Typical wet room price ranges
A wet room conversion in an existing bathroom footprint typically costs £6,500 to £11,000, compared with £6,500 to £9,500 for a standard mid-range bathroom refit of similar size. The premium comes almost entirely from floor structure work, tanking and drainage rather than the visible fittings.
Higher-end wet rooms, with large-format porcelain, a bespoke glass screen and underfloor heating, can run to £12,000-£16,000. The floor and drainage work required doesn't change much between budget and high-end specifications, it's the tiling and screen choices that push the top of the range up.
Floor level drops and structural work
A true wet room needs the floor to fall gently towards a drain, which usually means either dropping the floor structure or building up the rest of the room to create the fall. On a ground floor with a solid concrete slab, this can mean breaking out and re-forming part of the floor, a job that adds £800-£2,000 depending on how much of the room needs altering.
On a timber suspended floor, joists sometimes need notching or a section rebuilding to accommodate the drain and falls, which is more involved than concrete but can be cheaper if only a small area needs changing. Either way, this structural stage is the part most likely to be underestimated in a low quote.
Drainage and waste position
Wet rooms need a point drain or linear drain set into the floor, connected to a waste run that can cope with the flow rate of an open shower area rather than a contained tray. If the existing soil stack is close by, this is straightforward. If it isn't, pipework has to travel further, sometimes needing a pump if gravity fall isn't achievable, adding £300-£800 to the job.
Getting the drain position and fall right the first time matters more in a wet room than almost anywhere else in the house, because a shallow fall or slow drain isn't something you can easily fix once tiling is down.
Tanking, the part you never see again
Full tanking, waterproofing the entire floor and all walls to shower height, is standard practice for a wet room and typically adds £600-£1,200 in materials and labour compared with the localised waterproofing used in a standard shower enclosure. This isn't optional in a room with no shower tray or enclosure containing the water.
Tanking quality is the single biggest factor in whether a wet room lasts or causes problems years later, and it's exactly the kind of work that's easy to skimp on because nobody can see it once the tiles go down. Ask any fitter what tanking system they use and how far up the walls it's applied.
Tiling and screen choices
Because a wet room floor is fully exposed and usually flows into the shower area with no step or curb, tile choice and cutting are more demanding than a standard bathroom. Small-format tiles or mosaics are often used on the floor specifically because they cope better with the falls towards the drain, while walls can use larger format tiles.
A frameless glass screen, rather than a full enclosure, is the typical finishing touch and usually costs £400-£900 supplied and fitted, less than a full shower enclosure would, which offsets some of the structural premium elsewhere in the job.
When a wet room isn't worth the premium
Wet rooms suit ground floor rooms with good access to drainage and households who want a low-threshold, easy-access shower space. They're less cost-effective in upstairs rooms with limited structural depth to create falls, or in rooms where the floor build-up would leave an awkward step into an adjoining room.
If accessibility and future-proofing aren't the priority, a well-built walk-in shower enclosure with a tray can achieve a similar look for less, without the structural floor work. It's worth discussing both options at a free design and quote home visit before committing to one approach.