How To Plan For A Bathroom Renovation

 

The trick to making the redesign of this bustling space successful is to plan carefully, both in terms of setting out exactly what you want out of the space and knowing what to ask your designer. In Part 1 of our Bathroom Planning Guide, three professionals answer the top questions about designing your current bathroom. Read on for details, and follow along to articles covering every aspect of your bathroom remodel project.

What do I want in the bathroom from a functional perspective?

Think through key elements as a starting point, Cat Hoad suggests. "Do you absolutely need a bath, or do you not necessarily need one as long as you have got a nice shower? Is the bidet or Japanese-style toilet a must-have? Is having lots of linen closets or simply an affordable space to store toiletries crucial?" she says.

If you are going for showers, what kind of design you want is something you should evaluate at an early stage as well. Do you fancy the shower-room style, with the flat floor, or do you prefer a lower shower tray or cubicle. A wetroom style is often an option, but bear in mind that this is expensive and disruptive.

If you are going for showers, what kind of design you want is something you should evaluate at an early stage as well. Do you fancy the shower-room style, with the flat floor, or do you prefer a lower shower tray or cubicle. A wetroom style is often an option, but bear in mind that this is expensive and disruptive.

"Another thing to consider with an open-air shower," she added, "is you are going to be feeling cold air coming out of the bath, and should plan for your heat accordingly."

How would I like that to feel?

Function is of course paramount, but it is also about what you want your bathroom to look like. Think about whether you would like it to be a relaxing space or quick-fix area, as well as what kind of appearance you are going for, be it contemporary or traditional.

Try making a moodboard with styles, materials, and colours, so you can get an idea of what works for you overall, and make it easier to communicate your vision to your designer.

"Look through photos on Houzz, and create a vision board of things that appeal - and do not appeal!. – to show your designer,” Sara Levy suggests. "Be specific with photos, and circle items from the photo that appeal to you, like taps or bathtub shapes."

"You do not have to go by trends," he added. "Choose items that feel right for your space. A designer contractor can help with wall coverings and unique floor plans, color palettes, fixtures, faucet shapes, tub sizes, and finishes.

Can I alter the layout, or is changing plumbing too expensive or disruptive?

"A bathroom designer will determine whether changing the layout is possible," says Sarah. "For example, you might not be able to change a bathtub to a lower-level shower tray -- this depends on the underlying plumbing, which you will not know sometimes until you have looked under an existing bathtub panel. Usually, though, you can lift up a shower tray by one little step [as in this case] so that you get an adequate gradient into your waste."

Cat added: "To a certain extent, the degree to which you can alter your layout depends on whether you are living in a house or flat, the way you have built the structure (wooden joiste floors or concrete solid slabs), where your existing ground pipes are, and whether you are financially and practically capable of moving them."

Certainly, it is worth exploring whether moving elements would enhance your bathrooms flow and function. If you are paying a designer to take a look at a space, it is probably worth asking him or her to think about whether there are any other layouts that might work, even if you think there would not be," says Cat. "Often we can find room using previously enclosed walls, or borrowing from an adjoining unused space to add variation."

What type of lighting is best for the bathroom?

Bathroom lights can be difficult because you have to get them to an IP [Ingress Protection] rating," says Emma Murry. "As a rule of thumb, you need to think, If I could physically slosh it with water, then it needs to be an IP-rated light. As we usually have smaller bathrooms in Britain, I would always say sealed lights because of steam and humidity." 

She continued: "If the space is a premium, lighting inside a cabinet on the wall, or in the form of a smart mirror, is a valid solution for that. "I often also find great alternatives for bathroom lights within the outdoor lighting section."

Think about having a variety of lights to suit a variety of moods. "If your budget allows, have more than one lighting loop," says Sarah. "We usually use a low-level, sensor-driven nightlight, so we do not have to switch on our main lights at night."

While the electrics are being fitted, consider including a shaving socket for charging an electric toothbrush, she added. 

What kind of heater should I get?

As the floors in your bathrooms are probably cool, solid surfaces, underfloor heating is a consideration, but Kat suggests pairing this up with towel radiators. 

"Ideally, you would want piped underfloor heating [wet], but for smaller spaces, an electrically heated one [dry] with a good control system could work just fine," he says. "We would almost always recommend a kind of dual-fuel radiator/towel rail as well, so it is heated from the central heating in months when it is on, but has the immersion/electric heat option as well, so you can dry your towels in the summer months, too."

What about storage?

"It goes without saying, but the key to keeping your freshly-minted bath looking smart is having some good storage, so consider what you want to store there: laundry and towels, or simply toiletries? And do not discount that the space is too small for a lot of stuff before talking with your designer, because they may be able to find places to fit it.

"Storage for your cleaning supplies, toilet rolls, and toiletries could go underneath your sink, beside or above the toilet area, even behind your tub surround," says Sarah. "Think also of any personal items that you may wish to store. For instance, recently, we built a little cabinet that has heaters for a clients swim trunks only.

Cat says: "We like to maximize the storage space in every room where there is been boxing to hide pipes and such. You can get pretty cheap, off-the-shelf, stand-alone cupboards, but, for a fancier option that makes the most of every inch of space, there is Bespoke Storage Design."

How much of an interruption is likely?

Cat says, "Disruption is going to be bigger than you would imagine. Unless it is a really easy, similar-to-like substitute, expect to have it down to a couple weeks at the bare minimum."

"Even if a builder is working on just one small bathroom, a range of different trades (plumber, electrician, decorator, tiler) will be involved, and will need somewhere (almost certainly not the bathroom) to stash tools and materials (i.e., a bathtub and/or shower surround) until the room is ready to be fitted", she says.

"Even if a builder is working on just one small bathroom, a range of different trades (plumber, electrician, decorator, tiler) will be involved, and will need somewhere (almost certainly not the bathroom) to stash tools and materials (i.e., a bathtub and/or shower surround) until the room is ready to be fitted", she says.

How do I calculate this, and split up the budget?

All of our experts agree the key is to make a list of everything that you are going to need -- and maybe even want.

You need to take into account builders costs for any re-configurations, electrical, plumbing, tiling and decorating, as well as sanitaryware costs, says Kat. "And not forget about tiles, storage units and accessories like a toilet roll stand and a shower tray."

"I would advise creating a spreadsheet," says Emma. "List each and every thing, floor to ceiling -- it is exhausting, but I promise, it will pay dividends. The average bath that I create [usually] costs between £5,000 and £8,000 in products including tiles, and another £6,000 and £8,000 in installation, depending on the choice of tiles."

"I would always make sure that your boiler is compatible with the new bathroom products that you are hoping to have installed", she added. "If you are considering [wet] floor heating, that too would need a larger-capacity boiler. If you have to update your boiler, that is going to have a significant impact on your budget."

Sarah mentioned that if the water pressure is not high enough to fit the large showerhead, but you are really keen on having it, you could have the builder add a pump, but that would also affect your budget.

Sara also points out how important it is to incorporate the least obvious elements. "Make sure that the estimate for the installation is detailed and written, including materials used. Also verify that it includes steps like securing walls and flooring with mats and/or rubber, as well as grading your floors so that tiles will not crack in the future," she says.

"Make sure also that you include room for demolition and debris removal," she adds, "as well as contingencies for problems that might occur or items that you may wish to add after you begin the project."

As bathrooms become more of a 'refuge', you might also want to incorporate a bit of technology, like, Cat suggests, a TV or smart system including lighting, music, and remote-controlled window treatments, so also consider those as you are planning your budget.