How much do bathroom upgrades cost in 2026?

A vanity swap costs $665 to $3,300 all in, of which $200 to $1,000 is the installation labour — the rest is the unit itself. Custom vanities run $500 to $2,800 more than prefabricated ones, which is the biggest single lever on the total. A like-for-like swap where the new unit matches the old footprint is straightforward. Changing size or style so the plumbing no longer lines up adds work, and if the old vanity has been in place a long time, expect the shutoff valves and supply lines to be replaced at the same time.

Regrouting a standard shower costs $600 to $2,500 — a wide range because the work varies from raking out and replacing grout lines to removing failed grout, treating what is behind it and resealing. Regrouting is the right call when tiles are sound and the grout is stained, cracked or crumbling. It is the wrong call when tiles sound hollow when tapped, or when there is movement, because that means the problem is behind the tile and new grout will fail again quickly. Water that has got behind tile does not stop because the surface looks better.

Replacing an existing extractor fan is $191 to $411; the fan alone is $100 to $300. Installing one where none existed runs around $400 and higher, because it needs both wiring and a duct route to outside. This is the least glamorous item here and probably the highest-value: a bathroom without working extraction grows mould, ruins paint and degrades grout, so a fan that has stopped working is quietly generating the other repairs on this page. Venting into a loft rather than outside causes its own damage and is worth checking.

The line is the same as in kitchens: does anything move. Vanity swaps, regrouting, fan replacement, taps, toilet seats, mirrors, towel rails and shower doors all leave the plumbing layout alone and are handyman-scope. Moving the toilet, relocating the shower, changing the room footprint or altering waste runs is a remodel with permits and trades. A number that looks too good for the work described usually means the scope was misread.

Bathrooms are small, so a disproportionate share of any single job is arriving, protecting the room and clearing up. That makes bundling unusually worthwhile: a vanity swap, a new fan, regrouting and replacing a tap in one visit costs meaningfully less than four visits. If several small things are annoying you, list them all when asking for a quote rather than fixing the worst one now and the rest later.