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Original poster

Bathroom lessons learned? Also any advice on this in particular?

59 replies

Coldhandscoldheart · 07/10/2017 21:42

I’ve seen the kitchen thread & think a similar bathroom one could be handy if anyone wanted to contribute I’d certainly be grateful.

We had planned to redo our bathroom, but it’s become a bit more urgent since tiles started falling off & wet rot became apparent.

Any ideas what sort of budget we might be considering including replacing at least some of the floorboards? Anywhere we could save?
It is a very very tiny bathroom.

Am having the clenchy horrors how expensive this might turn out to be whilst on mat leave.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
wheresmyphone · 08/10/2017 00:03

If it is Small wallhang everything! Toilet sink, loo brush etc. The more floor you can see the bigger it will feel. And if a shower try and hang same tiles throughout on floor. And generally have biggest tile you can afford. Bigger makes small discs seem smaller.

GreenTulips · 08/10/2017 00:07

Shop online and shop around
Get builders to quote so plumbers and trades are there for 'just their bit'

We did ours for £3K

Included flooring plastering plaster board shower bath sink mirror radiator wall hung bath taps decoration etc

But we had another bathroom and did it bit by bit - you may have to get a one week job in

somewhereovertherain · 08/10/2017 12:48

Ours was £5k that’s from brick. Included expensive tiles and extras such as a led mirror.

Original poster
Coldhandscoldheart · 09/10/2017 04:23

Oh, @somewhereovertgerain that’s helpful, as that’s the level we’re looking at. We’ve done a rough pricing for goods which I will try to refine today. That’s about £1500 so far, it adds up fast!
I have found a couple of local tradesmen, and requested quotes, so we shall see.

What sort of storage have you chosen, and if you have a shower/bath what do you have to put bottles & soap on?

I’m also going to price up a more expensive option with a freestanding bath for fun, but I need to work out if we can get a shower over it.

OP posts:
IamDBCooper · 09/10/2017 04:47

We have a freestanding shower bath in our tiny bathroom and it’s great! Huge, deep and looks the part.

Original poster
Coldhandscoldheart · 09/10/2017 08:48

Marvellous! How do you stop the water going everywhere? I’m thinking an oval shower curtain rail, but DH is a splashy fucker & I’m having visions of floor flooding.
It’s also going to be really wee, a 1400 bath
Also where do you put your bottles?
I have found a thread about inset shelves, one person says theirs is great and they never have to clean it, and everyone else says they’re terrible & dont.

I can’t find a decent room planner app which is frustrating, but may see if I can find some squared paper to draw out plans on.
.

OP posts:
JoJoSM2 · 09/10/2017 09:07

For storage, I’d recommend a vanity unit with drawers. Out of the fairly budget ones, Ikea are the best. Their washbasins and plumbing are designed to use very little space so you get more storage.

Looking at the picture, we’ve got the same storage set up but our styling is different. In Ikea, the units come without the grey decor + we chose different handles. We have recessed the wall unit as well so that it doesn’t stick it too much.

My recommendation would be for a big washbasin or even 2 if you have the space. Much easier to use.

Bathroom lessons learned? Also any advice on this in particular?
IamDBCooper · 09/10/2017 10:05

It’s one that is sealed to the wall on the shower side so we have a normal shower curtain on a nice L shape rail.

IamDBCooper · 09/10/2017 10:06

It’s still called a freestanding bath though. I think bathstores do a similar one to ours cake Cambridge shower bath

IamDBCooper · 09/10/2017 10:06

Cake should be called

cloughie100 · 09/10/2017 10:21

if possible the inset shelf should be angled slightly forward so that the water doesnt pool at the back of the shelf and it's easier to clean.

Cruciatus · 09/10/2017 10:23

Have a heated towel rail and make being easy to clean a priority

meg54 · 09/10/2017 11:18

Check out all your local showrooms/Diy stores for display clearances. And register with bathroom companies online for discounts. Your plumber will also have access to trade discounts.
First chance you can, check under the floorboards to make sure the joists are sound.

whome69 · 09/10/2017 13:25

Ours was between 4-5k but depends on the kit you buy to go in it. Generally if you are not moving things about and having especially hard to manage tiling patterns its not as expensive as you would think. Our bathroom 7ft by 7ft

AGapInTheMarket · 09/10/2017 13:29

Do not buy the last 3m of funky feature wall tiles in the shop. You WILL drop a box and you WILL need to rethink your whole design.

Original poster
Coldhandscoldheart · 09/10/2017 15:37

@AGapInTheMarket that’s exactly the sort of reminder i need!

I managed to escape the baby for a quick poke about and I actually think the joist is sound which is a relief, but I’m not counting my chickens yet.

I have lifted the vinyl & there is (heaves) a somewhat whiffy, widdly area by the loo. We’ve only been here a couple of months, so I don’t think it’s ours. Will this require a whole new board or should I start scrubbing/sanding?

OP posts:
MorrisZapp · 09/10/2017 15:39

We have a heated towel rail but it doesn't replace a radiator. Even though we too have a tiny bathroom it really does need a radiator.

IamDBCooper · 09/10/2017 15:57

We have a heated towel rail and it’s fine as a radiator. Room is too hot sometimes. Our room is very small though only wide enough for bath and toilet next to each other and sink at end of bath.

PetraDelphiki · 09/10/2017 16:04

Lesson learned the hard way...even if you can see the stop tap/tap in road...make sure you actually can turn the water off before you start...our meter tap was concreted in place in a non visible way so we had presumed it would work...it didn't!!

johnd2 · 09/10/2017 16:05

The output of a heated towel rail is less than the same size radiator due to it being shiny and not the ideal shape eg no fins. This is worse if it's covered by towels.
However as long as you know the heat loss of your room, you can calculate the towel rail plus any radiator needs. You might even get extra heat from the room below or airing cupboard or pipes in the floor.
Generally an old house would need an extra radiator or other heat source, a house built in the last couple of decades or well insulated otherwise would do ok with just a towel rail.

johnd2 · 09/10/2017 16:07

@petrad if your stop trap doesn't work, you can quickly get a replacement by asking for a water meter. We did that and they came the next day and we have a built in one under the drive now.
However it does have the side effect of giving you a water meter!

fialor · 09/10/2017 16:11

Coldhadscoldheart, this is probably left field for you but have you considered a wetroom?
You can hang the loo, sink, a tall towel rack that will take multiples.
I did ours for under 3.5k and with a rain shower head.
And it's awesome.
All the best whatever you choose.

PetraDelphiki · 09/10/2017 16:22

We have a meter - it's that that wouldn't turn! Thankfully water people looked at it on one day and got it fixed the next...nightmare tho!

reetgood · 09/10/2017 16:26

Things I learned:

Make a little plan of the room on paper, then make little paper shapes of appliances. Shuffle round to check layouts. Our bathroom was the typical semi detached 2m2 so good use of space was essential!

  • we bought from a variety of outlets. I fell in love with a particular tile that was £40m2 . I researched and found out that another retailer stocked a very similar line from the same manufacturer for £30m2. I waited for the sale and got for £23m2. Still a splurge, you can get much cheaper but I loved it. We tiled around the shower and behind the sink. I could happily have tiled more, but was happy to have less of more pricy tile. We have a little niche in the shower for shampoo etc. Looks great and don't find that hard to clean.

Yes to vanity units. Took ages to find one I liked though. Ikea ended up being best bet for that.

We spent £5.2k. The bathroom had previously been covered in wood panelling, including behind the shower (?). There had also been a leaking cistern when the house was empty. We ended up being pretty fortunate in that floor was fine. Some of the wall got taken back to brick, so they boarded and skimmed. We could have done for less if I hadn't gone for such pricy tiles, and electric underfloor heating (I like tiled floors, hate cold feet).

We spent:

£973 on paint, bath, bath panel, taps, screen, vanity and sink. Got loo and towel radiator surplus from sibling who was refurbing at same time which saved us £200 or so
£482 on tiles (like i said, this was a splurge!)
£3800 for builders which included fittings etc, underfloor heating kit, demo and removal.

Up to this point we'd done the smaller bits of diy ourselves. I can't say how amazing it was to have someone turn up, do work and tidy up! We did some demo but much of the work was beyond our skill or keenness :) and it got done in a week. I wish I had the budget to pay people to do diy all the time (last month has been lifting floors and installing hardboard in prep for new floor)

PetraDelphiki · 09/10/2017 16:28

Oh and check bath volume...similar outer dimensions can have very different volumes!