. Keeping the layout and renewing only what is visible is the surest way to keep a small bathroom affordable.

Comparing quotes without surprises

Ask for three quotes on the same description and have each one list the items separately: strip-out and disposal, plumbing, electrics, screed, tiling, sanitary ware, ventilation and finishing. That way you see where the difference sits instead of comparing one final figure.

Ask who does the coordination as well. A contractor who steers all the trades costs more than separate quotes, but you are not paying in waiting days when the tiler arrives before the plumber. Have the start date, the duration and the payment stages written into the quote.

What it returns at resale

A well kept bathroom sells, but it rarely earns itself back in full in the price. Buyers do discount a dated bathroom in their offer, so the difference shows up in the speed of the sale more often than in a higher price.

If you are unsure whether to renovate before selling, first have your property valued as it stands and ask what the works would add. Request a free valuation of your home or compare a few agents who know your neighbourhood.