# Cost of bathroom refurbishment



## Susie2017

Hi. I was hoping to refurbish my small main bathroom ( 2 X 2 m) and ensuite. I have gotten a quote from a supplier in Dublin for 7 k excluding tiles. This is before labour costs. I am replacing a bath, shower, two wall hung sink units, two mirrored vanity units and two toilets. Price includes new shower equipment, door and tray.  Does this sound excessive ? Any tips on where to purchase. I am swamped with brochures and don't know what makes are really the best there are too many to choose from. Any tips welcome on where to cut costs as most showrooms seem to have similar prices for many items.


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## LS400

Full bathroom change including  vanity unit, deep bath and fully tiled floor and walls, 2 x 2m priced at all parts and Lab and removal of debris €3500. 

If that's for one room, even to double that for a smaller ensuite also..
Shop around I'd say.


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## Sue Ellen

Builder's providers one bit of advice was to stay away from Cooke & Lewis suites from B&Q.  They maintained that the fittings are different to our units because they are for UK only.  They said that they regularly have people looking for parts which are not available here.


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## galway_blow_in

Susie2017 said:


> Hi. I was hoping to refurbish my small main bathroom ( 2 X 2 m) and ensuite. I have gotten a quote from a supplier in Dublin for 7 k excluding tiles. This is before labour costs. I am replacing a bath, shower, two wall hung sink units, two mirrored vanity units and two toilets. Price includes new shower equipment, door and tray.  Does this sound excessive ? Any tips on where to purchase. I am swamped with brochures and don't know what makes are really the best there are too many to choose from. Any tips welcome on where to cut costs as most showrooms seem to have similar prices for many items.



insanely expensive , dublin isnt that far from many counties , consider options from tradesmen in meath , kildare , louth

dublin is obviously in a labour bubble


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## newirishman

Purchasing bath, shower trays, toilets, etc. in Ireland is very much a rip-off. I have recently (well, 2 years ago) redone a bathroom and a downstairs toilet and saved massive amount of money by ordering that stuff from a German company: https://en.reuter.de/
Even with transport taken into account, I've saved about 50% on the Irish quotes - half of the savings I did spend on upgrading to "better" stuff though.

tiles, etc., I got here but bought during sales. Shaved about 40% off the price, even if I had to store them for 6 months in the shed....


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## Susie2017

Thank you newirishman. Great website. Intend to use it. Great prices I wonder are those reductions just for January or all year round. I see there is no problem with delivery. Time to make a list! . Now if only there was something similar for kitchen doors and work tops !


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## Andy836

Susie2017 said:


> Thank you newirishman. Great website. Intend to use it. Great prices I wonder are those reductions just for January or all year round. I see there is no problem with delivery. Time to make a list! . Now if only there was something similar for kitchen doors and work tops !



That site is always way cheaper than ireland (and most of the UK suppliers too). Always has deals too.


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## Susie2017

Ok so Im getting quotes for labour for this job. What do people think should be the rough labour cost for the following;

Main bathroom; approx 2m x 2 m floor area. Remove all old wall and floor tiles. Some replastering may be necessary after this not sure how much until old tiles come down. Install 1700 mm long bath. Overhead shower, taps and thermostatic mixer. Side glass panel to bath. Install new wall hung vanity and mirrored cabinet. Install new wall hung toilet. Tile floor 4 m2 and walls/side bath (20 m2). 

Ensuite
Remove old floor tiles and tiles in shower no other tiles elsewhere. Install new shower tray 900 x 900 mm, thermostatic mixer, shower and doors. New sink and cabinet. New wall hung toilet. Tile floor 5 m2 and shower area/ toilet area 12 m2.


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## Susie2017

Ok so got a quote for this work. 7 k for labour only. What do people think of this price. If I were to add prices from Dublin bathroom supplier total cost will be huge. Obviously will try to purchase stuff online as much as I can (but even those prices have gone up I assume as we are now in February). What do people think of 7 k for labour for two bathrooms ?


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## Thirsty

I'm not following your figures - is the 7k for both main  bathroom and ensuite for materials  (first post) and then another 7k for labour?


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## Leo

How many quotes have you requested for this work? Ideally you will always get 3 or more quotes from recommended suppliers. Every renovation job has its own quirks and complications, getting a few quotes will give you a good indication of the market rate for the job. 

Did they give you any indication of how long the work would take?


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## Susie2017

Yes it's 7k materials ( but hope to buy cheaper stuff online) plus 7 k labour (one quote only). For main bathroom and ensuite. First tradesman says job will take 6 days. Intend to get further quotes but should I expect to get it any less ? Never had bathroom work done before.


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## Thirsty

A brand new (i.e. nothing there before) ensuite cost me c. €2500 last year.  That included building partition walls, plumbing, fully tiled etc.,    That said, I have middle of the road loo/shower/whb.  Tiles from a big box store etc.,

Get some more quotes and take up references.

Ask for a break down of the materials costs.
Ask for a break down of the job (day 1, day 2 etc.,)
Ask how many people will be working on the job in those 6 days - I'd expect to hear, plumber, carpenter, electrician (if you're installing electric shower), tiler.


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## Susie2017

2500 including labour and fittings sounds very good. Back to the drawing board I think. Definitely need another labour quote. No electric shower. Just thermostatic controls from immersion. Thank you.


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## Sue Ellen

Susie2017 said:


> No electric shower



That's a big loss to the house unless you already have an electric shower (think you can only have one?).  One of the best additions that we ever made to the house, well worth the money.


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## newirishman

Sue Ellen said:


> That's a big loss to the house unless you already have an electric shower (think you can only have one?).  One of the best additions that we ever made to the house, well worth the money.



Electric showers are the worst in my opinion. Expensive to run, low pressure, noisy (ugly!). Have a large hot water cylinder heated via the central gas boiler, and a central pump for hot and cold water around the house.
But of course I grew up on the continent where there isn't water tanks in the attic and ridiculous mains pressure, so YMMV.


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## Leo

Sue Ellen said:


> That's a big loss to the house unless you already have an electric shower (think you can only have one?).  One of the best additions that we ever made to the house, well worth the money.



You can install two, but you must install a priority switch so that only one can be used at a time. Running two simultaneously would overload the incoming supply.


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## Susie2017

I wasnt planning on an electric shower. Water is pressurised from a pump in hotpress. Can heat water in immersion from gas boiler (zoned). Agree electric showers are noisy and dont look the best on the wall. Want a nice overhead rainshower and separate hand held shower with thermostatic mixer control dual lever i think its referred to. Not sure ill go with concealed box as more expensive but exposed can look fine and be inexpensive.


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## LS400

newirishman said:


> Electric showers are the worst in my opinion. Expensive to run, low pressure, noisy (ugly!).



A couple of teenagers in the house will soon have your tank emptied, and you'll  wish for an instant electric shower Or, set your alarm clock a bit earlier.


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## vandriver

If you think all electric showers are noisy,check out the Triton t90sr.Its a revelation!


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## Thirsty

I'd go for at least one electric as a back up - you'll be glad of it when the oil runs out/ boiler breaks down / someone else empties the tank!


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## noproblem

Personally i'd have electric showers before power showers. Great ones on the market and far better and more economical than others plus, they're fierce handy.


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## Susie2017

Ok I have had a think about this. The new model Triton 90SR looks good and is a bit less noisy than the older versions (on youtube). I remember we got one in our house back in the 80s. It was very noisy and I never felt quite comfortable with the idea of water and electricity in such proximity. However all things considered they are quite convenient and presumably a lot less expensive to run than the immersion. Any idea on cost of installation. I think the unit is about 250 to buy. I assume it will be reliable as I would hope to get at least 10 years use from it. There are no maintenance issues I presume. I am not in a hard water area.


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## Fredders

Hi Thirsty 

Just having read this thread - the cost of your ensure sounded great - were you happy with the work ? 
Would be hoping to get something similar


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## deltrotter

Hi All,

Can anyone recommend a good reputable company for bathrooom refit? I'm Dublin based. Thank you.


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## Leesider32

€15,500 quote to fully refurbish a small bathroom and extend a granny flat bathroom to include a shower.....needless to say going to shop around


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## Andrew365

Also looking for a recommendation for a small bathroom renovation in Dublin.


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## Zenith63

FWIW I've used tradesmen.ie very successfully while renovating our house over the last 18 months.  Sure sometimes you don't get responses, but the vast majority of the time you do and every tradesman I've got from the site has been excellent.  It's great at the moment where so many tradesmen are busy, because only people that can actually do the work and want it will reply, rather than you ringing around trying to talk people into it.


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## Jazz01

Zenith63 said:


> I've used tradesmen.ie very successfully


Zenith - do you look for references from those trades? Do you vet them etc?


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## David1234

I have been ringing around a few places trying to get quotes for installation of an under stairs w/c and sink and a few have said they are not taking on any more work for 2019 as they are booked up.

I would be interested if anyone has any decent contacts in Dublin. cheers


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## Opus2018

David1234 said:


> I have been ringing around a few places trying to get quotes for installation of an under stairs w/c and sink and a few have said they are not taking on any more work for 2019 as they are booked up.
> 
> I would be interested if anyone has any decent contacts in Dublin. cheers



Hi Gang,

Just so you know - I've been quoted just under €33,000 for equipment and labour to do up 3 bathrooms (1 main and 2 en-suite). I've gotten an equipment quote for some €12,000 only and waiting on the cost of labour and I got a labour estimate of €18,000 only before getting the equipment in.  What do people think of what I've been offered?

6-8 week lead in time.

Best,


Opus2018


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## Zenith63

Jazz01 said:


> Zenith - do you look for references from those trades? Do you vet them etc?


You’ll get to see reviews from previous people who have used the tradesman, which is handy. After that it’s a judgement call after you’ve met them and got their quote. For bigger jobs then yes no harm asking for a reference or two, but tbh I never have.


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## Zenith63

Opus2018 said:


> Hi Gang,
> 
> Just so you know - I've been quoted just under €33,000 for equipment and labour to do up 3 bathrooms (1 main and 2 en-suite). I've gotten an equipment quote for some €12,000 only and waiting on the cost of labour and I got a labour estimate of €18,000 only before getting the equipment in.  What do people think of what I've been offered?


So hard to know without knowing what is required in your house, size of the bathrooms etc. FWIW I’ve just done a few bathrooms myself, parts wise I paid €2250 (€300 toilet, €150 sink, €350 shower tray, €600 shower doors, €350 tiles, €100 sink tap, €300 shower, then maybe €100 on plasterboard, concrete board etc). That was all for mid range stuff, you could spend half that or double easily. So your €12k for parts sounds high enough to me, but again maybe the bathrooms are huge or you’ve chosen high-end stuff. Note that there is a shocking amount of ‘fat’ added to the prices in catalogues, you should not be paying those prices. 25% of stuff you see in the likes of the Sonas catalogue would be normal...


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## Opus2018

Hi Zenith63,

Thanks for the reply and your points are well made

I'll just give you a detailed sample of one of the rooms I got a quote for - it's the en-suite I'd use the most so.  To be fair, I might have gone up market in one or two items (the 8mm glass door is mid range, but the shower head is on sale and the basin while a bit expensive, is something I'm happy to throw in.

There are one or two items I may not go with say the heated floor.  On looking at the items I'm generally in line with you I think - I genuinely thought I wasn't going for the high end stuff - more mid range with a couple of nice add ons. 

Shower tray 219 
Sliding door 626 (glass 8mm)
Shower head pack 320
Basin and base unit for storage 500 (yes, I could have been cheaper but it's the storage 
Toilet and Cistern 400 (there's 3 or 4 items including the toilet seat!)
Tiles for wall and floor 700 (I'm covering the room - it's not big but a decent size for an en-suite
Storage and mirror 200
Heated towel rail 300
heated floor 150
Aluminium trim for shower 150
and a few hundred for grout, sealant leveling compound etc

Plus VAT 944.65

Total cost 5,052 Oh and I did get a discount of 10%-15% on most items...

The main bathoom is cheaper as they'll be using the sink, shelving and mirror and I only need a bath there.  The other en-suite is small and has a shower, sink and toilet - (there will be two rads going in there).  they costed out and 3800 and 3900 respectively. the floor and wall tiles will be the same in all three rooms. I'm waiting on the labour costs for this with trepidation.

Best,

Opus2018


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## Susie2017

Personally i think the labour should be in the region of 8 -9 k max. I did a main bath and ensuite for labour of 6 k. This was a cash price but there should be less labour if they are doing all three at once and tiles are the same. I bought all the items with the exception of radiators on a german website reuter.de recommended by someone on here. All top quality wall hung sink units and bathroom cabinets LED etc. Wall hung villeroy and boch toilets and bath etc. Taps and concealed (vs exposed) shower fittings with rainshower and thermostatic mixer. Its a lot of work to sit down and go through all the items. You need exact measurements for everything and list of exact items eg bath waste but the website will guide you and they e mail you to let you know if you are missing items from your order e.g bath support legs. I would use them again. Everything arrived in perfect condition when they said it would and i saved a fair bit compared to the cost in an irish showroom. Get a good installer as no point in spending on a nice bath if the tiling looks badly finished. I didnt tile all the walls as i dont like tiles everywhere. Half way up a non bath located wall is just fine with a nice finishing trim or decor and paint the rest looks better imo. Radiators i just purchased from an catalogue i got in one of the showrooms here, nothing too expensive. Make sure you buy the right valves depending on your set up. Dont forget tanking kit. And you will need to price in at least one skip if you are taking out old bathroom fittings and tiles.


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## kaji84

Recently paid €7,000 for a complete bathroom renovation in Kerry. I think it was worth it, they did an excellent job. When they removed the shower, they saw a partition wall behind it was completely rotten and they fixed that up. It feels like a bathroom in a fancy hotel now.


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## Andrew365

I am considering Ripple Bathrooms in Dublin, has anybody any experience? Not started the process yet but they look likely to charge in the region of 9k for a smallish main bathroom. This is based on an example they put up on instagram of a full renovation. Obviously the cost will greatly vary depending on size and the fixtures and fitting but I estimate that it is probably 5k labour


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## Sarenco

We got a bathroom (Dublin area) renovated last year by http://stylishbathrooms.ie. 

Corny name but I would recommend them without reservation. 

Excellent workmanship and happy to offer an opinion on what would work best in our space.  Always turned up at the agreed time and delivered as promised.  They're busy though - it was roughly six weeks after pricing the job before they could start.

Roughly €5k for labour; €2.5 for fixtures and fittings (mid-range).  Proper VAT invoices.

A word of warning - bathroom renovations create a lot of dust and plumbers' glue takes an age to cure (and stinks in the meantime!).

Hope that's of some help.


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## Andrew365

Sarenco said:


> We got a bathroom (Dublin area) renovated last year by http://stylishbathrooms.ie.
> 
> Corny name but I would recommend them without reservation.
> 
> Excellent workmanship and happy to offer an opinion on what would work best in our space.  Always turned up at the agreed time and delivered as promised.  They're busy though - it was roughly six weeks after pricing the job before they could start.
> 
> Roughly €5k for labour; €2.5 for fixtures and fittings (mid-range).  Proper VAT invoices.
> 
> A word of warning - bathroom renovations create a lot of dust and plumbers' glue takes an age to cure (and stinks in the meantime!).
> 
> Hope that's of some help.


 Thank you, assume they did the whole renovation?  Ripple are as busy, first free slot was end of August when I asked last week.


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## RedOnion

Andrew365 said:


> was end of August


I'd be worried about anyone being available sooner in current market, especially with holidays factored in.


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## Sarenco

Andrew365 said:


> Thank you, assume they did the whole renovation?


Yep - they took care of everything.


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## Chelsea1

Planning on having the un suite converted into a wet room, does anyone know how much it would cost


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## Peanuts20

new bath, shower, toilet, tiling and extractor fan installed in a bathroom as well as insulating a wall, demolishing a small outhouse and removing it and demolishing and building 2 new gate pillars and a few other odds and sods, cost about €3.5k down the country. Glad I don't live in Dublin !!


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## Leesider32

Andrew365 said:


> Thank you, assume they did the whole renovation?  Ripple are as busy, first free slot was end of August when I asked last week.




I used Harreds bathrooms in Swords, Ripples quoted €9k and got these guys for €7.5k, know we could have got it for a lot cheaper in other parts of the country but we did go with some nice stuff. The tiler was excellent!


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## Andrew365

Peanuts20 said:


> new bath, shower, toilet, tiling and extractor fan installed in a bathroom as well as insulating a wall, demolishing a small outhouse and removing it and demolishing and building 2 new gate pillars and a few other odds and sods, cost about €3.5k down the country. Glad I don't live in Dublin !!



It is all relative though. I would assume there are more people in Dublin with salaries that allow them to pay these higher prices.


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## Peanuts20

Andrew365 said:


> It is all relative though. I would assume there are more people in Dublin with salaries that allow them to pay these higher prices.



I work in Dublin, as do most of my friends. Frankly if you are prepared to put up with the commute and want to cut your living costs, "get out of Dodge". Dublin prices are a rip off, for everything


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## Ciarash

Peanuts20 said:


> new bath, shower, toilet, tiling and extractor fan installed in a bathroom as well as insulating a wall, demolishing a small outhouse and removing it and demolishing and building 2 new gate pillars and a few other odds and sods, cost about €3.5k down the country. Glad I don't live in Dublin !!


Hi Peanuts20
Great price. Where are you based and who did you use?


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## Bronte

newirishman said:


> Electric showers are the worst in my opinion. Expensive to run, low pressure, noisy (ugly!). Have a large hot water cylinder heated via the central gas boiler, and a central pump for hot and cold water around the house.
> But of course I grew up on the continent where there isn't water tanks in the attic and ridiculous mains pressure, so YMMV.


I live on the continent where nobody has heard of an electric shower. My hot water cones from the gas central heating unit and is immediate. No tank in the attic either. I hate Irish electric showers, noisy, weak and temprememental.


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## Drakon

Hopefully that’ll all change after Brexit. 
Ireland will follow the European model rather then the British model. 
Electric showers, or lack of, are just another thing we need to get rid of. Along with driving on the LHS, clunky 3-pin plugs, the hour difference between Ireland and Brussels, etc. 
We should embrace European more post-Brexit.


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## noproblem

I've both showers and find the electric showers brilliant especially when grandkids are around and can use the downstairs shower room after coming in from being at God knows what. Power shower upstairs, along with another electric one. How would you expect to heat the power shower during the good weather, i'm not turning on the oil/gas? That's why the electric shower is handy, fast, efficient and plenty of power. Sure they give a problem or two but it's a few years since I had any and they get plenty of use. Plenty of women in my family


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## Coldwarrior

noproblem said:


> How would you expect to heat the power shower during the good weather, i'm not turning on the oil/gas?


Zoned heating circuits so you can heat the HW tank without heating the radiators. Or a combi boiler.


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## noproblem

Coldwarrior said:


> Zoned heating circuits so you can heat the HW tank without heating the radiators. Or a combi boiler.


Yes Coldwater, should have phrased my question to Why would you instead of How would you? My point was that by having the electric shower you saved having to do all this and I was making the point that they're fierce handy and totally adequate for a lot of quick shower jobs. Thanks though for going to the trouble of answering.


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## DubLaur

LS400 said:


> Full bathroom change including  vanity unit, deep bath and fully tiled floor and walls, 2 x 2m priced at all parts and Lab and removal of debris €3500.
> 
> If that's for one room, even to double that for a smaller ensuite also..
> Shop around I'd say.



Hi there,

This is a great quote! Are you working for a company in Dublin by chance / have a contact to share?

Thanks much,
Laura


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## Andrew365

We used Ripples in the end and the quote came in at 10k and ended up closer to 11k after we chose some higher spec finishes. What we were looking for was a company to come in and do the job Monday to Friday and take care of everything, I know it could have been cheaper sourcing individually. In this area of the market I found that to be a pretty standard price point. The service from Ripples has been pretty excellent.


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## eisfspike

Got a quote from Ripples also before Xmas. The stuff they do is good but is wildly expensive. They quoted 14k for a bathroom refurb another company quoted 7k for the same job albeit cheaper items. I always got the impression from Ripples that it was their way or the highway to a degree. I told them my budget was 8k and they came in at €14k so i felt message sent was not message received. That is just my experience with them.


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## Gordanus

This is the link:   https://www.reuter.de/en/



newirishman said:


> Purchasing bath, shower trays, toilets, etc. in Ireland is very much a rip-off. I have recently (well, 2 years ago) redone a bathroom and a downstairs toilet and saved massive amount of money by ordering that stuff from a German company: https://en.reuter.de/
> Even with transport taken into account, I've saved about 50% on the Irish quotes - half of the savings I did spend on upgrading to "better" stuff though.
> 
> tiles, etc., I got here but bought during sales. Shaved about 40% off the price, even if I had to store them for 6 months in the shed....


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