is a bathroom designer worth it

[Dumdidums]

i'm thinking of getting a new bathroom and have now spoken to two specialist bathroom designers however essentially what both of them said is to come back with ideas of the sort of tiles, bathtub etc that i want and then they will continue the process.
If i do this and find exactly what i want why do i need a designer ie i could just find a plumber or tiler etc to fit these.
Am i missing something or have i just not found a good designer.
The designers i went to seemed to be fairly expensive ones

Just do it yourself, or make a scaled diagram and people here can give you layout advice & design ideas.

I know someone who did the free Wickes design and then bought items elsewhere.

Unless your bathroom is massive, then a designer seems overkill. Speak to your installer as there may be only a certain place/places things can go anyway with the plumbing and waste (waste being the biggest issue) so you may not have too much choice where things can go anyway!

No need for a designer. Speak to whoever would be doing the plumbing work to see what constraints there are on where toilet, sink, shower, bath etc go, and then work from there.

I did one with a B&Q designer and it was pretty pointless. I only did it to get an idea of cost and a part list was quoted around £5-6k and then gave it to a bathroom fitter and he did it for about £2.5k

Both these designers were charging in the region of 5 figures and when i went into one of the stores this morning the stuff they had on display was nice but it didnt strike me as being unique or special so im not sure what id be getting especially if its down to me to select what i want.
When i look online i can find interesting unique designs of showers , tubs, taps, tiles etc which is what i want especially for 5 figures
I m not really wanting to reposition stuff, my tub stains easily, ive seen basins online which make me go wow eg londonbasincompany, i would like a shower that is level with no step. the wall tiles are black so i want something more interesting. The toilet has traumatized me as it sometimes gets blocked which has caused a lot of hassle and was disgusting to unblock . This is what im wanting a new bathroom

We've just renovated a derelict property, and there are 4 bathrooms and 2 large en-suites. We didn't pay anyone for designs, in fact, it never occurred to me to do so!

We did look at wickes, B&Q, tops tiles etc, but went with a local, independent bathroom/tile shop. The owner came to our house and gave us ideas- for free with no obligation to buy a thing! He helped with colours, designs, ideas and we could bring tiles home to see them in the room- before buying anything. Our fitter also made suggestions in terms of bathroom layout. The shop also recommended a tiler who was excellent. He too gave us more idea, how far up the wall to tile, what large vs small tiles would do to the room and what type of grout resin was best.
A few things I recall:

• if possible, don't have the toilet directly infront of the door. Better to have it behind the door or just not the first thing you see.
• If you can, have the door opening outwards. IF someone ever collapsed on the inside, its much safer to open out.
• I chose drawers under the sink in 1 en-suite, but I wished I'd chosen drawers for all rooms. So much easier than bending under the sink to find things
• Think about the cleaning of things. Those rolled top, freestanding baths look lovely in magazines, but in real life are a PITA to clean. Our shop persuaded me NOT to get one for that reason and I'm SO glad I didn't.
• We got wall hung toilets, so easy to clean underneath, no rim and installed at comfort height. Much easier for anyone with knee/hip issues.

I'm far from any sort of designer and have never renovated anything! Look at Pinterest, get a mood board, make a list of things you do don't want. Speak to friends, look at their bathrooms and speak to independent shops near you. Personally, I wouldn't pay for a designer.

I just went to Easy Bathrooms and got their free design.

You can use your own fitter if you know a good one.

I would say no need for a designer. I got my plumber to look at the hideous bathroom that was in the house when we bought it, and asked him what he would suggest. He came up with a fantastic idea, not the cheapest because we needed to move the loo, but it has been fantastic. He recommended what suite to use and directed us to a local bathroom place where we could see it for ourselves. He then organised the tiler, electrician and ground worker. It was all so easy for us.

What's a designer going to do different to that apart from direct you to the most expensive stuff?

I never understand peiole who say that freestanding baths are a pain to clean — what is the problem?

The big shops do a free 3d design on the computer where shows you what the bathroom would look like and allows you to play around with different layouts to see which works best for you.

You can still use your own plumber if you want to but obviously their designs incorporate their own products.

It will cost £5k plus for the labour depending on location. Plus £2k plus for the suite, tiling etc. So easily £10k in London. It’s just crazy expensive right now.

Bathroom showrooms will be higher price than online. I pick the style I want and then Google for options, a bit of due diligence to ensure it’s a decent supplier and then order. I tend to order bits from different places for the best price/design.

You don't need a bathroom designer. You just choose what you want and talk to the person fitting it.

The main thing is to check measurements carefully and then I advise being around whilst it is being fitted so you can answer any questions and make sure it is done as you wanted.

@MysteriousKor I'm unsure why you needed to quote me entire post, rather than just the question about free standing baths? It was the bath shop owner that said he had multiple customers end up replacing them. I've used them in air BNB's and my issues are:

• Having to clean all the out sides and feet, where as a bath against the wall just has 1 outside to clean
• Sometimes there is only a small gap between it and the wall, again making cleaning down that area tricky
• Trying to mop/clean on the floor underneath them. Or having to get down low to hoover up hair/dust and then trying to mop the tiles
• If there is a shower inside it, there often isn't a screen or curtain, so water goes everywhere.

would it be cheaper to do it bit by bit eg get the shower fitted then a few weeks later the sink then a few weeks later the bath tub etc etc ?

No, it's hard enough to get a good plumber/bathroom fitter in the first place. Once you get hold of one you don't let them go.

We are in the middle of a 2 bathroom refit. I can't see how you would be able to do a bit at a time as our fitters had to remove all of the fixtures and previous floor/wall tiles to sort the waste pipes, electrics, lighting, plastering. It was just a shell with a few ends of pipes sticking out!

No bathroom desginer is "woth it" - free desgins from the DIY stores they print out specs and pics - we did that for bathrooms and kitchen - they work with you - even after its done, we don't use their fitters and you are free to make changes

Irs all free.

im just curious as to why they exist then as i say after speaking to two of them i was just left wondering what exactly id be paying them for especially when they are saying i should choose the items myself

This is what worrys me now. Im just not comfortable being alone with a bunch of guys coming in and out for a week and talking to them. Id rather have someone come in one day do the shower then go away . then someone come back later for the walls etc etc but i understand this isn't how it works .

Also i only have one bathroom so im thinking that i am going to have to go to the local supermarket if i need to use the toilet but im guessing that would only be for a day or 2 until the toilet is put back in

Work out how long you spend in there, then decide on how much you want to spend. I think that husband and I spend under 5 hours a week in ours, that means that for 163 hours each week it's an empty room. We had a basic white suite, plain white tiles, just around the shower and hand basin. Every 4 or 5 years I repaint the rest of the walls with a brand new colour scheme. All the water, gas and electrics for the kitchen are under the bathroom floor so we have vinyl floor tiles , they've had to be ripped up twice so far so I'm seriously glad they cost very little to replace. I've probably not spent £3000 altogether in 30 years including 2 replacement broken basins and a new bath. It's a really nice room

A bathroom designer isn’t a project manager — you’re going to have to talk to the trades anyway, including about things like how long you’ll potentially be without a loo etc.

Thanks all some really helpful ideas to all that have read or will read this thread.

There’s a difference between a designer in a shop and a proper interior designer who’d project manage it all. The latter will be very expensive. The former you can do yourself, and no need at all if you’re not moving or changing anything substantially - swapping out for new.

Dealing with the fitter is just unavoidable and I know it’s uncomfortable if you’re on your own. Recommendations or a trusted local firm will be best, but they are expensive right now. Going via a bathroom showroom would be the easiest but pricey option - £10k easily for a full fit out. I have 2 bathrooms to do in London and this is the going rate. Separate trades is cheaper but more tricky to project manage.

If you want help with planning add a picture of the layout with measurements and a few Pinterest inspiration photos of bathrooms you like. I’ve designed five bath/cloak rooms and about to start another and planning a seventh.

I don't think there's any way round a bunch of guys coming in and out and it is likely to take 2 weeks not one. There will be the main guy (plumber) but he will probably call in other tradespeople from time to time like a tiler and electrician.

They will make sure the loo is still there until they swap it over for the new one so you shouldn't be left overnight without one. However, it is very inconvenient if you only have one loo as they will be working in there all day. Will have to use local supermarket loo, library, cafes, gym etc.

Is there anywhere you could go for the first week to be away from it all while the bathroom is gutted? Like a relative's house maybe. There's no getting around it, a bathroom renovation is stressful for people who only have 1 bathroom. But it's still better to just get it over with in one fortnight and then it's done.

No because that's really bitty and simply won't work.
What we did was go away for a week when they started so when we got back the loo was done and functioning, the new floor tiles were down. All new pipe work done even if the suite wasn't fully installed Can't remember exactly what we came home to now.
Depending on if you're a house or flat, you could always buy a porta pottie for about £50 to keep you going and go elsewhere for showers etc. you have the kitchen sink for tooth brushing.