Building a new bathroom or renovating your existing bathroom is a great opportunity, to not only increase the value of your home but to also create the ideal sanctuary to relax and wash away the stress of a busy lifestyle. Bathroom design has seen a shift recently from being something utilitarian, to a place of comfort, relaxation and a chance to escape, to recharge and have that well earned privacy, to just be.
With the countless design choices for your bathroom fixtures and fittings, creating the perfect bathroom design is easier than ever, and more affordable than you might think. Gone are the days when that “Designer Look” came with the designer price tag.
In the following articles we will discuss many of the various products and options that are available for your new bathroom design, tips on how to choose the right bathroom products and what you will need to know before stepping foot into a bathroom showroom.
BATHROOM DESIGN & PLANNING
When starting to design your new bathroom there are several key things you will need to keep in mind. Maximising available space, bathroom usage and budget are going to be the main things you will need to consider.
Bathroom style is going to be the next thing to look at, do you want a traditional, contemporary or modern bathroom. Make sure the style you decide on complements the style of the rest of the house.
Bathroom lighting, soundproofing, heating and ventilation is another major area that most people don’t give a great deal of thought to, but both these are very important issues to create a user friendly and health bathroom. Proper ventilation will help to reduce odours, mould and damage to fixtures and fittings cause by steam.
You will also need to comply with any Government or Council regulations and make sure you have the necessary approvals for any structural work carried out. You can also play your part in helping to preserve valuable drinking water by choosing to recycle grey waste water or by using rainwater to fill your toilet.
BATHROOM PRODUCTS
There are countless products available for you to use in your new bathroom. The main items you will need to select will be the bath or spa, toilet, basin or vanity and shower , choose these items first.Then select your tapware and accessories to complement these.
Wastes and grates will generally need to be selected before any tiling is done, just in case any part of the waste needs to be set into the floor below the tiling level, as it is with strip grates and tile wastes.
Also decide if you want to use under floor heating well before construction takes place so this can be installed.
Make sure your hot water system is the right size to supply enough hot water to your bathroom and to the rest of the home.
Ensure adequate lighting, be it task lighting over the vanity unit or mood lighting over the bath.
Make sure there is plenty of ventilation, either via windows or exhaust fans, and pay particular attention to the placement of exhaust fans.