New fixtures, new tub, and sleek countertops—your new bathroom will have them all! Simple follow a few simple tips in this article to realize your dream bathroom!

Planning

Renovating your bathroom can be a daunting and expensive task as it requires specialised trade services such as plumbing, tiling, and electrical work. Time, money and complexity are the biggest factors you’ll need to consider. To avoid cramping your bathroom, design a rough layout of your new bathroom by measuring the room's dimensions. A well-planned bathroom allows easy movement for the family members and ensures sufficient room for opening cabinets and storage. To get ideas, you could browse through a number of photographs and planning guides available online.

D.I.Y. versus Professional Renovators

The final analysis should be based on budget, function and style. Professional renovators can manage the entire renovation process for you, including organisation of all facets of the project for you from tile selection to the necessary trades. You could simply use their consultation services and track down the right tradesperson (such as plumbers, tile installers, painters and electricians) to do the job for you. If you are working within a limited budget and would like to make the changes yourself, read on to learn a few things about renovating your bathroom yourself.

Important Considerations

Budget

Plumbing: Unless the layout of your bathroom isn't wholly functional, try to keep the new fixtures in the same general location to minimize costs.

Focus: Try to single out a feature where your money is put to its best use. For example, you could replace an old vanity unit with a contemporary glass and wood vanity with wall-mounted faucets. To balance the cost of this expensive piece from the budget, you could select less expensive tub fixtures, floor and wall tiles.

Functionality

Whether the bathroom is shared by a couple or the whole family, a few functional tactics can help keep the bathroom from becoming a war room.

It can be quite helpful to employ the services of a professional designer to maximise use of space and fine-tune the layout. If you do not wish to go to this expense, remember the basic points of bathroom design — try to avoid the placement of the WC opposite the entry door, allow plenty of room for the shower-screen and entry doors to open freely, and allow plenty of space for storage.

Waterproofing – A Primer

Waterproofing prior to renovation of a bathroom is of vital importance. However, problems can arise in older homes, where some areas were not successfully waterproofed. You could either choose to remove tiles and waterproof and re-tile, or to waterproof with tiles in situ. Many different methods of overcoming other leakages are available, all with different applications and all with guarantees.

Cost efficiency and the extent of the problem should be the major factors in your final decision.

Storage: Vanity drawers allow more accessible storage than doors where items are hard to reach on deep shelves. You could also consider hanging a large, shallow pantry-style cabinet on an unused wall, and relocate your towel bar as a door handle if your wall space is limited.

Lighting: Lighting contrasts often make the space look bigger. Indirect glowing lights, also called coves, emit light through a hidden source to provide a soft, warm glow to the bathroom.

Mirror & Window: Warm fluorescent vertical wall sconces provide you with even lighting on your face—essential for applying cosmetics or shaving. In the daytime, keep dressings and blinds open to provide plenty of natural light.

Style & Decorating Trends

Three of the most popular styles – country, contemporary, and traditional – can be expressed through a bathroom's colours, fixtures, and fine details. However, you must be sure that you are comfortable with the chosen decoration style and that it corresponds with your overall perception of the house. The challenge of modern bathrooms is to create a simple and pared down space without making it look cold and sterile. You could incorporate some of these elements to add warmth to your new bathroom:

Wood & Natural Materials: Wood, with its unique qualities of warmth and colour, adds richness and quality to any bathroom.

Contrast & Texture: Bathrooms are typically filled with hard, shiny fixtures and surfaces. By introducing texture and contrasting materials, you can add visual interest and warmth to your new bathroom.

Common Pitfalls

You can avoid the following common bathroom renovation problems and pitfalls by simply planning ahead and consulting professional bathroom designers/tradespeople where appropriate.

Organising tradespeople in incorrect order. This results in skipped stages, revisits, extra work and costs.

Planning redesigns without taking into consideration crucial basics, such as cavity space, concrete walls/floors/ceilings, existing plumbing and circuitry, etc.

Buying fittings or fixtures without consulting the relevant trade professionals, thereby resulting in unsuitable choices.

Ray Dobson is the managing Director of WD Bathrooms based in Sheffield. For a wide range of bathroom suites see http://www.wdbathrooms.co.uk/acatalog/Bathroom_Suites.html Alternatively for a wide range of bathroom and shower fittings and further articles visit http://www.wdbathrooms.co.uk


 

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