What you wished you had known when you designed/replaced your bathroom(s) and clever gimmicks

[2020again]

For the first time ever I have the opportunity to re-do bathrooms in a house and looking for input. What are the things that you wish you had considered when you designed a bathroom or things you got wrong? Are there any gimmicks nowadays that people don’t know about - I am thinking of the thermostats that allow you to turn the shower on and get up to set temperature before you get in but am sure there are others. One bathroom will have separate shower cubicle and bath and the other just shower cubicle both plus toilets and sinks of course. Any ideas welcome.

Don’t put the shower controls at the back of the shower cubicle. Put them on the side so you don’t get an arm of cold water turning the shower on.

I think it looks better when all the bathrooms in a home have the same tiles. It just flows a lot better for Interior home design imo. In the future if you needed to sell I think it looks better to potential buyers because there’s a theme running through.

Square toilets are rubbish to clean and uncomfortable for small children.

Waterfall taps are very high maintenance if you're in a vaguely hard water area.

DH’s friend had a laundry chute put in his bathroom, it leads to a cupboard in his utility room, so no carrying dirty clothes downstairs.

If you are sharing a bathroom try to fit in 2 basins if you have space. Feels more luxurious and is more practical.

Loo / sink off the floor for easier cleaning....

We have a bath filler that fits in the overflow, it's one of the things I'm most pleased we went for. So nice not having taps on the bath edge

Bidet shower. Those squeezy shower attachments beside the loo that you get in Asian countries. So much nicer than loo paper alone.

If you have a big enough shower then make a wide ledge/bench type thing to sit on when scrubbing feet, shaving legs etc

Make sure you can puke into the sink while sitting on the loo.

Go for the board things instead of tiles,no grout cleaning.

We did our bathrooms a couple of years ago.

underfloor heating
recessed shelves in showers for shampoo etc.
Double shower heads - one overhead and one handheld
Safety bars put in - we had ours double as the handheld shower holder
Toilet roll holders that just flip up - don't require unscrewing or squeezing together etc.

As much storage as possible - we have a linen cupboard and two undersink cabinets with pull out shelves in our bathroom and similar in the other.
Really nice medicine/mirrored cabinets. We paid a bit more for the ones in our bathroom and they are so much nicer that the one in the family bathroom.

Fabulous comments from all - thanks so much

AWholeLottaRosie that laundry chute idea wont work for us but is GENIUS

murmurgam what type of "bath filler" - does it just come straight out of the wall? or out of the side of the bath?

Loveatortie what do you mean by board things? Do you mean the sheet plastic in side shower cubicles?

pallisers safety bar for what?

Thank you

This sort of thing, it fits in the overflow hole and then can be controlled by a wall mounted control

@BathTangle

If you are sharing a bathroom try to fit in 2 basins if you have space. Feels more luxurious and is more practical.

I've seen this when visiting friends abroad. I'm married to someone I met in my teens, so not a new relationship, but am I the only one who would feel suffocated sharing a bathroom? It is bad enough when kids are at the clingy phase but at least you get to do your evening ablutions in peace! We do share a bathroom, but in the turn taking sense, not simultaneously!

Heated mirror - you can look in it after a steamy shower and still do hair / make up

Also - put your toothbrush charger socket low down so you don’t have a random wire halfway up your wall

no mosaic tiles in shower.
tank/aquabord the whole bathroom especially if you have wooden beams.
get the longer hose for the shower.
powerful extractor fan.

Put a water softner in the house - no lime scale to clean up in the bathroom. Have a walk-in shower if you can - much easier to clean than sliding doors.

@HelenUrth

Bidet shower. Those squeezy shower attachments beside the loo that you get in Asian countries. So much nicer than loo paper alone.

Or just a bidet style toilet like I have. Life-changing

@emwithme

Make sure you can puke into the sink while sitting on the loo.

Brilliant!!!

Don’t get one of those fancy sinks that is flat bottomed and therefore doesn’t really drain properly. Nothing like toothpastey water to ruin the look of a bathroom!

Mirrored cabinet above the basin that is heated, has lighting and socket for charger.

I also have the bath filler from the overflow, it looks really neat.

Check the size of a shower cubicle - ie; actually get inside it, we had one fitted that is really quite 'snug' once you are inside .