Redoing bathrooms - tips and things to avoid

[JustOneShake]

We are finally renovating bathrooms and I've been to a few showrooms to get a feel for function and aesthetics of showers, enclosures, etc. I have to say, I am totally overwhelmed with the choice out there, for all budgets, so just wanted to know if anyone has done recently, anything you wished you had known beforehand, any particular brands that are brilliant for product and after sales, anything you wouldn't do without. Any tips or anything that we should definitely avoid.

During our bathroom refit we replaced the shower cubicle with a walk in double length shower screen. I always feel claustrophobic in shower cubicles so this is so much better. Easier to keep clean too as fewer nooks and crannies.

Get the extraction fan wired separately so it doesn't switch on every time you turn the light on - my electrician would only do this if the switch was outside the bathroom, but that's fine. Insist on sense-checking the fitting of various bathroom items - if they got the shower cubicle door opening from the other end, I'd be able to reach the shower controls without getting my arm soaked every morning. Never, ever buy a rubberised floor with a raised pattern on it - it looks cute, but picks up every bit of dirt.

Spend a lot of money on taps and accessories that will get wet. You’ll be amazed how quickly the crap stuff rusts and tarnishes.

Also large tiles = less grout to keep clean. Pay extra for the workman you use top quality ant-mould sealant - not just the trade stuff.

A resin shower base is heavier and more expensive, but the textured surface is non-slip. DM87 loves ours, and wishes she had known they existed.

@WildStallyn

We went for white metro tiles which are cheap as chips but look really smart in a herringbone pattern with dark grey grout. Inexpensive black and white patterned floor tiles too. The money saved on the tiles meant we could splash out (ha ha!) on really good quality fittings.

We went for a walk in shower and were thinking of tiling throughout but the builder advised that the floor of the shower would get grimy easily and be slippery sonwe went for a tray instead and are glad we did.

Lots of storage.

Underfloor heating. Lovely underfoot on winter mornings and helps everything dry out, avoiding mould.

I also got metro tiles in herringbone pattern and I'm so happy with how they look!

I'd also second those saying keep the bath- I love a bath and if I was buying I'd look for a bath, and it would be a draw back if the house didn't have one.

I also have vinyl flooring - v happy with it.

The one thing I'd say from doing mine is getting new stuff always makes everything look worse!! So I thought a heater I had HN the bathroom was fine- but after I had everything done it looked so terrible!!

Victorian plumbing were great for ilus - went for a high end shower with controls separate to the showergead- so you don't get wet turning it on.

Don't have a gap between bath and wall. Or if you do, make it big enough to walk around. We have a free standing bath but the gap between the bath and wall makes cleaning it virtually impossible.

Yes to checking for poo shelf. Builder thought I was mad where I mentioned it.
Why are some designed with it?? And I agree with PP about the more expensive ones being not as good designs

Put the shower temperature control and on/off dial where you can reach them without getting wet. There is nothing worse than having to dodge cold water for the first few seconds.

Why are some designed with it

In the part of continental Europe where I grew up, the standard loo includes an 'inspection shelf' How else can you tell how well your diet and digestion are working?

DH has still not recovered from the matter of fact way visitors and I would discuss pertinent matters over the breakfast table.

More coffee? Oh, yes please , I am a bit constipated.

I can recommend Mira digital showers and their customer service is excellent.

Www.Plumbworld.co.uk are consistently cheapest for Mira.

Very happy with Bristan taps too.

We chose to go with wall panels and are very happy with the clean lines and easy cleaning.

Have the work done in the summer.

Our bathroom has to accommodate dog cleaning too, so we designed it with easy cleaning in mind.

Walls stripped of skirting boards, picture rail, dado rail (god knows why all this was in a bathroom, but there you go), and replaced with smooth perfectly square plasterboard walls. Doors with panelled bits replaced with smooth doors. Everything off the floor - radiator, floating shelf, wall hung basin. Big tiles on the floor, the walls (to the ceiling on two walls around the bath, and sort of shoulder height on the other wall) and up the side of the bath. Epoxy resin based grout (doesn't deteriorate or pick up stains) to match the colour of the tiles for a smooth finish. Paid extra to have the tiles mitred so no need for chrome finishing on the corners.
Toothbrush charger wall mounted underneath the sink and next to the floating shelf - toothbrushes sit out of the way to charge. Downlighters in the ceiling, wall mounted lights either side of the mirror (again, just a big piece of mirror cut to size, no frames to catch dust and dirt), everything on a dimmer switch so you get more relaxing light for a soak in the bath. Hand held shower attachment is at the opposite end of the bath from the overhead shower. Plumber felt this is the wrong way around, but we need the hand attachment to wash the dog, and wanted to be able to use the bath for that purpose without opening the shower screen. This might be a bit niche, but works for us!

Basically, it was a small room with very little room for changing the layout, but it ended up being pretty expensive because to get an easy to clean practical surface we had to change everything and rip out all the crap. But we love it, and the details really make it practical and beautiful.

@ShellfishLove

If you have electric toothbrushes, have a wall-mounted toothbrush charger fitted…no more annoying wires.

But so ugly!

We got a mirrored wall cupboard with a toothbrush charger in it. All tidied away.

Know how powerful the extractor fan is. The one we had installed cost about £10 and it's about as effective as one of my kids' toys. It's proved very hard to get anyone to change it as they'd have to put up a scaffold outside to access it, a lot of faff for a tiny job.

We just have to open the window a lot, all through the winter.

Make sure that you buy a model of toilet seat that can be tightened WITHOUT removing the entire toilet. In the end handyman managed to drill through the bolts so we could fit an entirely new seat, but was a great nuisance.

Niches in the shower are so useful

Having spent a lot of my life in smaller flats, I do like a mirrored wall in a bathroom. Makes a small room appear twice as big.

Inspection shelf on loos almost universal in Germany IME. I like American-style toilets but I think they use more water or something so they’re not easy to find in the UK.

Soft close toilet seats are the best.
Avoid waterfall taps in a hard water area.
Stay on top of cleaning in a hard water area.
We had a humidistat "silent" extractor fan which was really good if not truly silent...

Another one for an isolation switch for the extractor fan. Every time someone goes to the loo in the middle of the night it kicks in - I hate it.

@Rampanthobbit I was going to say the same.
I'd only ever use dark grey grout - it hides mildew and staining and looks fresh forever.

@Magistera

Wall alcoves in the shower collect water and go mouldy. Get a chrome-coated brass basket for the wall. Ideally get a bigger shower enclosure that can accommodate two people, or a parent and child. Also one of those wall hung toilets that don’t touch the floor, much easier to clean under. My sink cabinet is wall hung too so I can just mop the entire floor.

Have them in our bathrooms and never had mould or any problems at all - I believe the trick is to have the base tiles on a very slight angle so that water drains out, wouldn't be without mine!

Thanks all, making note of everything and keeping DH in the loop

I don’t know if anyone has said it but- countertop basins. I have one and I hate it. It’s a ball ache to clean around because you can’t see the entire surface, and it’s annoying to store things on for the same reason.

My go to firms are Bathroom Mountain and bathstore. Victoriaplum is ok too - though if you are getting a brand name like Ideal then it doesn't matter where you are getting it from, but their prices are decent and they are reliable.
A reliable and competent plumber and tiler is my number one tip though.

I saw a new build recently where they had put a recess in the wall next to the toilet (like you have in the shower) with a small door / cover over it to hide the loo brush. Best idea ever. I frigging hate seeing loo brushes! I’m putting one of these in every bathroom in my new house!