Bathroom design and installation tips
Hello, I am a bathroom ‘expert’ and have run a company for many years specializing in the design, supply and installation of bathrooms in the Edinburgh and Lothians area.
Throughout this period the company has been a member of the Federation of Master Builders organization.
We are often asked to provide bathrooms of decent quality, sturdy and attractively finished for “buy-to-let” clients, young families and first-time home buyers on a budget. If you follow our top ten tips below, there’s no reason why you can’t achieve similar results for budgets under £4,000.
Our top ten tips for an affordable bathroom design and renovation project
1) Don’t be too ambitious with your bathroom design:- The new tub/shower/toilet/sink should be placed almost exactly where the old units were:- remember that professional labor costs represent at least 70% of a cheap bathroom. -installing and operating new drainage and water supply pipes is time consuming and involves additional material costs
two) Before you spend money on tile and fixtures, hire a professional installation crew of all trades:- No savings to be made by inundating your downstairs neighbor with botched DIY or cash in hand and “fly at night” jeans: – If your carefully selected and vetted professional team has an unlikely but potentially costly accident, then the company’s insurance (check this before you hire them) will cover the costs involved: – Pre-selection will also allow you to involve the experts in the design and accessory/vital material selection process
3) Negotiate a fixed price with your contractor:- For labor only, and at this time (outside the London area) it is possible to hire a good jack of all trades contractor with experience in plumbing, masonry, carpentry, plastering, tiling, decorating and electrical work as required for approx £1600-2300 per standard bath including all work as required: – Make sure your contract is in writing and is signed and agreed to by both parties. No need for a fancy or legally drafted contract: – An exchange of clearly and simply phrased handwritten letters or emails will constitute a binding agreement in any small claims court if necessary. Careful selection of your contractor should ensure that legal proceedings are a highly unlikely outcome of any project, but a properly constituted contract is necessary and sensible insurance for any business transaction.
4) Shop for your own sanitary fixtures:- There are some fantastic deals on offer:- For example, and at the time of writing, B&Q has a great deal on a complete “Sandringham” suite from Armitage Shanks Ltd (including bath, sink/pedestal/ toilet and taps) All under £200 (usual list price over £600):- If you see a “name brand” shower in a big box store, don’t buy it, but check comparative offers online for better deal.
5) If you have a “combi” boiler in your home, you’ll find that a thermostatic valve shower or “high pressure shower” as it’s sometimes known, is probably the cheapest option and definitely (in terms of performance) the best: remember to check with your contractor as to which type to get:- These showers may have an exposed or concealed valve depending on the type of walls you have:- When selecting an electric shower, remember that the most powerful new showers available today (with rated up to 11 KW and above) ) will require a larger cord and mains breaker installed by a qualified electrician:- Using a similarly rated shower to your existing shower can save you hundreds of pounds in rewiring costs.
6) By far the most widely used tiles are ceramic (unlike porcelain stoneware, slate or natural stone) and they are usually the cheapest to install as they do not require special adhesives, cuts or drilling. Some natural stone products also require periodic sealing to maintain their condition. It is vital that you check with your contractor before purchasing tile or adhesive. Tile size can be a potential problem:- Large tiles usually don’t work very well, appearance-wise, in a small area and tile size is always a major issue for less than perfect walls and floors ( tiles won’t bend):- While smaller tiles can often cope with less than perfect surfaces, larger tiles can’t:- A good tile setter will always do his best, but remember that tiles absolutely 100% perfect can only be achieved under laboratory conditions by robots.
7) The color and finish of the elements in the design of a bathroom depends on personal choice. In my experience, plain or neutral colored tiles and paint finishes work best. Colored tile borders or bands can end up dictating the color of towels, decorative accessories, and future paint colors on the walls, etc. Ceiling is a very cost effective yet elegant finish that works great with all colors of towels and fixtures, especially when paired with silver tile trim/pearls and the silver shower faucets and fixtures etc found in the Most bathrooms: A similar effect can be achieved with beige and other neutral colored tiles: – If you are artistically minded and talented, do what you want and certainly don’t listen to any bathroom fitter!
8) Your contractor will likely be on site in 7-11 business days. Let him have a large enough area to store his tools, materials and bathroom accessories etc: – Any contractor worth their salt will always respect your property (use dust sheets etc) and clean up at the end of each night. A spare room is ideal, and with the door closed to hide the storage area after the contractor has finished for the day, the intrusion should be bearable for the duration of the contract.
9) In most bathroom projects, it is possible to keep a toilet running for the entire period of any contract except 24 hours: – Newly laid tiles need time to cure before attaching the new toilet and sink pedestal, etc. . In the absence of a second bathroom, alternate arrangements obviously need to be made with neighbors, friends or family in advance.
10) Finally, if you’re happy with your bathroom, let your contractor know (everyone likes to be thanked for doing a good job) and pay them right away. If you want, you can place a good review of your workmanship online through your google account, it will help your website rankings and also other potential customers looking for trustworthy and fine craftsmen.
For more ideas and information, including videos and photos of our project, please visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/www.edinburghbathroomsandkitchens/ – I hope you find the above helpful, if so that would be great if you could Like our page – All the best for your future bathroom installation project!
Copyright: – Steve Dalgleish 2011