New en-suite

[MabelsBeats]

Our en-suite bathroom is 11’1 x 10’5. It’s massively old-fashioned and I’d like to rip it out and start again.

Problem is, I have no idea where to start - what is stylish, which trades I’ll need and in what order, and what it all is likely to cost. Any help would be gratefully received!

At the moment there is a bath (with shower), a separate shower cubicle, loo and basin with storage cupboards.

Thanks in advance!

First of all, think about your non-negotiables. Obviously you need a loo and sink. And a radiator. Do you want a bathroom cabinet and extra storage or just a bathroom mirror? Do you want to replace the bath with a new one and have a shower over it or just have a walk in shower instead? Think about your showering/bathing preference and what else you have in the house. For example if your family bathroom also has a bath and that’s not in too much demand you might decide you can just have a shower instead in the en suite. On the other hand if you have a bath every day and have three teenagers sharing the family bathroom you’ll probably want to keep a bath in your en suite.

Once you’ve decided on the basic needs, think about what style you want. There are loads of photos on Pinterest or home decor websites. When you’ve got an idea of what you like you can start to look at prices.

There’s a couple of ways you can go re sourcing your sanitary ware and tradespeople. If you know of a good plumber (best thing is to go with a recommendation where you’re viewed the finished work) you could start there and ask if they have a trade discount at any of the suppliers. Most of them do and they will usually order it for you to arrive at the right time. Or you can go into a showroom to see what you want and order it. You can try the large chain diy shops such as b&q but their quality is often low or you could try a specialist supplier (often on a trading estate). Don’t rule out a local independent supplier with a shop/small showroom. Some are v expensive but we had one in our village which had a great selection at a good range of prices and access to lots of different suppliers. Often a local independent will have plumbers they recommend. You pay the plumber direct but they are known to the shop and so posssibly a better option if you otherwise haven’t had a recommendation from a friend. A local supplier is often knowledgeable about dos and don’ts and you can ask all your little questions to them. They will help you with the layout as they have CAD tools. The loo usually has to stay more or less where it is due to the soil stack, but some things can be moved if you want a better layout.

Lots of plumbers will do the whole job for you including tiling, or if they don’t do tiling they have a colleague who they will subcontract to do it at the right time in the work stream. You will also need to think about flooring (do you want tiles, laminate or vinyl?) and tiles. There are lots of tile warehouses on trading estates and they will often let you take samples home to try. This is worth doing as the lighting in your room affects the look of the tile. For example I had my heart set on a navy tile in the shower area but when it was in situ it looked black because the room is quite small and it looked gloomy not chic! We went for a much lighter tile in the end and added some colour by only having the wet areas tiled and painting the rest.

I would say the most important part of the process is choosing a good plumber. If you do that they will manage the whole thing for you and if you need anyone else to do part of the work they will tell you when that needs to be. The chances are they will have a good contact themselves. They will also be able to tell you good suppliers within your budget.

Good luck!

This is hugely helpful, thank you so much!!!

I also meant to say re style that you tend to have bathroom for a long time so choose things that won’t date quickly. We’ve just had a new shower room from scratch and went for white sanitary ware, a shower cubicle with as few nooks and crannies as possible (so v simple lines) as fiddly bits are harder to clean and we live in a hard water area so limescale build up is an issue. We also chose a sink with a vanity unit underneath to keep it all clutter free. We asked our plumber to put a recessed shelf in the shower so we don’t have to add a stick on basket for shower gel etc as it’s neater like that. We also went for a chrome towel radiator, the biggest that would look ok in our room so we have plenty of room for our drying towels. We haven’t got room for much other storage but I’m fine with that as our family bathroom has loads of storage so I keep all the clean towels in tc in there. Colour-wise we went for white metro tiles in the wet areas, a greyish wood effect laminate (you have to make sure the laminate is suitable for a bathroom) and have painted the two plastered walls a darkish olive green to give it a bit of a pop. I will accessorise with a couple of plants and wood or wicker for baskets. I try to keep a bathroom as clear as possible as they get dusty really quickly.

this may help you visualise @MabelsBeats

I think that I'd not worry about it dating, if you live it then you'll like it for years. Buy the best quality you can, better to have an expensive statement bathroom than a cheap 'neutral and timeless' one because you can pretty much guarantee rhe cheaper version shall age sooner.

We have just done an en-suite. Things I found out. Gold coloured features eg. taps, shower, shower enclosure are way more expensive than silver coloured. (Perhaps obvious - but I was stunned by how much difference!) Spend more money on fewer tiles (as in just tile a small area) with the most fancy tiles you can afford. And having taps and shower with hidden pipe work is more expensive for the actual items (the shower and taps) but also plumber charges for the extra time of fitting them over the bog standard. They do look much better though! Decide what bits you want to go luxe on and what is important for a splurge and where else you can save.

I agree with what Countrygirl said up thread. We've just renovated and had multiple bathrooms to fit out. We were renovating an entire, derelict poperty though, not just an en-suite, so I can't comment on prices just for that.

Of the 20+ trades we had overall, it was only plumbers we had issues with. Maybe we were just unlucky? The first one started the job then realised it was too complex and large for him. The next did the plumbing work- but refused to install the shower screen and certain parts of the bathroom! Our carpenter was brilliant and did it for us. Check with your plumber what they will/won't install.

Initially we looked at topps tiles, B&Q and other high street places for tiles before finding a local bathroom/tile store. The service was brilliant. They came out to measure, gave us samples to bring home and recommended a tiler. He too was brilliant. He said that some of the cheaper tiles from high street stores aren't square and also not always flat. Plus that can shatter more often, so alot more waste than spending a bit more on tiles.

We went for comfort height, rimless, back to wall toilets. Our sinks were ROK brand and taps GROHN.