Hello everyone,
I would like to get your assessment of my situation.
I live in an older apartment in Munich and want to renovate my bathroom. The bathroom is about 5.5 sqm (59 sq ft) in size.
My first visit to a local bathroom showroom was disappointing.
I visited the bathroom exhibition and after a brief consultation where I showed some pictures, I was told to expect a price of around 50,000 euros.
That is completely beyond my budget. My budget is a maximum of 30,000 euros.
So I thought I would go to a larger plumbing company located just outside Munich, hoping it might be a bit cheaper there.
I quickly found a company that offers everything from a single source and made a good impression. They measured my bathroom free of charge. Then I had an appointment at the bathroom studio to select the bathroom furniture and sanitary ware.
Here is what I selected:
- Burgbad washbasin
- Shower fittings from the bathroom studio’s own brand
- Faucet from the bathroom studio’s own brand
- Geberit toilet
- Shower tray with Geberit CleanLine drain channel
- Shower enclosure made of glass
- Standard wall tiles / floor tiles (€50 per sqm (approx. $54 per sqft))
- A new radiator
The following work is planned:
- Completely gut and dispose of the old bathroom
- New tiling
- New plastering
- Convert bathtub into a walk-in shower
- New sanitary ware
- New bathroom furniture
- A smaller water meter
Now I have a concrete offer for 38,000 euros. This is not a luxury bathroom, just standard equipment.
I’m not sure what to do now.
I only have this one offer. I want everything from a single source because I cannot be without my bathroom for too long. Individual services from platforms like MyHammer are not an option for me.
I’d prefer not to request another quote here only to end up with such a high price again. (This is always a time-consuming process.)
What would you do?
Should I try to get a quote from a plumbing company in a more affordable region of Germany, if that is even done? Or are these simply the prices one has to pay nowadays in Munich?
I would like to get your assessment of my situation.
I live in an older apartment in Munich and want to renovate my bathroom. The bathroom is about 5.5 sqm (59 sq ft) in size.
My first visit to a local bathroom showroom was disappointing.
I visited the bathroom exhibition and after a brief consultation where I showed some pictures, I was told to expect a price of around 50,000 euros.
That is completely beyond my budget. My budget is a maximum of 30,000 euros.
So I thought I would go to a larger plumbing company located just outside Munich, hoping it might be a bit cheaper there.
I quickly found a company that offers everything from a single source and made a good impression. They measured my bathroom free of charge. Then I had an appointment at the bathroom studio to select the bathroom furniture and sanitary ware.
Here is what I selected:
- Burgbad washbasin
- Shower fittings from the bathroom studio’s own brand
- Faucet from the bathroom studio’s own brand
- Geberit toilet
- Shower tray with Geberit CleanLine drain channel
- Shower enclosure made of glass
- Standard wall tiles / floor tiles (€50 per sqm (approx. $54 per sqft))
- A new radiator
The following work is planned:
- Completely gut and dispose of the old bathroom
- New tiling
- New plastering
- Convert bathtub into a walk-in shower
- New sanitary ware
- New bathroom furniture
- A smaller water meter
Now I have a concrete offer for 38,000 euros. This is not a luxury bathroom, just standard equipment.
I’m not sure what to do now.
I only have this one offer. I want everything from a single source because I cannot be without my bathroom for too long. Individual services from platforms like MyHammer are not an option for me.
I’d prefer not to request another quote here only to end up with such a high price again. (This is always a time-consuming process.)
What would you do?
Should I try to get a quote from a plumbing company in a more affordable region of Germany, if that is even done? Or are these simply the prices one has to pay nowadays in Munich?
T
Taillefer1 Nov 2021 15:55There were no prices listed, but I always asked for the price of each item. I chose the shower fittings for 600 euros instead of the built-in type for 1200 euros. I went for the mirror cabinet at 1300 euros instead of the one for 3000 euros. I didn’t just let them talk me into everything ;-)
The only thing I didn’t take from the house brand was the washbasin for the reasons mentioned above.
The only thing I didn’t take from the house brand was the washbasin for the reasons mentioned above.
Holzhäuschen1 Nov 2021 15:56I visited two bathroom showrooms. No prices were provided.
We asked about everything, but we were almost always given incomplete prices (for example, the toilet did not include the seat, which then cost an additional €300, or the plumbing for the washbasin, etc.).
I think the key is the word "showroom," which allows them to obscure their prices like this. It’s extremely frustrating.
We asked about everything, but we were almost always given incomplete prices (for example, the toilet did not include the seat, which then cost an additional €300, or the plumbing for the washbasin, etc.).
I think the key is the word "showroom," which allows them to obscure their prices like this. It’s extremely frustrating.
That's right, you can't take anything with you directly from the site. At Elements (bathroom showroom chain), there are no clearly marked prices, and in the store, prices are only given in a complicated and approximate way.
Some specialist companies or general contractors/subcontractors may pass on discounts, which is why they can never provide the final price on site. After that, there is an offer, including individual items.
Some specialist companies or general contractors/subcontractors may pass on discounts, which is why they can never provide the final price on site. After that, there is an offer, including individual items.
M
Myrna_Loy1 Nov 2021 18:39Our plumber - a large company - explicitly advised us against visiting bathroom showrooms for exactly the same reasons. Quote: even kitchen design studios could learn a thing or two about overcharging from them.
T
Taillefer1 Nov 2021 18:47Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Our plumber – a large company – explicitly advised us against going to bathroom showrooms for exactly the reasons mentioned. Quote: even kitchen studios could learn a thing or two about overcharging there.It was the plumber (a very large company in the Munich area) who sent me to the bathroom showroom after measuring my bathroom. This wholesaler basically has a monopoly in Munich, and many plumbers refer their customers there. :-/
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Our installer – a large company – explicitly advised us against visiting bathroom showrooms for exactly the reasons mentioned. Quote: even kitchen studios could learn from them when it comes to ripping customers off. So, what should you do instead?
We visited two such showrooms back then. The first quote completely shocked us. Then we went to Elements and chose items that looked similar to those in the first showroom, but the prices were significantly better there.
Then we removed the bathroom furniture, and that made it work.