best way to fit a new bathroom

[Dumdidums]

I think I want a new bathroom but when I look at the window displays of “Local” bathroom fitters and some of their websites they seem to be very bland or nothing I would like even the ones who say they are luxury “bespoke” bathroom designers
If I go online I can find interesting bathroom pieces . Is there any drawback to me ordering the individual bathroom items myself e.g. tub , sink etc and getting maybe a plumber to fit it or should I go ahead with discussing with a bathroom designer

Personally, I think you'd get a better result from a plumber / single person bathroom fitter. The big companies mainly subcontract to these people anyway, and just charge you for the design.

I would find the sort of units / tiles / fittings you want, but don't buy them. Then talk it through with the fitter who may have some suggestions. My 2p is to not skimp on taps and fittings (things like towel rings / rails, shower screens etc.). Tiles will be your main expense. Sinks, shower trays, toilets etc are mainly similar as long as they are fitted properly. Wall hung toilet pans allow for easier cleaning underneath, and can be mounted higher on the wall if you have a bad back.

The fitter may well have trade accounts and can save you money. If you are in Hampshire, I can recommend one.

I did my own design and then went to Easy Bathrooms and had them replicate it so I could verify dimensions. Tiles and most of the fittings came from them, but ordered through the builder so got a substantial discount. I sourced my own bath and some other fittings.

I agree with the PP regarding decent taps, although I have to confess to buying a cheap loo roll holder and towel ring from Amazon for about £10, and they look really classy IMO, but it depends on what look you're going for.

Regarding the bathroom designers, I'm sure the better ones would be happy to incorporate any items you source yourself as well as taking on board your design brief, so it doesn't have to be bland, although I think you would be paying a premium for services that you might not need if you have lots of ideas.

You definitely need to run the items through with the plumber installing the sanitary ware, as it may not fit in or need pipes changing.

We went to an independent bathroom wholesalers. They stocked loads of brands and styles.

We took measurements of the space and the salespeople helped us understand what would fit in the space we had, and more importantly what would work with our existing plumbing set up.

Our plumber then went to the warehouse and week or two later to tweak the design.

Tiles and taps really make all the difference to the finish, so it's a good starting point to build your design around tiles you like.

to be honest the main reason is that I want one of the sinks from the London basin company but I would prefer to choose everything myself. My past experience is that these workmen seem to get you to choose something from a place they have a discount card with

They can often get it cheaper than you tho from a plumbers merchant….we use a local plumber…..he gives us around 3 or 4 brochures to choose from ….always cheaper than buying outprselves…..we didn’t like any of the sink units….so we bought our own from ikea and he fitted that…no dramas….he will project manage the whole thing or just do the basic plumbing ( we chose this option) ….then did all the tiling and decorating ourselves