Bathrooms & Wet Rooms
Shower installation
TL;DR
An electric shower swap is £145–£245 fitted; a like-for-like thermostatic mixer swap is £195–£325; a full new-position mixer with concealed valve is £450–£850. The single most important thing is matching the shower to your water pressure and hot-water system. Fitting a high-flow rain-head to a gravity system is the number one reason people call us saying 'my new shower is rubbish'.
Showers are one of the most confused-purchase categories in plumbing. The shower on the shelf that looks amazing on the box will trickle if your hot water comes from a loft tank, and the electric shower that costs £90 will feel weak forever if your incoming cold mains is under 1 bar.
This page covers how to pick the right shower for your water system, honest costs for 2026, and the questions to ask any fitter before you sign.
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Which shower type is right for your house?
Electric shower — heats cold mains directly, works on any system, best backup when the boiler dies, but flow rate is limited (7–10 L/min at best). Thermostatic mixer — mixes stored hot and cold, best feel and flow if you have a combi or unvented cylinder, needs both feeds at similar pressure. Digital shower — a mixer with an electronic control unit that lets you preset temperatures and control from a wall panel; premium option (£800–£1,500 for the unit alone). Power shower — a mixer with a built-in pump, only for gravity-fed systems, being replaced by the industry with pumped mains and mixer valves.
- Combi boiler house → thermostatic mixer at 1–3 bar (best flow, best feel)
- Unvented cylinder house → thermostatic mixer at 3+ bar (rain-heads work brilliantly)
- Gravity-fed tank system → mixer + pump, or power shower, or upgrade to a mains booster
- Any system → electric shower (weak flow but always works)
- Low incoming mains pressure (<1 bar) → electric shower or mains-boosting cold pump
What a proper shower install includes
We check your incoming cold pressure and hot flow rate first — no shower gets fitted until we've measured what your house can actually deliver. For electric showers we run a dedicated 10.0mm or 6.0mm cable back to the consumer unit via an RCD, with a ceiling-pull isolator. For mixer valves we fit isolator valves on both feeds, use compression or press-fit joints on chrome (never solder on visible pipework), and pressure-test to 6 bar for 20 minutes before we tile back over.
- Flow and pressure measured before shower type is finalised
- Correct cable size and dedicated circuit for electric showers (Part P certified)
- Isolator valves on hot and cold to mixer valves
- Concealed valves pressure-tested for 20 minutes before tile close-up
- Anti-scald thermostatic valve set to 43°C max at outlet
- Non-return valves fitted where required (mains-fed showers)
- Full commissioning — flush both feeds, calibrate temperature, seal head
Concealed vs exposed valves
Exposed valve — chrome unit on the outside of the tile, all pipes go behind. Easy to service, cheaper to fit (£195–£325 labour). Concealed valve — the guts sit behind the tile, only the plate and levers show. Neater and more premium but you MUST leave rear access (via the wall behind, or a removable panel), and the valve must be pressure-tested before tiling because you can't easily fix it after.
Before you commit — questions to ask any plumber
Showers are where mismatched kit and pressure produce the loudest customer complaints in the trade. Ask these first.
- Have you measured my cold mains pressure and hot flow rate before recommending a shower?
- Is the shower you're recommending rated for my water system (combi / unvented / gravity)?
- For an electric shower — are you running a new dedicated circuit or spurring off an existing one? (Must be dedicated.)
- For a concealed valve — will you pressure-test before I tile, and how long for?
- Where will the future access point be if the concealed valve ever needs servicing?
- Does the price include the Part P electrical certificate (electric showers only)?
- Do you supply the shower or should I? Any minimum spec you recommend?
Typical prices
Real-world ranges from recent Northwest jobs. Your final price is confirmed in writing before any work starts.
| Item | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Electric shower — like-for-like swap | 145 – 245 | Existing cable & isolator, 90 mins |
| Electric shower — new cable / new position | 295 – 495 | New circuit + Part P cert |
| Thermostatic mixer — exposed, like-for-like | 195 – 325 | 2 hours, chrome finish |
| Thermostatic mixer — concealed valve fit | 450 – 850 | Includes pressure test, tile-out |
| Digital shower — Aqualisa Quartz / Mira Platinum | 650 – 1,150 | Unit extra, labour only |
| Rain head + handset combined valve | +80 – 180 | Additional labour on any mixer fit |
| Cold mains booster pump (for weak mains) | 580 – 950 | Fitted at stopcock, quiet run |
| Shower unit — mid range | 180 – 550 | Supplied at cost |
Kit & brands we use
We fit Mira, Aqualisa, Triton and Bristan as our default electric and mixer brands — all keep spares stocked for years and warranties are honoured properly. For digital showers we fit Aqualisa Quartz Touch or Mira Platinum. For premium concealed valves we like Hansgrohe Ecostat, Grohe Grohtherm and Crosswater Elite.
Shower-install red flags
- Fitter doesn't measure your water pressure before quoting a shower type
- Fitting a rain-head or dual-head shower to a low-pressure gravity system
- Concealed valve fitted with no pressure test before tiling
- No rear access planned for future concealed-valve service
- Electric shower on a spurred circuit instead of a dedicated cable and RCD
- No Part P certificate offered on an electric shower install
- Vague 'from £99 fitted' pricing that balloons on the day
Our promise on this job
Flat £50 diagnostic — deducted in full from any work booked. Fair, transparent quote before we start. If we can't fix the fault we diagnosed, we refund the diagnostic. All gas work is signed off by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Talk to KJ about shower installation
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