Planning the perfect bathroom renovation
| Published: 23rd January 2008 15:43 |
Comparing your grotty old bathroom to a luxurious candlelit haven in a glossy magazine is enough to inspire some creative thoughts. Though magazines provide much inspiration, the practicalities of your bathroom are just as important as stylish looks.
Bathrooms should reflect your personality and meet individual needs. Some crave a haven of peace and recuperation from the stresses of everyday life and some use it as a family morning pit stop where speed and efficiency are vital.
Faced with such a variety of possible uses and an equally large assortment of design solutions, not to mention your budget, planning your bathroom is best done with professional guidance. Experts can help you choose the right suite and accessories to suit your personal needs ands suggest cost-effective solutions.
The Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom Specialist Association (KBSA) has expert members that can assist you with planning and sourcing suites and accessories. They can help you progress your project through from start to finish. The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) can give you up-to-the-minute information on suites and accessories. These resources are especially useful if you are keen to complete your bathroom yourself.
When you are looking at a new bathroom, services are the first thing to check if you are considering even a slight change of layout or upgrading your facilities. You need to be sure where the cold and hot water pipe work is located, how much hot water your system produces and at what pressure, and where the waste and overflows pipes are situated.
Once your services audit is complete, a KBSA member can quickly explain the options and advise on the feasibility of, say, up-grading your shower, installing a spa-bath or adding another basin.
When all the practical questions have been sorted, style is the final consideration. The choices of bathroom styles are immense, but you can easily narrow down your taste in styles with research and glossy magazines. The most important thing to do when it comes to choosing your bathroom's style is designing it as an entity, embracing the suite, bath, shower, storage units, flooring, tiling, lighting, heating, mirrors and all the accessories.
The obvious downside to consider if you are doing the renovation yourself is the factor of down time. Renovating your bathroom alone is a big job and one that requires you to shut off plumbing services. Even if you have another bathroom, you won't be able to use it if you have the mains water turned off. Until you remove your old suite and fit your new one, everyone in your home will have to go out without washing behind their ears. Speed, efficiency and quality are all required. If you are not up to the job or you have limited time, you would be wise to call in the experts.
The BMA can provide you with a list of their experts and useful fact sheets providing product details for more than 70 manufacturer brands (www.bathroom-association.org). The KBSA's website provides an online planning guide, buying advice and help in finding expert advice (www.ksa.co.uk).
Picture caption: The practicalities of your bathroom are just as important as the stylish look.
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