Accessorise, Accessorise, Accessorise

Accessorising the bathroom is one of the most affordable ways to place a personal stamp upon this room where the big items come with a big price tag and an equally big renovation headache. If you take the time to shop with care and have an attitude toward letting your personality take shape inside this most utilitarian of rooms in your house, you can transform it almost into a centrepiece.

Toilet Seats

The first thing to get down is the toilet seat. Toilet seats are not what they used to be because they have become a bona fide bathroom accessory. Today’s toilet seats and toilet seat covers are made in a variety of styles that have transformed them from the merely useful to the truly decorative. You can get toilet seats made in the shape of guitars or pianos as well as those are tabbed so that each person who uses the toilet has their own private seat. Toilet seat covers also are available in an array of styles.

Photo Credit: maxually

Sink Accessories

Photo Credit: April Killingsworth

Accessorising a bathroom really takes on the personality of its owner when you focus on the toiletry props that will adorn the top of the sink. Go into any just about any shop that sells items for the home and you can find toothbrush holders, soap, Cats, (kidding) dishes and tissue dispensers that match. More importantly, you can find bathroom accessories that reflect your taste in colour or pop culture.

Mirrors

Mirrors are essential accessories for the bathroom. You use them for shaving, applying makeup and getting an idea of just how effectively your diet is coming along. Mirrors can also be utilized to give the illusion that a cramped bathroom is much bigger.

Photo Credit: Julia Velkova

Linens

Towels and washrags are useful inside the bathroom, but they should also be considered aesthetic accessories. A bathroom just looks cleaner and more attractive when time is taken to carefully accessorise, using matching towels hanging from the shower or on the wall. The colours should ideally match the overall design of the décor.

Shower Curtains

Photo Credit: Judy van der Velden

Shower curtains have also become an important accessory in the bathroom. If a see-through vinyl curtain is not what you want, you can buy a shower curtain that replays in silhouette the famous shower scene from the movie “Psycho.” Curtain décor ranges from pop culture like this to animal prints to geometric designs.

Tap Fixtures

Tap fixtures are a good way to accessorise a bathroom by lending it a sense of style. If your taps are currently mounted to the rim of the sink, consider renovating to allow you to create a greater sense of elegance by installing wall-mounted taps. If you don’t like your current chrome taps, accessorise to match your desires by replacing with gold, red or black taps.

Plants

Plants that thrive in humid conditions not only can be used as accessories in the bathroom, but provide much-needed oxygen when you step breathlessly out of a hot shower. Plants can infuse the sterile conditions of the typical bathroom with a sense of life as well. 

Photo Credit: el_finco

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

How to design a Bathroom

Very few rooms affect a home's value like a bathroom. Whether you are building a new home or are ready to remodel an existing bathroom, use this guide to design the best bathroom.

Designing a new bathroom or remodelling an existing one can be a challenging and expensive project. Although it's small, a bathroom demands more decisions per square foot than any other room in a home. Creating a functional and attractive bathroom is about more than selecting pretty finishes; it also means making the space accessible and safe.

Here is an overview of the basic guidelines for four of the most important elements of bathroom design.

Space Planning

Perhaps the most difficult part of designing a bathroom is deciding where everything should go. In a new bathroom, it's easy to be overwhelmed by a blank slate. In a remodel, you may be limited by space constraints and existing plumbing placement (relocating plumbing is very expensive and not a cost-effective plan for most bathroom upgrades). To start the design process, take exact measurements of the floor plan and first place the essential elements, using these basic guidelines:

• Door: Measured jamb to jamb, the entry door should be 34-inches wide, but no smaller than 24-inches wide. In a small bathroom, hang the door so it swings out, rather than in, to avoid interference with other doors, cabinets, and fixtures.

• Shower: For comfort and safety, the shower should be at least 30x30x80 inches at the shower-head  but most modern bathroom designs allow for 90-inch-high ceilings with showers of at least 36-inches square. The shower surround should extend at least 3 inches above the shower-head  Hinged shower doors must open outward to prevent someone from becoming trapped after losing consciousness.

• Sink: The centreline of the sink must be 15 inches from the side-wall or tall obstacle (at least 20 inches is preferable). For double sinks, the distance between their centrelines should be 30-36 inches. Allow at least 4 inches between the edge of the sink and the wall.

• Toilet: The centreline of the toilet or bidet must be 15 inches, and preferably at least 18 inches, away from the wall or other obstacles. If you plan to place the toilet in its own closet, the compartment must be 30x60 inches (36x66 inches is more comfortable) and should include a swing-out or pocket door.

• Floor space: Allow a mandatory 21 inches of open space in front of the toilet, sink, and tub, and 24 inches in front of the shower entry. If possible, keep at least 30 inches free in all areas so people with limited mobility can use the facilities comfortably.

 
Electrical and Ventilation

Make sure your bathroom is bright enough for grooming and showering by installing plenty of general and task lighting. Have fun choosing fixtures for the space but remember you must include at least one wall-switch controlled light with the switch placed by the entrance. Also, any hanging fixtures cannot be closer than 3 feet horizontally and 8 feet vertically from the top of the bathtub rim. If you add lights within the tub or shower, they must be labelled as "suitable for damp/wet locations." Use only ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacles in the bathroom and never install an outlet or switch within the shower or tub space. For ventilation, a small window may meet code requirements, but it's not an efficient solution. Better is to use a mechanical exhaust system that vents to the outside in each enclosed area.

Safety Issues

It may be the smallest room in the house, but the bathroom is big on potential danger. Every year about 235,000 people visit emergency rooms after being injured in the bathroom, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Protect your family from harm by using slip-resistant flooring (for ceramic tile, choose a "wet" rating of .5 or higher). Clipped or rounded corners for counter-tops are safer than sharp edges. Shower and tub control valves must be pressure balanced, thermostatic mixing, or a combination of both to reduce scalding risk. It's mandatory to use tempered glass for shower enclosures, partitions, and windows or doors in the shower or whose bottom edge is less than 18 inches above the floor. Finally, although shower and tub grab bars are required only in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant housing or when there are steps leading into a bathtub, it's a good idea to add them in every bathroom in case of future mobility issues.

Storage and Accessories

Building codes rarely address bathroom storage or accessories, but they are nonetheless very important design concerns. If possible, create easily accessible storage options for toiletries, linens, and other bath supplies using medicine or vanity cabinets and recessed or hanging shelving. Hang a mirror above the sink at eye level. Place the toilet paper holder 8-12 inches in front of the edge of the toilet bowl and 26 inches above the floor. Add towel bars, robe hooks, soap dishes, and other practical accessories in convenient locations around the bathroom.

I bid you adieu my dear Sirs and Madams!

Fitting a new bathroom - the perfect Autumn home improvement

Whether you're thinking ahead to Christmas when you'll be having guests staying over or you've saved money by holidaying in the UK rather than going abroad this Summer, remodelling your bathroom is an ideal Autumn home improvement to carry out.

For a start, it's a relatively small room so whether you're just carrying out a spot of re-tiling or painting, or going for a complete new suite, the work should be over relatively quickly.

If you are having a full re-fit, then getting a Bathroom company / plumber started now will save long delays later as the plumbing trade gets swamped with broken heating system call-outs.

And with the buzz-word of energy consumption ringing in your ears, perhaps now is the time to invest in a proper shower cubicle that'll use a fraction of the energy a bath takes as well as the water used.

Having a complete re-model means you can also ask your bathroom company about installing a stylish and practical towel warming rail or perhaps underfloor heating? All features that will make the smallest room in the house one you'll want to spend more time in, dispelling the gloom of the cold dark nights outside with a luxurious soak!

You don't have to dig out the phone directory and risk hiring a cowboy company - use Bathroom Quoter to get your online quote before comparing bathroom fitting companies in your area, by reading what other homeowners thought of them - before, during and after the work was done.

Click here to try Bathroom Quoter for yourself now.

photo credit: steven depolo

Put a little Feng Shui into your bathroom

Put a little Feng Shui into your bathroom...

Feng Shui wisdom teaches that problems in life can easily be identified with problems in your bathroom - cash flow blockages, drained finances etc. Similarly, the location of your bathroom in your home can also have a negative effect on your wealth, however all is not lost!

For example, bathrooms located next to (or above) a front door, bathrooms on a second floor above a kitchen, bathrooms under the stairs and even bathrooms in the center of offices are all considered locations that can have a particularly negative effect. The idea being that Chi can drain away before it's had chance to enter your home. Of course leaking plumbing (where ever the location) can have a draining effect.

So how can you encourage that good Chi stuff to hang around a bit longer when faced with a poorly positioned bathroom?

If your bathroom is in an important Feng Shui area, a full length mirror on the outside of the door can encourage wealth. A bowl of pebbles above the toilet (or on the cistern) and a black or red coloured rug at the base of the pedestal are all considered protective devices.

Smaller steps like keeping the toilet lid closed, placing plugs in sinks and showers all prevent Chi flowing away. If your bathroom is over the front door or kitchen, suggestions include hanging a faceted crystal in the center of the room, placing a round mirror on the ceiling directly above the toilet and placing earth type objects in the corners of the room will encourage positive Chi.

In general, the more faucets, sprays, water jets etc that a bathroom has, the more energy will be encouraged to travel in directions other than downwards. The larger a bathroom is, the more Feng Shui principles of colour and elements can be adopted.

If you're thinking of re-modeling your bathroom then why not visit Bathroom Quoter where you can enter your own measurements and details and get an instant online quote without having to put up with loads of visiting salesmen.

photo credit: axeldeviaje

Designing Your Bathroom

It’s Friday night – the end of a hard week of work. You’re exhausted, and you deserve to put your feet up. So, you draw a deep, hot bath. Sweet aromas waft gently through the steam-filled room as you climb in, take a deep breath, and relax…

Doesn’t that sound good?

Then why are you still making do with that ancient and grimy bathroom? Why are you still coping with a shower that gives out less water than the leaky tap? Why oh why have you not sorted out the buzzing noise from the extractor fan?

If this sounds like you, you need to start thinking about what your bathroom says about you. Thankfully, we can help – with bathroomquoter.co.uk you can get a free instant online quote – and we’ll help you get hold of up to three local tradespeople to come round and give you their own estimates, saving you money!

Get Planning

A new bathroom is going to last you many years, so you want to start by thinking seriously about what you want, and what you can achieve with the space you have. One thing to consider is that baths don’t have to be the classic rectangle shape – you could think about a square or round bath instead. Since a shower could be placed above the bath, you could save even more space by doing away with a separate unit. For the ultimate relaxation experience, maybe a whirlpool is just the thing you need!

There’s more to bathrooms than just the basic utilities, too. make sure you’ve taken into account where to put the extractor fan, and any storage you need (no more running out across the landing because you’ve forgotten to take a towel with you!) Make sure you look into what fittings you need so you don’t end up confused when a contractor comes round.

Get a Quote

Thankfully, this part is the easy part! With bathroomquoter.co.uk, getting a feel for how much your new bathroom will cost is easy – just fill in the simple form and we’ll give you a rough estimate instantly, for free! We don’t stop there, though – as part of the free service we provide, we’ll go one step further and get in touch with up to three tradesmen in your area, so that you can make a comparison between different contractors.

Get Relaxed

When you have your new bathroom, you can relax like never before. Slip away into the luxurious bliss of a serene soak, you’ll be left feeling refreshed, energised and ready for whatever else life might throw at you.

Bathrooms are sanctuaries - escape in our photo feature

Photo Feature
Bathrooms are sanctuaries where you are able to unwind and forget about the stresses and strains of the day. For others, the ideal fixtures and fittings are installed in a bid to make every day life flow smoothly.

This month’s featured company is A & A Kitchens and Bathroom Ltd, a manufacturer of tailor-made kitchens and bathrooms. The company is based in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, but also work throughout mainland UK.

Click here to see the full photo feature.

Click here to get an instant online quote for a bathroom.

How to...Live like a celebrity

How to…..live like a celeb, at a fraction of the cost!

Celebrities often set the style boundaries for the rest of us, and not just when it comes to clothes, shoes and hairstyles. The celebs have now branched out into interior design. Open any glossy magazine and you will find this month’s hottest actress or greatest footballer – and his WAG – showing you around their luxurious home – usually filled with accessories you wouldn’t dream of being able to own. However some of the latest celebrity interiors are achievable in the average house – read on to find out how relax in a jacuzzi, wind down in the sauna, keep fit in the gym and then chill out in your own home cinema with drinks from the bar – in other words, how to live like a star!

1 – A perfect place for pampering
As with everything in the world of celebrity, designer labels are important, even in the bathroom suite! The latest name in bathrooms is Kohler, who designs luxury suites to suit any décor. Prices for a bathtub start at £2000 and can go up to £9000 for what’s called an ‘overflowing bathtub’, which is sunk into a bigger tank in the floor. You leave the taps constantly running and the water overflows into the bigger tank and is drained away. However if a Kohler suite is a little out of your price range, the company does produce lower cost alternatives! Kohler designs are sleek and modern, with bowl washbasins set on top of wooden units, Jacuzzi baths and cistern-less toilets.

Copying the design is easy – standard whirlpool baths can cost as little as £300, or £600 for a corner bath. Freestanding washbasins and units start at £65 for the smallest, rising to £265 for a larger, rectangular design. If you really want to push the boat out, you can install a home spa with a home steam-massage cabin. The most luxurious of these could set you back over £10,000, but again, there are lower cost options starting at around £2000. Visit Bathroom Quoter for an instant online quote now.

2 – Wind down after a long day in the sauna
A home sauna is a perfectly viable option and instantly gives you that star quality. As well as the garden and portable saunas available, you can go for the added luxury of an indoor sauna. You don’t need as much extra space as you think – a sauna can be fitted into even the smallest home. Models start at just one metre square for a single-person sauna, but there are also saunas available which can accommodate up to four people. You can also have your sauna custom-made to fit into a particular space in your home, or to accommodate more people. Indoor home saunas start at just over £1000, but can range up to £3000 for larger models.

3 – Work it out
Having a celebrity pad isn’t all about relaxing – how do you think the stars stay looking so fabulous? A home gym is a must-have, and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Converting a room into a home gym couldn’t be easier – wood flooring and plain walls are all you really need, and then simply fill it with athletics equipment. If a gym is not for you, the other option is a fitness studio, with mirrored walls and a dance bar – really working out like a pop-star! To really give it that gym feel, a plasma screen on the wall will keep you entertained, and a stereo means you’ll actually have something to dance to! For a softer work-out, some celebrities are also installing what are known as ‘Pilates rooms’, which should be the ultimate relaxation space. Decorate in soft colours and accessorize with plenty of candles and soft furnishings.

4 – Let me entertain you!
The ultimate ostentatious addition to the average house would be a home cinema or bowling alley, but to a celebrity they are essentials. While a celebrity would have the entire theatre atmosphere in their home, complete with theatre seats, giant screen and popcorn machine, you don’t have to go quite that far to get the cinema experience! Home cinema systems start at £120 for a basic DVD and speaker system and go up to over £1000 for a full theatre package. Theatre screens can be bought for as little as £65 for a canvas screen, or you could go for a large – and expensive! – wall-mounted plasma. To complete the look, go for theatre-style recliners, which come in a variety of styles and colours. A group of three chairs costs about £3000, but one single theatre chair costs around £700. If you have the space, home bowling alleys can be easily installed for around £5000 for a single lane.

5 – Last orders at the bar please!
It’s amazing celebrities go out at all! No luxury home is complete without its very own bar. Bespoke home drinks bars can be built into almost any space and can be fitted with working pumps and optics, just like in a pub or nightclub. There are selected websites which will provide you with everything you need from a working bar to snooker tables, jukeboxes and barstools. A bespoke built bar complete with wood panelling will set you back around £3000 and working optic panel with four optics will cost upwards of £200.

If pool and snooker tables are your style, these can be expensive, but there’s all kinds of other things you can do. For around £4000 you can buy brightly coloured jukeboxes, while the classic arcade games will cost you around £2000. You can even keep the games coin operated, but this will costs you an extra £200.

Implementing just a few of these measures into your home will make it a talking point, and will really give you that celebrity feeling! Enjoy!

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.

5 Tips to consider before you begin planning a Garage Conversion

How to……………Get a Garage Conversion

A garage conversion could be the easiest and cheapest way to add a new room to your house, and increase the value of your property. If you are considering getting work done, here are five tips you must consider before you begin:

1 – Explore the possibilities
Even if you hadn’t considered a garage conversion before, think to yourself “how much do I actually use my garage?” If you think you could live without it, then there’s a huge amount of potential space in your house that isn’t being maximised. If your garage has just become a storage space for old wine bottles and bags of cement or lawnmowers, you could be wasting a great opportunity to extend the living space of your property and significantly increase its value. When it comes to deciding what you want the new room to be, the possibilities are enormous: a kitchen, a dining room, a bedroom, a home office, a TV/home cinema room, a playroom, or even a new bathroom. And remember, you can convert single, double, tandem, or detached garages into new rooms for your property.

2 – Check for permission
Make sure you contact your local council to find out if you need any permissions before work begins. Generally speaking, planning permission will not be required for a garage conversion as long as no additional volume is being added to the property, but some local councils (mostly in London) have different interpretations of regulations so it’s definitely worth checking!


3 – House deeds
Another potential stumbling block might be the deeds of your house. It’s sometimes the case – particularly on new housing estates – that developers put clauses into the sale of your house that prevent you from altering its appearance. This is basically so that they can sell the rest of the houses in your estate, so normally these restrictions are lifted once the selling process on the estate is over.

4 – Don’t forget insulation
Remember that your garage didn’t have any insulation, so the walls, floor and ceiling of the new room will need to be upgraded thermally. The company you choose to do the work will be able to achieve this to the required standards, but may not have included it in their original quote, so make sure you ask them about it first! If you are planning to turn your garage into a bathroom or kitchen, don’t forget to factor in the water or gas points into your budget, and remember that there are regulations concerning the placement of these points as well.

5 – Blend the new room in for maximum return
To add the maximum value onto your property, potential buyers need to think that the new room was always there, and it doesn’t look like a garage conversion. There are several methods you can use to achieve this: firstly, make sure the entrance to the new room goes onto the hallway in the same way as the rest of the house. Secondly, try to ensure the floor and ceiling of the new room is at the same level as the rest of your house – this can be tricky as many garages are set a step below. Finally, the room needs to look good from the outside too, so ensure the brickwork and window(s) you choose are consistent with the rest of the house.


When looking for firms to carry out work for you, the universal rule for all home improvement companies applies: make sure that you employ a reputable firm with a proven track record! http://www.garageconversionquoter.co.uk can help you choose your supplier.

elephant or radiator?

Decorating a room in 2007 is not restricted to choosing a different colour scheme. It can mean re-designing the entire room, fixtures and fittings included. Installing a new radiator would have been unthought-of a few years ago but because of the vast array of designer radiators on the market today together with ease of installation, effective and affordable heating solutions are now available to complement any room setting.

Choosing the right product, however, can be a difficult business. Many of the designer radiators and heated towel rails do not have the highest BTU output, therefore it is essential that you are fully aware of dimensions versus heat source, and can select accordingly. Multi-function radiators, with combined electric and central heating options are becoming increasingly popular and always worth considering. These provide an individual heating source in each room and can be controlled effortlessly, but the real consumer benefit is that in the warmer months a radiator can be switched on or off independently. Therefore the heated towel rail in the bathroom can be left on whilst other heat sources throughout the home can be turned off.

You can get an instant online quote for bathrooms at Bathroomquoter - click here to get an instant online quote.

All comment attributable to Neil Dent, Managing Director of www.boundarybathrooms.co.uk