Remodelling your bathroom

Remodelling your bathroom

As well as creating a luxurious place for you to unwind after a hard day, a new bathroom is also an investment. According to estate agents, new bathrooms and kitchens add the most long-term value to your home. So think carefully – it often doesn’t cost much more to give your bathroom that real touch of luxury. Remember, you probably won’t be looking to do it again in a couple of year’s time. Here are the essential stages to making your investment work:

Stage 1 – Make the best use of your space
Planning is critical to ensure your new bathroom is money well spent. The first thing to think about is what you want from your new space. Are you going to install anything new such as a separate shower unit or whirlpool bath? And what shape of bath would you ideally like? Are you going to need to move any fixtures or fittings? If so, how easy will this be with regard to plumbing and electrics? Do you need to install extra storage, or practicalities such as extractor fans and radiators for the towels? Once you have made your decisions, set a budget - and then add on a 20 per cent margin to cover the inevitable hidden costs! And remember, you can save money by starting some of the preparation work yourself – for example, stripping the wallpaper and removing the old tiles.

Stage 2 – Have a look around
It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the types of fixtures on offer before you approach a contractor – this way you have an idea of exactly what you want and how much it costs, and you can’t be railroaded into something you don’t need. There are many different bathroom designs for you to choose from and it should be easy to find one that matches the style of your home. Each fixture design – from ultra modern to simple and classical – can be fully or partially fitted. This means you can either have your fixtures fitted into built-in units or free standing with detachable panels to hide pipes. These panels are useful when it comes to carrying out future plumbing work, as they allow easier access to the pipes. With fitted units it’s more difficult to access the workings of the fixture and the entire unit may have to be taken out. There are even different types of toilet fittings to consider – high-level, where the cistern is mounted high on the wall, low-level, where the cistern is directly behind the toilet, or close-coupled, where the toilet and cistern are attached directly together as one unit. A close-coupled unit is easier to install and takes up far less space.

Stage 3 – Select the fittings
Once you have decided on the basic style of your suite, there are still loads of individual types of fittings for you to choose from. Consider what you would like and what would best suit your needs – a standard bathtub, a corner bath or perhaps a roll-top? Separate shower or over-bath? Does the shower need to be height adjustable to accommodate different family members? Do you need special adaptations such as non-slip surfaces or handrails on the bath or shower? It may be cheaper to buy the fixtures yourself and just pay for professional installation. If so, hold off getting a quote until you have purchased the fixtures so you can tell the contractor exactly what you need installing. If you would prefer the bathroom company to both supply and fit the suite, look into quotes at this point.

Stage 4 – Measuring up
Luckily most fixtures come in standard sizes, but it’s still important to measure the space you have so you know what will fit where. Some bathroom companies offer online services whereby you enter your room measurements and can experiment slotting in different kinds of fixtures. Remember to not only consider whether the units fit into the room, but also to leave space in front and next to them. As a rough guide it is advisable to leave at least 700mm in front of a toilet and basin, and 1000mm in front of a bath. If you are installing a separate shower cubicle, make sure you leave enough space for the door to open easily, and for you to get dry! If you have decided to purchase your bathroom suite directly from the installer or allowed them to purchase it for you, they will probably come and measure up for you as part of the service.

Stage 5 – Installation
This stage will vary depending on how you have decided to purchase your new bathroom. If you didn’t select a bathroom company when you bought your suite, now is the time to search for installers and get a quote. Whenever you’re searching for quotes, the advice is always to get at least three to compare and check when they’re available to do the work. Delivery times on bathroom suites are usually quite long, so it should be easy to give the installer plenty of notice and co-ordinate the times. Remember that having a new bathroom installed will inevitably cause disruption to your household when the water is switched off. Most companies will try and keep your time without water to a minimum, but it may still be useful to contact neighbours or relatives to see if you can borrow the kettle or use the shower!

All that’s left now is for you to put the finishing touches to your bathroom and decorate it as you like. Consider suitable tiling, flooring and colour schemes which will complement your beautiful new suite. Enjoy!

www.bathroomquoter.co.uk can help you choose your supplier.