Bathroom Renovation in Munster

It can work on sound, well-bonded wall tiles and saves strip-out cost, but it fails on floors with movement, adds thickness that fouls doors and fittings, and hides the condition of the substrate and membrane. Most renovators strip back in wet areas — if a contractor proposes tile-over-tile in the shower zone specifically, treat it as a cost-cutting red flag.

Keep the existing layout, choose mid-range fittings from stocked lines rather than special orders, use large-format tiles only on feature areas, and paint rather than tile ceilings and upper walls. Do not economize on waterproofing, drainage falls, or the tiler's labour — those are the items whose failure costs multiples later.

A straight swap-in-place refit takes about 1-2 weeks; a full renovation with new waterproofing, retiling, and any layout change takes 2-4 weeks. Add waiting time before the start for fixture delivery and trades scheduling — and note that waterproofing membranes need curing days you cannot compress.

Around 10-20% is normal, sometimes more where custom vanities or imported fittings must be ordered up front — in that case pay the supplier invoice share, not a round 50%. Hold 5-10% back until the room has been used for a week or two and the snag list (grout gaps, silicone, door alignment) is closed.

A standard full renovation typically runs €9,000-€16,000, with budget refreshes from about €4,000-€6,000 and high-end projects €16,000-€40,000. Dublin prices sit toward the top; labour shortages keep quotes firm and lead times long.

Many Irish homes rely on electric showers because of low-pressure gravity-fed hot water systems. Replacing one like-for-like is a small job, but upgrading to a pumped or mains-pressure mixer shower means plumbing changes and possibly a new cylinder — budget for that decision early because it swings the total meaningfully.