NOTE Nº 0125 · REV B

Baths Compared: Freestanding, Inset & Shower Baths

Compare freestanding, inset, and shower baths for UK homes: sizes, costs, installation requirements, and how to choose the right bath for your bathroom.

By The Renovation Notes Team · 8 min read · Published 18 July 2025 · updated within the last month · Sources checked 2 October 2026

White freestanding bath in a bright Victorian bathroom.

In short

Inset baths cost £150–£600 for an acrylic or steel unit (cast iron from about £600) and are the easiest to fit; freestanding baths cost £300–£3,500 but need more floor space and exposed plumbing; shower baths cost £250–£600 for the bath and suit smaller rooms needing both functions.

The bath market in the UK has polarised in recent years. At one end, the practical inset bath remains the most-installed type, easy to tile around, straightforward to plumb, and available from £150. At the other, the freestanding bath has become the default signifier of a “statement” bathroom, beautiful when done well, but demanding of space, plumbing skill, and budget. Between them sits the shower bath: a pragmatic hybrid for anyone who wants both a bath and a shower in a bathroom too small to accommodate both separately.

Inset Baths

An inset bath (also called a built-in bath) sits within a timber or masonry bath panel surround, with one or two exposed sides finished with a bath panel. It is the most common bath type in UK homes by a significant margin.

Standard sizes:

Length	Width	Notes
1,500 mm	700 mm	Compact; suits smaller bathrooms
1,600 mm	700 mm	Common in smaller and older bathrooms
1,700 mm	700–750 mm	The most common UK size; comfortable for most adults
1,800 mm	800 mm	Large; needs a generously proportioned bathroom

Most inset baths sit in a recess defined by three walls, with a bath panel finishing the fourth (open) face. Double-ended inset baths (tap hole in the middle of one long side) allow two people to use the bath simultaneously and need a fourth panel or tiling on the remaining side.

Pros:

Lowest cost, units from £150 (acrylic) to about £600 (steel enamel); cast iron inset baths start at about £600
Simplest to tile around, the rim creates a clean shelf for tiles to butt up to
Easy to clean under (if panel is removable) and easy to access waste for maintenance
Works in almost any bathroom layout

Cons:

Less visual impact than freestanding
Panels can look tired over time and need periodic replacement
Cast iron inset baths are very heavy, may require structural support on upper floors

Material comparison (cost per bath, supply only):

Material	Cost	Weight	Heat retention	Lifespan
Acrylic	£150–£400	15–25 kg	Moderate	10–20 years
Steel enamel	£200–£600	30–60 kg	Good	20–30 years
Cast iron	£600–£2,500	120–220 kg	Excellent	50+ years
Stone resin	£500–£2,000	60–120 kg	Good	30+ years

Freestanding Baths

A freestanding bath stands clear of all walls on feet or a sculpted base, with visible plumbing (or a floor-mounted supply) adding to the aesthetic. It works as a focal point in a larger bathroom but is unforgiving of poor planning.

Common styles:

Roll-top: traditional claw-foot or slipper design; traditionally cast iron, now also widely made in acrylic and steel
Contemporary oval / double-ended: smooth geometric form in acrylic, stone resin, or solid surface
Slipper: one end raised for back support, with the taps at the lower end or on floor-standing or wall-mounted fittings (a double slipper has both ends raised)

Floor space: Allow at least 600 mm of clear space on the sides you need to reach, and more on the tap side for comfortable use. As a rule of thumb, a 1,700 mm freestanding bath needs a room of about 2,400 mm or more in that direction to look and function well; in anything smaller it will feel cramped.

Plumbing requirements: Most freestanding baths have no tap deck, so they need floor-standing or wall-mounted taps. This usually means relocating supply pipework during installation, a significant additional cost if the existing pipes are in the wrong position. Budget £200–£500 for a plumber to relocate supplies and run visible or concealed pipe routes.

Cost range:

Bath type	Unit cost	Installation (plumber only)	Total typical range
Acrylic freestanding	£300–£900	£300–£500	£600–£1,400
Stone resin freestanding	£600–£2,000	£350–£600	£950–£2,600
Cast iron roll-top	£800–£3,500	£400–£700	£1,200–£4,200

Note: cast iron roll-top baths on upper floors may require a structural engineer’s assessment: a large cast iron freestanding bath with water and occupant can weigh over 400 kg. Hurlingham’s Dryden 1,700 mm cast iron bath, for example, is listed at 217.5 kg empty with a maximum capacity of 210 litres.¹

Shower Baths

A shower bath combines a bath with a shower area, typically achieved by widening one end of the bath to create a more usable standing area. The most common variant is the P-shaped (or L-shaped) shower bath.

P-shaped shower bath: The curved end provides a wider shower zone (typically 850–900 mm wide at its broadest point) while the other end narrows to a standard bath width of around 700 mm.² A purpose-shaped shower bath screen is used in place of a standard shower curtain or pivot door.

L-shaped shower bath: Similar principle but with a rectangular stepped section rather than a curve. Slightly more shower floor area; slightly less elegant.

Standard sizes:

1,500 × 850 mm (wide end), suits smaller bathrooms
1,700 × 850 mm (wide end), most common P-shape size
1,700 × 900 mm (wide end), premium size

Cost range:

Shower bath type	Unit cost (bath only)	Bath screen	Installation	Total
P-shaped acrylic	£250–£500	£80–£200	£250–£400	£580–£1,100
L-shaped acrylic	£300–£600³	£100–£250	£250–£400	£650–£1,250

As a price check in September 2026, Toolstation listed a 1,700 mm acrylic P-shaped shower bath, supplied with a curved screen and side panel, at £430.49 including VAT.² It listed a 1,700 mm L-shaped shower bath with panel and leg set at £444.99.³

Best for: bathrooms of 4–6 m² where a separate shower enclosure is not feasible; family homes with children where both bath and shower are daily requirements; landlords fitting out rental properties where flexibility is valued.

Key Decisions: Which Bath Type for Your Bathroom?

Situation	Best bath choice
Bathroom under 5 m²	Standard inset or shower bath
Bathroom 5–8 m²	Inset or P-shaped shower bath
Bathroom over 8 m²	Any type, including freestanding
Statement / luxury bathroom	Freestanding (stone resin or cast iron)
Need both bath and shower in one room	Shower bath or inset bath + separate shower
Rental property or budget refurb	Acrylic inset, most cost-effective
Period property / renovation	Cast iron roll-top if floor structure allows

Installation and Building Regulations

The water supply must comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, which require every water system to have adequate protection against backflow.⁴ For a bath this usually means a tap gap between the tap outlet and the bath’s spill-over level, or another form of backflow protection, typically a double check valve, where that gap cannot be kept.⁵ The waste must meet Approved Document H, which expects every discharge point, including a bath waste, to be fitted with a trap to keep foul air out of the house.⁶ If a shower is used over the bath, the bath screen or curtain should be positioned to keep water within the bath.

Any electrical work associated with the bathroom, including the shower supply, lighting, or shaver sockets, must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations and BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations).⁷ Zone restrictions apply: a shaver socket with an isolating transformer (to BS EN 61558-2-5), for example, can go in zone 2, which extends 0.6 m beyond the bath, but never in zone 1, the space directly above the bath.⁸

If you are adding a shower over an existing bath, make sure the walls around it are waterproofed and tiled or panelled to shower standard. If you are also tiling the floor, suspended timber floors may need noggins or a ply sub-base depending on the tile weight and tile adhesive specification.

References (8)

Figures in this note were checked against the sources below on 2 October 2026. Superscript numbers in the text point to them. Every source the site cites, by topic.

1technicalsupplier figureOld Fashioned Bathrooms, guidance.RN-02X020A bathroom retailer's product page for the Hurlingham Dryden 1,700 x 750 mm cast iron bath. Its specification gives an empty weight of 217.5 kg and a maximum capacity of 210 litres, which with water alone passes 400 kg.
2costsupplier figureToolstation.RN-K18EZEA price, true at 2026-09. Toolstation product page for a 1,700 mm acrylic P-shaped shower bath sold with a curved bath screen and side panel, priced at £430.49 including VAT.
3costsupplier figureToolstation.RN-6RI6T9A price, true at 2026-09. the retail price Toolstation publishes for nuie l shaped shower bath with panel and leg set, which is the supply figure the cost book records for this item. Re-sourced from a category listing so the page a reader opens is the product that was priced
4technicalvery strongThe National Archives, guidance.RN-MY6E6ESchedule 2 to the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, which applies in England and Wales. It caps WC flush volumes and requires backflow prevention on every water system.
5technicalgoodWater Regs UK, guidance.RN-RDU4IBWater Regs UK guidance on backflow protection for bath and basin taps. It explains the tap gap to the spill-over level and the double check valve alternative in homes.
6technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-SM6TRWThe statutory source for soakaway design and the discharge hierarchy every garden drainage note should state. Requirement H3(3) lists the order of priority for rainwater discharge: (a) an adequate soakaway or other adequate infiltration system, or where not reasonably practicable (b) a watercourse, or where not reasonably practicable (c) a sewer. Paragraph 3.25 bars infiltration devices within 5 metres of a building or road, in ground where the water table reaches the bottom of the device at any time of year, too close to other drainage fields or soakaways, or where contamination could pollute groundwater. Paragraph 3.26: soakaways serving less than 100 square metres are generally square or circular pits filled with rubble or lined with dry-jointed masonry or perforated ring units. Paragraph 3.27: design to a return period of once in ten years, and for small soakaways serving 25 square metres or less a design rainfall of 10mm in 5 minutes may be assumed as the worst case. Paragraph 3.28 requires percolation tests to derive the infiltration rate, and paragraph 3.30 sends larger soakaways to BS EN 752-4 or BRE Digest 365 Soakaway design. Paragraphs 2.10 to 2.12 cover pervious paving over a granular storage reservoir and warn against its use where sediment or oil spillage would block the pores. For foul drainage, paragraph 2.33 sets a minimum 75mm internal diameter, or 100mm for a WC, and Table 6 gives minimum gradients of 1 in 40 for 75mm and 100mm at peak flows under 1 litre per second.
7technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-JYJ3I5The document that decides what electrical work a homeowner may legally do themselves, and the exact list of notifiable jobs. Regulation 12(6A), reproduced at paragraph 2.5, makes only three things notifiable: the installation of a new circuit, the replacement of a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location. Regulation 12(9) defines special location as, in a room containing a bath or shower, the zone extending vertically from finished floor level to 2.25 metres (or the shower head position if higher) and horizontally 600mm from the edge of the bath tub or shower tray. Paragraph 2.7 states that all other electrical installation work is not notifiable, namely additions and alterations to existing installations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere. Paragraph 2.8 gives worked examples: a built-in cooker is not notifiable unless a new cooker circuit is needed, and connecting an electric gate or garage door to an existing isolator is not notifiable but running a new circuit from the consumer unit to that isolator is. Paragraph 2.2 confirms Part P reaches outdoor work including fixed garden lighting, pond pumps and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and domestic greenhouses. Notifiable work must be certified by self-certification by a registered competent person, third-party certification, or a building control body (paragraph 3.1), with the compliance certificate issued within 30 days (paragraph 3.4). Note that Approved Document P is a source of guidance rather than a ban: non-notifiable work still has to comply with BS 7671.
8technicalstrongNICEIC, guidance.RN-8VV8NHNICEIC's householder guide to BS 7671 bathroom rules. It defines zones 0, 1 and 2 and covers sockets, shaver sockets, switches and RCD protection.