If you were thinking of renovating your bathroom what would you do differently?

[Rescue2024]

Looking for ideas of things to look out for and things to avoid. I’m in two minds of half tiling or full with big tiles.

we have dark grout in the kitchen so I’m thinking the same and if -lasts in the bathroom is a bit too retro.

Wish I'd got mixer taps on both the bath and sink. Ended up getting them replaced also don't get sink and bath plugs with chains, they break so easily, go for push down/pop up ones instead.

I agree with everything @MikeRafone said but would add underfloor heating, dual fuel towel rail and the controls for the shower near the entrance to the shower rather than at the back of the cubicle. Also if you are having a free standing bath make sure there is space to access all around it for cleaning!!

Also don't get an extractor fan where you can see the fan, it's an absolute dust trap and you'll look at it every time you have a wee and think "I must clean that..."

I inherited the bathroom when I bought my house. It's oldish anyway but also needs a complete redesign and I am saving up to replace it.

I will think very carefully about how I actually, physically use the space. I want to make it much more comfortable and practical to move around in.

There's always something in the way to bash yourself against or have to contort yourself around: the placement of the shower head, the angle of the hinged shower door, glass shelves next to the bath, bath taps in the middle of the long edge, an inaccessible towel rail.

It's a P shape bath which I like but is almost square inside with no gradients so takes loads of water to fill. I like bathing in my dm's corner bath with inbuilt seat.

I really miss underfloor heating, we had it in our last bathroom and it was lush in thd winter. Our cats loved it too😂

Id say the opposite to this. I have switched all my crappy pop up/twist up wastes back to the old fashioned plugs on chains! So much easier to sort out if they do break

If you are taking the room back to the walls & have an old house consider taking the opportunity to fit an extra layer of insulation, we've definitely noticed the difference. But I still insisted on a heated towel rail and a tall radiator, I hate a cold bathroom but couldn't afford underfloor heating.

I dislike fully tiled walls, it just looks so cold to me.

We used acrylic panels for the wall, they are a big statement but we love them.
Botanic panels
And a deep soaking tub.

I agree, plugs and chains every time. The pop-up things are rubbish.

I put my washing machine in my bathroom and it does make life so much easier. No lugging clean and dirty washing down and up the stairs to and from the utility room. I only need to carry it down if I am hanging it outside rather than using the dryer. I get undressed in the bathroom and throw my dirty clothes straight in the machine.

We've got one untiled wall, it keeps getting mouldy.

Wish we'd got a towel rail that we could switch on independently of the central heating.

Not used shiny white tiles on floor - they never look clean.

Not put all the workings of the shower behind the tiles....it'll be a bugger if they break.

I have a couple of questions. Are the tile sheets as good as tiles in terms of providing a waterproof surface or do you have to prep the wall differently?
Also those with dark grout, do you not worry that the mould is still there you just can’t see it?

My bathroom is fully tiled and I'd take some of them out. It's a teeny tiny room, so it sounds like a public toilet all the time because the tiles bounce the sound around, and also - I can't ring the changes with decor! I keep seeing all these interiors magazines telling me to paint this and that or use statement paper on one wall - and I can't. It's literally tiles all the way to the ceiling.

I suppose I could paint the ceiling...(not going to). But I'd dearly like just one stretch of wall to put pictures up on or to paint a new colour or something. There's only so much 'refreshing a room' you can do when literally all you can do is change the colour of the towels and hang a new shower curtain.

Things we did I'm super glad about:
P-shaped bath (with sloping back) so its lovely for both bath and shower
Tiled all walls (it's a small bathroom though so not sure it works as well in a big bathroom).
Added shelves (the tiler put them up for us) for added storage space
Underfloor heating.

Things I wish I'd done:
Put the taps in the middle - although there's no slope in the P section of the bath, it would be helpful not to have the taps there eg when bathing with the DC when they were small.
I would have LOVED space for recessed shelving in the bath/shower but not big enough room. The shelves I had put up help a bit, but not as much as I like.

We have fibre optic lights in the ceiling above the bath - means I can have a bath under the "stars". Was really cheap to do - just drilling tiny holes and poking them through. Makes bath time very relaxing.

we're currently renovating but bathrooms are almost complete and now I'm stressing about the fact that I've fully tiled one of them!!

Things we've gone for though:

• wetrooms to avoid any shower curtains or moveable shower doors or screens
• underfloor heating (though no heated towel rail which I hope won't be a mistake)
• recessed shelving
• shower controls at entrance to shower
• mirrors that light up and demist

we repurposed the old bath because its a great bath for small children and controls are in the middle. Not doing our en suite yet because we've run out of money but it will have a soaking tub instead of a normal bath and I'm hoping to microcement the whole room

oooooh stealing this

I hate my p shape bath. It's to narrow to lay in comfy and the twisty overflow for the popup plug is always coming loose.

We've just finished renovating. Too early to notice anything we missed, but things we did:

• Large tiles, less grout to clean
• Back to wall toilets, so easy to clean underneath. I also had them placed at 'comfort' height. Only a few cm's higher and not noticeable to look at, but much easier to sit on and get up from if anyone has a dodgy knee/hip or might do in the future
• A mirrored wall cabinet with a plug socket. Just check whether the socket is right at the top of the cabinet, or near the base. Some things you want to charge might be too large to fit on the very top shelf, and the cord doesn't reach from the bottom to the top
• Consider a water softner. We no longer have speckled marks all over the shower screen and mirrors, so much easier to clean.

Wet room, wet room, wet room.

Placemarking as am in the midst of planning a new bathroom.

How does brushed brass do with cleaning/water marks etc in people's experience?

We’ve just had brushed bronze put in. I love it and a quick wipe makes them look good again so far.

Check the height of your toilet. Comfort height good if you have dodgy knees or hips, not if you are only 5feet tall.

We inherited a bathroom which is very square, so corners that don't drain properly/ dust gets caught in. Cupboards come out at different depths. Fixed shower ridiculously high. Tiny towel rail that doesn't hold sufficient towels or heat the room. The worst is that the taps are flat on top and even though I've become an obsessive squeejeer, i spend an inordinate amount of time buffing them because water collects on top of them and doesn't drain. I think my bathroom was designed by a 6 foot bloke who never had to clean it or wrangle toddlers in the bath.

Also, we already have higher toilets than other countries and apparently this is why we also have a higher incidence of piles. It is said that lower toilets so that you are in more of a squat position allows the pelvic floor to relax making bowel movements easier. I might not go lower than our norm but I certainly wouldn’t want to go any higher.

Well, this is a useful thread as I'm about to redo my manky bathroom. I want to replace my bath with a large walk in shower, retile, and if possible replace the sink and toilet.

Is there any chance of doing this for £5k, in London? Or is that fantasy land?

Also, I know I want a large shower tray where the bath is, not a wet room. All the showers I've seen are wet room style, though - very low sides. Is this likely to be a problem with two long haired teenage girls who will likely constantly clog the drain? Ideally I'd like something chunky and vintage-looking, like the old swimming pool troughs full of purple antiseptic! Do these exist?

@ItRainsItPours I completely agree that sitting in a squatting position is better for bowel health. Not everyone can get into a squat position though, and comfort height toilets have a place for many. Those that need to raise their feet/have constipation should get a squatty potty.