Help me transform old bathroom

[skuml]

Refurbishing bathroom (photo1) ! But haven't chosen basin, toilet, shower head, bath etc

Its a rental flat but I still want to do it in a way that it lasts 10-20+years!

Look wise, I know what I want to achieve - attaching a photo!

DIY Mirror I am planning to cut to size mirror and add strip light above mirror.Also want to install demister pad behind mirror- wondering how long will these will last? should I skip these?

TOILET : Not going for wall hung toilet - as very expensive and not sure how easy is it to replace one if needed in future. Normal toilet but which one would you suggest?

BASIN : Not going for basin with vanity cabinet. But not sure which basin should I buy?
Flat rectangular ones look great but not sure how practical they are. Will prefer to go for deep basin with chrome waste trap.

Towel rail : Might go for dual fuel towel rail. or should I just do electric. Bathroom doesnt has window that's why was thinking.

Tiles: same Tiles everywhere 60x60 cm. or should I leave one wall without tiles as in photo below?

Please share you best tips for redoing bathroom ! Any brands that you would recommend? Any hacks to save ££?

People never put enough storage in bathrooms. Going for a basin with no vanity is crazy.

I would max out on storage, lighting, and tile all the walls as otherwise it just looks half-done imo.

If it has no window then you need to create as much brightness as possible.

I prefer wall-hung because it is so much easier to clean, and it creates an illusion of space.

My advice to you is to go to a decent bathroom showroom and get them to plan it for you. I went several times last year when doing our en suite but then it is our home. Even if you decide to opt for cheaper fixtures, it's really helpful to have a professional produce your vision. I found mine very good at making tweaks to make it exactly the way I wanted it.

Unless it is a high class rental you are wasting your money
Re-grout, new taps/handles and replace the shower/shower head if needed (assume over the bath)
It is fine and won't add rental value.

The picture you have shown is already as dated as the bathroom that you have (a different kind of dated) and won't last from a style point of view for 20 years.

The last thing I want when naked in the bathroom is a large mirror!

You position it appropriately lol!!

I did make a rookie error in my downstairs loo! I put a mirror over the whb and one over the loo - both big mirrors!! - but realised I could see myself wipe in duplicate... ugh! So moved them up!

I would put fitted cabinets along the back wall with the toilet and basin on then you might get a storage cupboard in (maybe a tall one up the side?) and one under the sink (very useful for toilet rolls, toiletries etc). e.g. Fitted Bathroom Furniture | Built-in Bathroom Cabinets | Wickes
Don't tile the side of the bath as it'll be a nightmare to get off if there's any leaks.

:))😃

Not going for cabinet especially on the floor ones as its rental flat ! Even though my tenants are always good professional but still they dont know how to take care of flat!

Going to fitting and finishing that will stand test of time - long lasting and easy to clean

Is it bas idea to get concealed thermostat for shower? are they hard to fix?

Shall I go for exposed shower ?

What is best for bath + shower head and hand shower combination ?

I suppose the only question I have is why?

You are essentially giving a new bathroom to your landlord for free.

well if they don't take care of the place then I'd go for the cheapest white bathroom suite in B&Q, plain white tiles, an electric shower and vinyl on the floor! Floor tiles could chip / crack if they drop things.

Depends on who you are going to rent it to/target market, but I would probably just refurb what you have.

Provided the bath/sink/toilet isn't chipped damaged then I would leave them. Re do the grount and sealant, replace the taps. Change anything that is easy to change. Not clear that the bath has a shower attatchment, I would fit one of those or a facility to shower in some way as many people prefer.

That toilet, which looks to have the citsern walled in behind tiles is probably going to cause someone a world of pain at some point.

In my place the design is to have the basins against the windows so it is not possible to have a mirror cabinet attached above them.

It's stupid^2.

From the OP's posts, she's the landlord. Keep it simple in a rental flat. Buy standard sanitary ware and taps from good makes. Exposed shower pipes mean the tiling doesn't have to be ripped off if there's a leak. With no windows and tenants who don't know how to look after the place, have a good inline extractor fitted which comes on with the lights. Good ones are not very noisy. Unless you're getting top dollar rent just keep it to simple, clean lines. If there's room, IKEA do a vanity unit which is a good design on legs with two drawers. The countertop is a good size for toiletries and the basin size is decent.

Making sure there is decent extraction is a very good point. I would make it automatic and linked to the light so it always runs for 10/20 mins after the light is off.

Edit : Sorry missed the bit where the poster said that above - but agreed exactly with what they say !

make sure there is a panel that comes off to allow the plumber access to the toilet cistern when it breaks. otherwise they have to take off tiles and make a mess of things.

make sure there are some hooks for towels / shelves / cupboards. or at least enough space for the tenant to put in their own shelf unit like this
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/ragrund-shelving-unit-bamboo-30253067/

OP is the landlord.

Targeting high end professional couples. at the moment I am getting 1720 as rental.

It has lot of hidden problem - plasterboard all rotten !

We are already ripped yday ! So now no going back!! Have to do the bathroom!

But yes, will keep try to keep cost as low as possible - however still invest in good quality shower, plumbing etc as want bathroom to last 15-20 years !

That's a good idea. It is save hassle in future ! many thanks

I will ask plumber if he can do.
do you have example of how to do it? Perhaps silicon around 1-2 tile near toilet cistern??

For bathtub plumbing - planning to make similar panel, But now thinking should I just buy a plastic fitted ones which are easy to remove? any opinion will be helpful

I am not a plumber. But I would have thought the best way is to drill a hole in the tiles for the flush pipe and then extend into the room to fit to a conventional toilet.

There are two bad things about that set up. One has been pointed out - if it breaks. The other is if it leaks on the flush side. What will happen is water will flow out inside the internal wall and flood the downstairs (probably someone else) before you have even figured out it is leaking. Generally you want as few connections as possible behind walls that are hidden away. They may look smart, but they are a bugger and expensive to fix.

Your plumber should be able to advise you or a decent bathroom showroom.

We had tiles on the side of our bath, and lost the lot when we had to replace the bath! I've just got an ordinary bath panel on now, think it was around £55.

Wondering how good the new cisterns with buttons are? are they reliable?
Mine will be going behind the plasterboard wall! Wondering if there is problem then how we will be fix these?? any one experience in fixing these types?

current with old handle type system is easy to fix
but plubmer is suggesting to go for new type cistern as may not get parts of old style cistern later!!
@Pigletjohn what's your opinion

Which make is good?

Go for a standard back to wall toilet. Buttons on top of cistern and no gaps for exposed pipes that is hard to clean.
https://www.bathroommountain.co.uk/boston-rimless-fully-back-to-wall-close-coupled-toilet-with-premium-soft-close-seat-c66042v2?gad_source=4&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj6X49tqShAMVIZxQBh2rRgKcEAQYASABEgLB1_D_BwE

Vanity units under the sink are a no brainer it gives people somewhere to store toilet roll and cleaning products. Get resin rather than ceramic as its less likely to chip if something falls.
https://mylifebathrooms.com/product-category/ceramics/vanity-basins/

the sinks are perfectly practical if you're thinking they aren't deep enough

Lots of good suggestions from PPs already re storage, ventilation, cisterns, etc. OP, appreciate you're a landlord and looking for robust practical solutions, rather than designing a luxurious bathroom for own use, but still, here's a couple of practical points based on personal experience.

Basin - rectangular ones are totally fine, but wouldn't get something with a flat bottom, as they're very slow to drain (towards the end of the 'flash') and the gunk from toothpaste, beard shavings, etc. seems to stick around more (ask me how I know this 😫😄)

Mirror lights - if you can, PLEASE PLEASE consider good bright lights on the sides of the mirror, lighting just from the top is soooo unforgiving and depressing.

Demista pads - they're great! Even if you have a decent extraction, the mirror will benefit from extra help, especially as you're planning to place it in the window recess, which is colder and will make it prone to condensation. We've had them in the previous house, lasted for over 10 years and were still going strong when we moved (but that wasn't a DIY job, they came professionally fitted with a custom-sized mirror).

Towel rail - is it going to be a single source of heating in the room? If so, make sure to check BTU carefully. In our last house, we had a huge towel rail and the bathroom was located 'inside' the house (no exterior walls or windows), so the the place was always absolutely baking. While redoing bathroom in the current place, made a mistake of opting for a smaller rail, despite the room having two exterior walls and a huge window, so now it's always on a colder side and we're considering ripping out and replacing the towel rail just a couple of years after going through the total bathroom refit. Dual fuel is a nice touch, but make sure to add some sort of a timer / eco switch to make sure the rail doesn't stay on forever while it's in eclectic mode.