Bathroom Layout - Help! (with diagram)

[SlightlyJaded]

Help me Oh Designy Mumnsetters

With everything shut, my plan of getting a bathroom showroom place to plan my bathroom has fallen through, and I am having to buy things I can't touch or see online which I'm finding really stressful. But to keep on top of the build schedule, I need to confirm layout by Monday. Is anyone any good at this kind of stuff that would be kind enough to suggest the best layout? I need: A large shower (ideally 1800/90 if possible), a freestanding bath (around 1700) a loo and a decent sized sink area that allows for some surface with side of the basin - so either a basin on a countertop or a basin set in a countertop of vanity unit that has usable space either side. And somewhere - a duel fuel heated towel rail. It's not a massive bathroom and I can't seem to make it all fit.

REALLY rough not-to-scale drawing attached. Any suggestions gratefully received. Only caveat is I'd rather not open the door straight onto the loo if possible.

My DD has a similar sized ensuite to yours and has this ‘orbit’ bath in hers which allows space for a large shower. It looks much nicer in real life.
www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/orbit-corner-modern-free-standing-bath-1270-x-1270mm

Bathstore are defunct! There are plenty of decent manufacturers out there. You can look at Laufen, Duravit, Rak, Roca, Kaldewei and many others depending on budget. Victoria Plumbing also stock Gerberut, Grohe and Hansgrohe as well as Bristan and others. Plenty of decent makes there.

Some of the pictures of baths and showers above show expensive installations and any egg shapes bath worth having is several thousand £. So what’s the budget? Having a shower right next to the bath isn’t a cheap installation and the drainage is expensive too. Looks good if you are not paying for it!

Also a 600 x600 corner shower is weeny. Stick to 1400. You don’t need 1700 for a shower though. You don’t lie down in it! Your big decision is whether to have a door or not or whether you have a “floor” tray or a raised one. I don’t think you can have a freestanding huge egg bath at one end of the room if you want a decent shower.

https://www.plumbhub.co.uk/search?type=product&q=Vanity+unit*&page=6

We are ordering ours from here. I did look at Victoria Plum, but we used these last time and were pleased with what we got.

We have a 1500x800 walk in shower downstairs between two walls with one glass screen of 1000 and it works brilliantly.

The one we are doing now will be 1200x900 with glass on the side, two walls and the bath at the end with tiled sides.

In DDs ensuite the shower unit is 1200x900 which is a decent size. You definitely do not want a 600 one. We got a few things from ‘soak’ like shower panels & wall hung units that are absolutely fine but bought better quality taps. We also used ‘plumbworld’ and ‘Victorian Plumbing’ for other bits and bobs. No problems from anywhere. I recall a loo being cracked from ‘soak’ but they sent a replacement immediately.

Recommend using tape on the floor to make an actual mock-up showing actual size to see if it works ok.

Good luck cleaning around a freestanding bath that is fitted against the wall. I get that they have been in fashion for a while, but they actually need to have enough floor space to be truly freestanding. Most people don't and just plonk them in a same position as a fitted bath except they get years of grimy residue underneath.

In a bathroom where it’s a challenge to fit everything in, putting in a freestanding bath makes little sense. Definitely putting one against a wall is ridiculous. Cleaning around it and under can be a pain unless you employ energetic cleaners! They often take up more width and are counter productive when space is at a premium.

IME you need about 3-4 inches to clean behind or between things. I would abandon the freestanding bath, you could have a 1700 standard bath, 100mm gap and 800/900 wide shower enclosure. The whole thing would be more streamlined.
This kind of bath for instance.

Thanks all for the points made about the freestanding bath and cleaning - you are right of course. We have a freestanding bath in our current house (not against the wall) and I love how deep it is and the look of it, but I can see how it would be a nightmare to clean behind it against a wall. I really dislike bath panels and small poky baths so I will look for a compromise maybe - something like the one @NotMeNoNo has suggested.

The appointment with B&Q was ok I suppose. He was young and basically kept asking me where I wanted to put things. When I told him I was hoping he could make suggestions, he wiggled things around a bit (screen sharing) and then said "ooh its quite hard to decide on the spot isn't it?!" . In the end he told me his software wasn't working so he couldn't save them properly (he also couldn't access the shower options), so I just screen shotted his vague 'design's. Will attach if anyone is interested.

Not really any the wiser although I can at least see that I can have a 1400 shower if I want to.

Option 1: But with the bath more of a fitted option and flush against the back (window) wall.

Option 2: The builder might be able to move the chimney breast (in the corner under the window) which allows for the bath to move back. Otherwise i think it's too squashed between end of bath and basin.

Also assumes a more 'fitted' bath.

Both options have loo under widow - can't seem to move it anywhere!

If you used NotMeNoNo's bath , can you get a similarly curved shower tray to fit opposite in diagram 1 to give room between the 2 to get into the bathroom and give an air of space?

www.plumbworld.co.uk/affine-montpellier-freestanding-corner-bath-1510mm-with-built-in-waste-751-1258868
What about something like this which looks freestanding? In option one it could go where your shower is near the door & your shower where the bath is. It’ll free up floor space.

I don't want to post a picture but our old house we had a decent size ensuite. I think it was about 2600 by 2000.
We had a walk in shower but no bath..we also had the boxed in pipes in the corner next to the toilet
There definitely wasn't room for both unless it was all a bit squashed.
I feel like you're trying to squeeze in too much and it will lose the luxurious feel?

Option 1 surely doesn’t give you much room to move between the bath and the shower does it? Definitely not with floor taps. Depends on size of shower too. You said you wanted 1400. I forgot about the chimney breast in my layout. That’s such a killer because you are so tight on space. In option 2, if the bath is 1700 long, and the sink is 500 deep, you have 500 to sidle in between the bath and the sink to use the sink. This obviously is not drawn to scale. 500 isn’t enough. You couldn’t bend down to open anything under the sink.

Why not ask a proper bathroom shop? You haven’t had great advice from the cheap and cheerful diy shops.

I agree that squeezing things in isn’t great. If it’s a main bathroom, have a bath with shower over. If it’s en suite have a luxurious shower.

Where's the cistern for the loo from the design from b&q?

My pet hates are sink in front of a window (where the mirror for doing for face going to be) and opening the door to see the toilet first.

We have our shower over a window, and our bath in from of another window. The window sill gives us somewhere for shampoo and helps with ventilation.

I also hate plastic bath panels but it's easy to box a bath in (we have our tiled)

@PresentingPercy

Option 1 surely doesn’t give you much room to move between the bath and the shower does it? Definitely not with floor taps. Depends on size of shower too. You said you wanted 1400. I forgot about the chimney breast in my layout. That’s such a killer because you are so tight on space. In option 2, if the bath is 1700 long, and the sink is 500 deep, you have 500 to sidle in between the bath and the sink to use the sink. This obviously is not drawn to scale. 500 isn’t enough. You couldn’t bend down to open anything under the sink.

Why not ask a proper bathroom shop? You haven’t had great advice from the cheap and cheerful diy shops.

I completely agree.

We have a multitude of good independent bathroom shops near us, but sadly all closed for the forseeable. Building work however continues, and I have to stick to our schedule or it costs money.

I never imagine that i wouldn't be able to walk into a shop and get them to design it for me and this is why i am struggling. I'm good with colours and can arrange a bedroom or living room but don't have great spatial awareness or any skills that make me able to design a bathroom.

Some of the image elements are misleading. He had to use 'alternative' products because he had shit wifi which meant he couldn't access all his products. Definitely not having floor taps for bath.

@Notdonna

Good option. Thanks!

I've just checked and our local decent bathroom designers are doing virtual appointments? Might be worth checking??

Can you pop the bath in front of the shower like this?

www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/672866000553616162/

[quote leopardspotsdotdotdot]Can you pop the bath in front of the shower like this?

www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/672866000553616162/[/quote]
How would you clean behind that bath?

@sbplanet hoover?