Need a REALLY cheap but decent quality bathroom suite...

[JingleBellsJuliet]

I'm getting the bathroom done in the next few weeks and I need to get stuff ordered! I have a total budget of £500, including £200 for a plumber to fit it (a friend did offer to do it for free, but said it would take him 2-3 days and I don't have a second loo. Plumber comes recommended and said he'll have the toilet up and running the same day, bath within 24 hours). So that leaves me £400 for a suite, wastes, taps etc., which really isn't much!

A local company are offering a basic suite for £149 excluding taps. I've seen something that looks identical elsewhere for £400 - is there likely to be that much difference? Both have 10 year guarantees.

I'm also really rather fancying a vanity unit toilet/sink combo, which I've seen for £175 plus a bath from a local place for £59 (ex-display), so that's another option, but are there any issues with the back-to-wall type toilets?

Any recommendations would be greatly received! Really can't afford to go much higher in price, as I need to find the money from somewhere for the floor and tiles, but need to get it done ASAP as I have a silicone sealant filled hole in the bloody bath at the minute, and the toilet doesn't flush without the help of a plunger (note to self - check these things when buying next house!).

[wowfudge]

B&Q do cheap bathroom suites in a box that you can take away the same day. The plumber can probably get you a cheap suite from a plumber's merchant. Two possibilities.

[Greencheese]

I saw an advert for victorian plumbing . Co.uk today, their website looked quite promising, never heard of them before.

[Luckystar82]

Cheapest I have seen (came across in Ideal Homes mag) is the online website:

www.joyou.co.uk/en/?gclid=CMbssqezxsMCFe_JtAodlAcA1Q

These are made by the same group that makes upmarket Grohe - so should be ok quality wise.

Cheapest suite is the Porto - £275 for bath, toilet, sink and taps. Remember you may need to buy waste pipes etc, so could add up.

www.joyou.co.uk/en/?gclid=CMbssqezxsMCFe_JtAodlAcA1Q

I read some reviews online which said they were decent, plumber said ok to fit.

[Luckystar82]

Don't get the plumber to buy. He will put a mark up on the suite.

You can buy from some trade places yourself.

Screwfix is always an option.

[Luckystar82]

Good place for cheap tiles is Ton of Tiles. Recommended by other M'netters.

I like these:

www.tonsoftiles.co.uk/mini-metro-white-gloss-wall-tiles-7-5x15cm.html

[unlucky83]

Have you considered wet wall rather than tiles?
It isn't cheap but much easier to install than tiles (unless you are planning to do the tiling yourself ) would be less labour cost...
And I'm sure your friend could get the loo up and running on the same day too - unless you are planning on moving it ...
My dad and I put a new close coupled loo to replace an old fashioned one here -it took us about 4 hrs -but that included a 45 min trip to B&Q to get a different waste pipe join ...loo was only completely out of action for about 30 mins (although for a while both old then new loo would have needed flushing with a bucket of water rather than the a proper flush)
(and it was more complicated than a standard replacement because the previous loo had been put it in my previous owner who we call 'Mr Bodge-it - it had a 'concealed cistern' (was a normal cistern but installed behind a plasterboard wall in the eaves cupboard) so we had to extend water feed pipes, fit an isolator and couldn't use a flexible water feed... and then faff with the waste pipe - found when he had moved the loo forward he had messed up cutting the waste pipe...part of the reason it was being replaced was because it was leaking slightly at the join )

[SasherinSuite]

Thanks for the joyou tip. Looks good. We've bought from this place before and they're ok too.

[newgirl]

Bought ours in joyou and really impressed - fast delivery too

[Lovage]

We got our toilet from Wickes - it's part of their Portland range of basic bathroom things. It was about 1/5th the price of the one our builder wanted us to get. It's fine. A little bit smaller than average, but we knew that before we got it (dimensions clearly stated). I'd definitely go back to Wickes if I was doing a whole bathroom. E.g. Portland toilet £45, Portland washbasin £45, fancy P shaped shower bath thingummy £67. Actually, that's not quite as cheap as your local company. But I'd say go for a cheap suite as long as you like the look of it.

And yes, as other people said, buy it yourself to save money.

[Fugacity]

We had a new toilet, I think from B&Q or Wickes, which cost £75. You should be able to get three pieces plus taps for under £250.

[JingleBellsJuliet]

Right, I've found a package on eBay for £215 including delivery - it's a bath, bath panel, sink, toilet, basin taps, shower mixer bath taps and wastes. The same thing at Wickes would be about £240, or the cheap suite I found before (which I'd have to collect myself instead of having delivered) would be £149 plus taps, wastes and bath panel, so would work out at more like £225.

Am I likely to get it cheaper than £215 all in, or should I stop dithering now and just get it ordered??

[PigletJohn]

as long as you avoid expensive and troublesome fripperies like concealed cisterns, wall-hung WC pans and vanitory units, the suite can be cheap and simple. You will appreciate good-quality taps and wastes. I'd avoid ceramic (quarter-turn) taps, especially if you are watching the cost. My favourite taps are Bristan, occasionally you see them on clearance on ebay.

It is possible to paint the walls and postpone tiling.

Don't get pop-up wastes as they will leak.

Have you included a good extractor fan?

[PigletJohn]

I can't see how your ebay supplier can throw in a shower mixer at that price.

Have you got a combi boiler?

[JingleBellsJuliet]

No, I've got a boiler with a water tank, whatever that's called! No extractor fan, but I never close the bathroom door when I'm in the shower and I always leave the window cracked open so not too worried about damp.

This is the package I'm looking at:
m.ebay.co.uk/itm/281382942350?nav=SEARCH&varId=580412150989

[PigletJohn]

the bath appears to have a pop-up waste, which will leak; the WC cistern has a button on the lid, which I find unreliable, and the taps appear to be joystick ceramic disc types. Is the cold water in your bathroom also fed from the tank (i.e. if you put your thumb on the cold spout, can you easily stop the water coming out)?

sorry to piss on your chips.

[JingleBellsJuliet]

What do you mean by leak? As in leak water all over the floor?

At the minute I have a bath with pop up waste and a hole in the bath, a toilet which doesn't flush without the aid of a plunger, a crack in the cistern and a flush handle which just comes off in your hand, and taps that swivel completely around in the sink. Oh and drip down the back!

I have £400 maximum budget for everything including tiling, flooring etc. Can I get a better quality suite for this? I need to do something as its driving me insane!

[PigletJohn]

I mean drip every time you have a bath, as the hole where the rod goes through gets worn.

There might not be enough to come through the ceiling, but over time the floor will rot and the plaster underneath will stain, soften and bubble.

I would seriously go for plain white sanitaryware from any local chain, DIY shed or merchant, and the best taps you can afford. Look at the price of separates in case there are special offers. Measure the size of bath you need carefully. I prefer a major supplier to ebay for the suite. Try these but look on clearance White and chrome are very easy to match.

An all-in budget suite will not have good taps.

If you are strapped for cash I would leave the tiling for now, and put some sheet vinyl on the floor.

See if you like any of these taps I am reluctant to suggest any budget taps because they are not likely to be much good.

Get a normal-shaped WC unless you have a square arse and can afford high-priced replacement seats.

If buying taps separately, get a two (or one, or three) -hole basin to match

[JingleBellsJuliet]

Would something like this be ok? I really want a mixer shower thingy, as the electric shower I currently have is shit and really old!

[unlucky83]

I'm also not a fan of pop up wastes...
In current bathroom bath one was controlled by turning the overflow (so had a cable) -it failed and left me with a bath full of water trying to force up the 'plug' and it was a nice tight fit...hard to get anything down the side and against the weight of water really wasn't easy - after much faffing couldn't fix it (and the screw was seized in the waste - had to cut it off with a dremel) so had to replace it -so new overflow, waste etc - just glad it wasn't controlled from the taps or that would have meant more faff...replaced with a standard plug waste...(was also warned about metal plugs - apparently the o rings fail and can be hard to find ones the right fit or something...)
We still have one on the sink (whole sink is being replaced when there are 48hrs in the day ...) it periodically annoys me by popping up for no reason ...fill sink with water, cover face with soap. up pops waste - try and quickly rinse face/ stop all the water draining away with eyes closed - hate it!
Talking about value fittings etc - the loo I got was armitage shanks - about £100... contemplated a B&Q value one at about £50 but was warned certain parts weren't replaceable...eg if the diaphragm went you would need a whole new water inlet valve...
I have since discovered that armitage shanks have a very specific style/type of diaphragm - the ones you can get for £1.50ish don't fit - the correct ones come in a service kit, which costs £12. Or you could get a whole new good quality water inlet valve for £12...that take standard £1.50 diaphragms ....
And also agree with the get standard shapes etc - and plain styles - so if you do break something you can easily replace with something that more or less matches...

[PigletJohn]

Is the cold water in your bathroom also fed from the tank (i.e. if you put your thumb on the cold spout, can you easily stop the water coming out)?

[JingleBellsJuliet]

No it's just the hot water fed from the tank - does that make a difference?

Right, if I want a toilet that's not "push button" is there some phrase I should be searching for? I've put some wastes with plugs on watch on eBay so not pop up ones, and I'm still looking at taps.

Thank you, btw :)

[Pannacotta]

The bath shower mixer you linked to looks very basic with a small shower head for that price, I would shop around a bit if you are planning to use that as your main shower.

[PigletJohn]

so the hot water is low (tank) pressure and the cold is high (mains) pressure.

It will be difficult to balance the hot and cold to a comfortable temperature. There are a few expensive mixers that can do it. Avoid any "joystick" mixers. The type like the Bristan one you show, with two separate screw-down knobs, has the best chance of success. Bristan is a good brand and spares are readily available. The thin cross-shaped heads are fitted to their lower-priced contract taps.

It is possible to fit a pressure-balancing valve, I don't think I've seen one to take a 22mm pipe like your hot bath-tap will need, and one to reduce the cold might cost £25. I would be tempted to try without for now, but point out the problem to your plumber and see what he recommends. The best solution would be connect the bath tap to the cold-water tank in the loft, using a new 22mm pipe. This might be disruptive. Both these approaches are likely to be beyond your budget.

Be aware that, if the loft tank is only a couple of metres above the shower outlet, shower pressure will be very poor, but OK for hair-washing in the bath. It is possible to fit a shower pump, but that will also be outside your budget, and would need the new cold pipe to the tank. If you like showers, you could keep your electric one for now.

If you are having tiling done, keep a couple of boxes spare in case you upgrade the shower later.

[Pannacotta]

Sth like this is thermostatic which would be easier and nicer to use but it may not be great quality at that price
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THERMOSTATIC-DECK-MNTD-BATH-SHOWER-TAPS-OPTIONAL-RAIL-BRACKET-SHOWER-SET-168DS-/201017876899?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Bathroom_Shower_Units_PP&var=&hash=item2ecd9961a3

[PigletJohn]

that bar type of thermostatic mixer is for some reason not very reliable, but it would have difficulty coping with the unbalanced water pressures. There is quite a risk that the high-pressure cold would flow up the hot pipes and cause the tank to overflow (this is not a rare problem, hence my question).