Bathroom Renovation Soho

GS Renovation refurbishes bathrooms and en-suites throughout Soho and the W1 postcode, from compact shower rooms in upper-floor flats to bathrooms in larger period apartments. We handle the waterproofing, drainage, tiling, heating and fit-out in-house, delivering a watertight, well-ventilated bathroom built to last in a period home.

In Soho, 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 Soho: 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 Soho 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.

Wet rooms and en-suites in Soho

Space is at a premium in Soho homes, so we are often asked to fit a walk-in shower or a full wet room into a small footprint, or to steal a corner of a bedroom for a new en-suite. Wet rooms need proper attention to get right. We tank the floor and walls, form the falls so water drains cleanly, and lay everything over a waterproof membrane before a single tile goes down, keeping the structure below dry.

Ventilation matters just as much as waterproofing in these buildings. Solid-walled Victorian and Edwardian rooms hold damp, and an upstairs bathroom sitting above living space or a downstairs flat has to shed moisture properly, so we fit extraction that meets building regulations. We also plan the drainage and soil connections carefully, since moving a WC or shower in a period building can mean re-routing pipework around joists and existing stacks.

Housing in Soho

The stock in the Fitzrovia West & Soho statistical area runs to roughly 6,840 dwellings, 98% of them flats and 2% houses, built 48% before 1919, 5% between 1919 and 1939 and 47% after 1945. Most homes here are flats, and a bathroom in a flat in Soho sits over a neighbour's ceiling, so it is tanked before tiling and a moved WC needs the freeholder's licence.

A Soho bathroom above someone else's ceiling

In Soho 98% of homes are flats, so unless the flat is on the lowest floor, a bathroom here sits above another flat or a business, and a leak is somebody else's damaged ceiling or lost trading day. That sets the order of work. The waste connection to the shared stack is made and water tested, the tanking is flood tested before tiling, and the ceiling below is checked with the occupier's agreement before the floor is closed. Westminster's schedule has a minor works category for the fit out of a bathroom in one property, so new drainage and ventilation are inspected and put on record, with the electrician's certificate for any shower circuit alongside.

The outside of the building is the other constraint. The Soho Conservation Area was designated in 1969 and extended several times, and in a conservation area planning permission is needed for some alterations that would not need it elsewhere. Westminster's conservation area audits also identify unlisted buildings of merit. A flat has no householder permitted development rights, so a new soil pipe or vent grille on any elevation can need an application. So in a Soho bathroom the internal route to the existing stack, or an outlet at roof level agreed with the freeholder, is worked out before the layout is drawn.

Space-saving bathrooms for Soho period homes

Getting a usable bathroom out of an awkward period layout is a design job as much as a building one. In Soho's period flats we work with sloping ceilings under the roof, chimney breasts and narrow landings, choosing wall-hung sanitaryware, slimline cisterns and clever storage to free up floor area. Underfloor heating is a favourite here, since it warms a tiled room without the radiator taking up precious wall space and helps keep the room dry.

For leasehold flats and apartments in W1, a bathroom refit means working within the building's rules. We check the freeholder's requirements, coordinate with the managing agent where needed and pay close attention to waterproofing and sound insulation, because a leak or noise nuisance affects the flat below. We protect communal stairs and landings, remove waste responsibly and time works around central London access, then finish with tiling, lighting and sanitaryware chosen to suit you.

• Tanking membranes and waterproof boards behind tiles
• Concealed cisterns, frames and wall-hung sanitaryware
• Soil pipe and waste re-routing within the floor build-up

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for the Fitzrovia West & Soho statistical area, which also covers west Fitzrovia. Counts rounded by the VOA.

For the wider picture around bathroom renovation in Soho, see chimney breast removal in Soho, bathroom renovation across Westminster, bathroom fitting in London, bathroom renovation anywhere in London and Tiling Cost.

Why Choose GS Renovation in Soho

Bathrooms in Soho are unforgiving: get the waterproofing, drainage or ventilation wrong in a period flat and the damage shows below. GS Renovation tanks, plumbs, tiles and fits every bathroom in-house, with our founder's 30+ years on the tools. You get one accountable team, careful working in an occupied home and a bathroom that stays watertight.

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.