Things to remember while renovating a bathroom
The bathroom may be one of the smallest rooms in the house, but that doesn’t make it any easier to renovate. In fact, it’s one of the most difficult and costly rooms to renovate thanks to all the plumbing, tiles, taps and bathroom accessories you need to purchase. All of these elements need to come together to create a room that you love (and hopefully won’t change again for a good few years).
So if you’re about to embark on a bathroom renovation, there are some things that you should consider. As someone who has ‘been there, done that’, I’d love to share just some of my wisdom with you to make the renovation a tiny bit easier.
Where to start
Sometimes, starting a project can be the most difficult part. Where on earth do you begin, how do you find a builder, where do I shop for a bathroom, what do I shop for first?
I would follow the below list in this order to help you make a start.
1. Assess your existing space
What do you like about your current bathroom? What don’t you like? Why are you doing the renovation (improve the space, improve the layout, update the suite, upgrade the tech)?
Understanding the answers to these questions will help you to understand what it is you want from your new bathroom. If you hate the current layout but aren’t changing it when you do the reno, what’s the point in the renovation?
Even consider the smallest details and pain points, like the fact you don’t have a soap/toothbrush holder, or that you have to charge your toothbrush on the side of the sink when you might prefer to charge it out of the way inside a cupboard.
If it’s simply that you don’t like the floor or tiles, can these things be updated without getting rid of your existing bathroom suite? This could save you a lot of money and make it more of a budget update than a complete makeover.
2. Choose a budget
It’s going to be almost impossible to know what changes you can make without first deciding on a budget. Be realistic here, as you don’t want to create extravagant bathroom plans that you can’t afford. You might want to come up with two budgets: an ideal that you’d like to spend, and an absolute maximum that you can’t go over.
Take into account here the potential cost of moving pipes/waste if you want to alter the existing layout.
3. Find a builder
It’s important that you pick a reputable, recommended tradesperson to undertake the work and achieve your final vision. Discuss your wants with them, and they may be able to offer further suggestions.
This step should be done before you start to make decisions about your flooring, tiles and new bathroom suite. Get a builder booked in for a specific date and then you can begin to make design decisions and order the items you need. Just do be sure everything will arrive in time!
Once you’ve done these things, you’ll likely start to feel much happier about the project, and may even be excited to get started!
Choosing your new bathroom
Once you have a basic plan drawn up and have your building company booked in, it’s time to make some exciting decisions (though there are a lot of them).
You’ll first need to choose a bathroom suite, generally comprising of a toilet, sink, bath and shower. Measure your bathroom (and measure again!) to ensure that the items you’re buying will definitely fit in the space.
Lots of bathroom companies, like Wickes, offer a design service. They use a 3D software to mock up a to-scale model of your bathroom, and can play around with layout and sizes to ensure everything will fit perfectly. This also allows you to make some layout decisions (does the bath look right there? What if we put in a shower over the bath instead of a walk-in to make the space feel bigger?). Their experts will be able to help you.
If you have a small space to work with, consider some small bathroom decor ideas to make the space feel bigger.
Once you’ve played about with the layout, you can make some decisions and get your bathroom suite ordered in plenty of time.
Consider accessories and storage
Many of us get carried away with the physical design part – the tiles, the colour scheme, the style (spa bathroom, anyone?). But it’s imperative that you remember the all important accessories and storage solutions.
When Jay and I renovated our bathroom, we forgot to add an electric charger for razors and toothbrushes. Oops. Luckily, we have adaptors so we can plug these devices into the wall to charge. But it’s just something we never thought about.
When desiging the space, think about where the following will go:
- Bathroom mirror
- Lights
- Electric shower switch
- Toothbrush charger
- Shelves
- Toilet roll holder
- Soap dish/cup
- Towel rails
If you want your electric shower switch in the bathroom, you’ll have to have a pull cord. We opted for a switch outside the bathroom.
You might want shelves on the walls with mini products, towels, and plants on. You might want to add a product stand for all your body wash and conditioner. These things should be accounted for, especially if you’re drilling into newly installed tiles to hang them.
Storage is SO important in a bathroom, as there isn’t much room for cupboards and big units in them. You’ll need to use the walls and any windowsills to create storage.
Kate at House Mix shows us how you can utilise shelves in a bathroom that look amazing too.
She’s turned such a plain space into a real feature, and I love it! You could add loads of things to those shelves so they work as storage, and not just a decorative feature.
There’s SO many questions to ask yourself, that it can all get a big confusing. You should seek professional help if you get stuck, as there are experts that will think of things you haven’t whilst renovating a bathroom. They’ve done it all a million times before (just don’t ask me and Jay because we’ve done it once and forgot about leaving a space for a toilet roll holder).
For more design ideas, take a look at some of my other articles, including bathroom style inspiration and
