Last updated on March 31st, 2022
Cost to build a home salon
There are many reasons to open your own home-based salon. For starters, you’ll get to be your own boss and run your business from the comfort of home. This means no commuting stress or expense, or high rental costs. In this guide, we’ll look at the average cost to build a home salon.
There are many reasons to open your own home-based salon. For starters, you’ll get to be your own boss and run your business from the comfort of home. This means no commuting stress or expense, or high rental costs. You can spend more time with your family while building up a rapport with your regular customers.
You might be considering running your salon from your kitchen or a spare bedroom. However, it could be a better idea to create a dedicated salon space separate from your home. It’s more professional and helps to keep work and home life separate. To create your new home salon, you could convert a spare room, garage or garden room.
In this guide, we’ll look at the average cost to build a home salon, including flooring, furniture and salon essentials.
Cost of fitting out a salon
To get your new salon build started, you’ll need to sort the basics. These include flooring, lighting, electricals and mirrors.
| Cost item | Low cost | High cost | Average cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flooring (16 m2) | £320 | £480 | £400 |
| Double plug socket | £90 | £150 | £120 |
| Mirror | £170 | £860 | £515 |
| Lighting | £275 | £440 | £357 |
| Salon basin | £96 | £750 | £423 |
| Basin plumbing | £80 | £250 | £165 |
| Salon chair | £50 | £642 | £346 |
Our costs are ballpark averages – get a local tradesperson to quote now
A salon mirror can set you back around £515, while installing a double plug socket for your hairdryer and styling tools could cost around £120.
For a room around 16 m2, a tiled floor could cost around £320 (roughly £20 a square metre, including installation costs). Alternatively, you could pay up to £480 to have laminate flooring installed (around £30 a square metre).
To install new LED downlighters, it could cost around £357 for fitting by a qualified electrician.
Cost of salon basin
Every home salon needs a professional hairdresser’s basin or backwash unit. These are specially designed for washing the client’s hair in comfort, thanks to an opening or lip at the front. They also have features such as a pull-out shower hose and mixer taps.
You can buy a basic salon basin for as little as £96, or spend up to £750 for a full backwash unit including reclining chair.
Don’t forget to factor in the cost of plumbing work. It could cost between £80 and £250 to have a new salon sink installed in your home by a professional plumber.
Cost of salon chair
You can’t work out how much it’ll cost to build a home salon without factoring in a comfortable, attractive styling chair. This detail is crucial, as it’s where your clients will spend most of their time. You can get a very basic salon chair for just £50, or splash out on a luxurious model for around £642.
Whatever chair you choose, your top priorities should be adjustability (including swivel function and hydraulic height adjustment) and client comfort.
FAQs 
Do I need special insurance to run a home salon?
It’s recommended to get insurance for personal liability, product liability and beauty treatment risk liability, from an insurer specialising in the hair and beauty industry.
Do I need planning permission to build a home salon?
If you’ll be building a new structure or extension for your home salon, you may not need planning permission if it meets the conditions of permitted development. However, you’ll still need to make sure you meet building regulations. And if you’re running a business from home, you may still need to inform the local authority and tax authority.
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