Bathroom Renovation Lewisham

GS Renovation fits bathrooms, en-suites and wet rooms across Lewisham, working within the Victorian and Edwardian terraces of Catford and Forest Hill and the flats that make up most homes in the borough. We handle the waterproofing, drainage, tiling and heating in-house, making the most of the often tight spaces these period homes offer.

In Lewisham, a full bathroom refit typically costs £6,000 to £20,000 or more (indicative London ranges, MyBuilder and Checkatrade, 2026). GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Lewisham: we carry the tanking, plumbing and tiling as one contract, with the electrics certified by a registered electrician.

How the job runs

1. Free design visit at your Lewisham home and an itemised quote.
2. Strip-out, then first-fix plumbing and electrics.
3. Tanking to the wet areas, then tiling.
4. Sanitaryware and second fix, with notifiable electrics certified by a registered electrician. Typically 10 to 15 working days on site.

Waterproofing and wet rooms in Lewisham

Water is the enemy in an old terrace, where timber floors and lath-and-plaster walls do not forgive leaks. Before any tiles go on, we tank the space properly with a waterproof membrane across the floor and up the walls in the shower zone. In a walk-in shower or full wet room we form the falls to the drain, bond the membrane and pressure test, so water goes where it should and the structure below stays dry.

Ventilation and drainage need equal care in these houses. We fit proper extraction to clear moisture and protect the plaster and joinery, and we run new soil and waste pipes to suit the existing stack rather than fighting it. Underfloor heating warms tiled floors and helps the room dry quickly, a real benefit in a period bathroom that was often a cold afterthought bolted onto the back of the closet wing.

Housing in Lewisham

Around 133,910 homes make up Lewisham on the valuation list; 60% are flats and 40% houses, and 34% date from before 1919, 18% from between the wars and 45% from after 1945. Since most homes here are flats, a bathroom in a flat in Lewisham sits over a neighbour's ceiling, so it is tanked before tiling and a moved WC needs the freeholder's licence.

Moving the WC or bath in a Lewisham home

Lewisham says a building control inspection is needed when a WC or bath is installed or moved to a new position. That brings plenty of ordinary Lewisham bathroom jobs into building control: turning the bath to run along the other wall, moving the WC to the window side, or adding a second WC in a new shower room all count. The fees chart has its own line for installation of a new bathroom. A bathroom that keeps everything where it is avoids the visit, so in Lewisham the layout decision is also a paperwork decision, and it is best made before the tiles and sanitaryware are ordered.

In a house built before 1919, which is 34% of Lewisham's stock, the bathroom is often in the back addition over the kitchen, with the soil stack on the outside rear wall. Moving the WC further from that stack lengthens the soil branch, and the fall it needs may not fit within joists of that age without notching them deeper than is safe. We check the joist direction and depth before agreeing a new WC position in a Lewisham back addition, and where the fall will not work, we say so at the survey rather than reaching for a macerator later.

Clever bathroom layouts for Lewisham terraces

Space is the constant challenge in Lewisham terraces, where the family bathroom often sits in the narrow closet wing. Careful planning wins back room, a wall-hung basin and toilet to free the floor, a walk-in shower instead of a bulky enclosure, and a slim heated towel rail. We can steal a little from a landing or an oversized bedroom to create the en-suite many SE23 and SE26 families want without losing a proper bathroom.

A bathroom on a top floor under the roof slope works too, where the eaves height and the position of the soil stack allow it. None of this internal work needs planning permission, but new circuits, and changes to circuits around the bath or shower, are notifiable under Part P, so they are certified by a registered electrician or notified to building control. From tiling and lighting to the last coat of paint, one team fits the whole bathroom, so the finish and the waterproofing are the responsibility of a single contractor.

• Bespoke vanity units and storage
• Ventilation and extraction ducted to outside
• Freestanding and built-in bath installation

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 37 statistical areas in Lewisham. Counts rounded by the VOA.

If you are weighing up options for your Lewisham property, it is worth reading chimney breast removal in Lewisham, our Lewisham area guide, bathroom fitting in London, bathroom renovation anywhere in London and Tiling Cost.

Why Choose GS Renovation in Lewisham

Lewisham homeowners choose GS Renovation because we get the hidden work right, the tanking, drainage and ventilation that keep a period bathroom sound, as well as the finish you see. With our founder's 30+ years on the tools, one team fits the whole room, so there is no gap between the waterproofing and the tiling.

Reviewed jobs near Lewisham

1 MyBuilder review from Crofton Park, with each customer's own job title:

• Replace small section of wooden worktop, sink, tap and gas hob, Crofton Park, 17 Apr 2024 (5 out of 5)

Read all 31 on our reviews page.

Checked by Abdelaaziz Saaid, founder and director of GS Renovation Ltd (Companies House no. 14611254). Structural design is by the consulting engineer appointed to your project.