I have been thinking of replacing our bathroom for a few years, perhaps over thinking it much like many people. Many factors can be at play…budget, hassle & whither you would get your money back when you sell your house. All are extremely relevant.

I personally think our house would definitely benefit from a refurb, but mainly because we currently do not have a bath, only a shower! This was definitely my worst decision. At the time we moved into the house, I didn’t think we needed a bath, but now…2019 being my year of ‘Wellness’ its a must!

When we first moved in I was worried about space, and wanted the shower room to feel more spacious than it did at that time which certainly worked. However looking at it now, it is a lot of wasted space, and could be much better utilized for storage & to create a more family friendly home.  Here is the current layout below.

OH NO….WHAT ABOUT BUDGET????

So…Budget was always going to something I needed to keep an eye on. As an Interior Designer I could certainly get carried away with fancy specification, but I will have to keep my ‘renovation’ hat on.  I have worked out a plan that works as I see it…

I feel that just making a few changes to layout will allow me to have a better use of space, for more storage, without the room feeling squashed. At the end of the day, this is a space for relaxing (Especially in my one luxury item- Whirlpool bath)  A lighter floor will allow the space to feel warmer and brighter. I plan on keeping a palette of white, oak & sage green….simple!

BE AWARE OF ‘ALL IN ONE’ BATHROOM FIT OUT COMPANIES! 

We have had a few quotes for companies that offer ‘no hassle quotes’ for doing all the work…including strip out so you dont have to move a finger, sounds great right. Well…. when all of our quotes came back at over £5k!! *chokes on tea* I started to try and think clever instead of convenience. There was no way I was going to spend THAT on my little bathroom. Many companies also price themselves out of a job if they feel it wouldn’t make enough money for them…which seems to be the case for us.

So my advise would be to have a local plumber come and have a look, and allow them to do the tricky work…in my case, move the sink, radiator and plumb in the bath (Maybe the toilet) the rest I plan on sorting out myself…flooring, tiling and demolition. I am even planning on doing a tiling course!! (Save me some pennies)

Hopefully we could half the quotes! Time will tell, as we are having some new quotes tomorrow. 🙂 I’ll keep you posted.