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The bathroom should be a place of sanctuary as well as serving a practical purpose in your home.
In fact, it’s one of the first things many homeowners choose to upgrade or renovate upon moving in.
There are many things to consider, style, comfort and convenience, not to mention the personal touches to make it perfect for you and your family.
It can be a stressful undertaking to renovate such a crucial room in your home, so check out some of the tips and tricks to help you plan and build your ideal bathroom.
Create a budget
Home renovations can be expensive, and poor planning means that budgets can easily spiral out of control.
Take stock of how much you intend to spend on renovating your bathroom, and stick to that budget at all costs.
Bathroom design is a huge market, so it’s easy to go completely overboard on fixtures, fittings, tilings and all sorts of other things.
If you plan your budget wisely and stick to it you can create the room of your dreams without breaking the bank.
You’ll find that with a bit of research you won’t have to compromise on stylish fittings – you may be able to find the same expensive showroom brands or equivalents cheaper online or from a different outlet, so shop around!
Also be sure to fully investigate the quality of the walls and flooring in your existing bathroom before you start, particularly if your house is old.
Features
When you’re planning it’s best to focus on one or two central features of the bathroom.
Whether you choose a wet room style shower or a large tub with claw feet make sure you do adequate research into these.
Can your flooring be adapted for the shower? If you want a large tub to soak in are your valves up to it?
High-flow valves -and especially ball valves – come highly recommended to get the big tub full quicker.
All these details should be anticipated and taken into account in the planning stage to alleviate any headaches or unforeseen costs later down the line (this is a recurring theme in bathroom renovation!)
Lighting
Firstly, let’s mention the more practical, safety-first approach to lighting.
Unless you are an electrician yourself it would be a good idea to seek professional help when dealing with electricity in a room full of running water, for obvious reasons.
Factor this into your budget – safety first.
Now that you’ve done that you can think about what you want from the lighting in your bathroom – do you want dimmer switches? Recessed lights?
All these things build atmosphere and are conducive to relaxation after a hard day’s work.
But don’t forget the day to day either, you’ll need brighter lights for everyday, practical purposes.
A lamp above the mirror is great for shaving, makeup or general preening!
Bigger projects
If you need to completely revamp EVERYTHING in the bathroom, ie, gutting it and starting over, the chances are that you will need professional help from start to finish.
Don’t be afraid to shop around for quotes from experienced professionals, but make sure you are involved in the design and building process.
Make a timeline to determine when each part of your new bathroom is going to be ready.
A good contractor should be able to help you detect problem areas as well, leading to less costly hiccups along the way – they should also be able to solve those problems, such as poor ventilation, blocked drains or dodgy water pressure.
Maximize the space
Now it’s time to address the feng shui side of things.
Many bathrooms are small – and even smaller with the addition of a large tub and other fixtures.
Storage should be built in where possible, or tasteful and elegant, such as wicker baskets for towels and laundry.
A cluttered bathroom can only impede you when you’re trying to relax, so make the bathroom easy to keep tidy, and keep the space clear and free-flowing for maximum effect.
Tiles and flooring
The key points here are durability and style.
Tiles and flooring should be timelessly stylish, solid feeling and well grouted and secured.
There are myriad different styles to choose from – and with a bit of research, you should find excellent examples to match your taste and your budget.
Remember that your bathroom has to be designed for the future as well as for the present – built to last.
There is no reason why your bathroom renovation should be a traumatic stressful experience.
As with any renovation, preparation is key – once you’ve anticipated every bump in the road you’ll be well on your way to enjoying your perfect bathroom.
