When a new bathroom design and installation is discussed with a customer, there are quite a few design issues that come up regularly. So I thought I’d produce these bathroom design and installation notes for you to read through when thinking about your new bathroom.
These notes aren’t comprehensive and I may well add to them over time, but I hope you find them helpful when planning a new bathroom.
Bathroom Design and Installation
Whenever thinking about a brand new bathroom, and giving its layout some thought, there are many issues to bear in mind. Its important to think carefully what you will require in your bathroom, and whether it’s to be a family bathroom, en-suite with a bath, or simply a shower room. Consider where you would want to locate the bath, washbasin, toilet and shower enclosure and whether or not it would be better in terms of space to have a shower valve over a bath, or within a separate enclosure. Toilets are generally the most difficult items to move because of the 100mm diameter soil pipe, which cannot be easily re-routed. But with some ingenuity, toilets can be moved, but it could be expensive.
Establish a limit on the budget and keep in mind that extra plumbing requirements could add to the expense. Thinking about the location of existing outlet and inlet pipework when designing the refit, may make the construction work much simpler, speedier and cheaper. There could be a need for new waste pipes and below floor drainage pipes to be put in place if major items are moved around. Read about my typical bathroom prices.
There will be some critical building regulations to comply with. If a bathroom is to be located straight off the bedroom, this is allowed providing it isn’t the sole bathroom for the house. A cloakroom or bathroom with a WC must not be placed directly onto a living room, eating room or cooking facility.
Fresh air is also a significant concern, with external ventilation being essential. An extractor fan probably is required, venting through an exterior wall to prevent damp and mildew. Get professional advice from a specialist who should be able to offer you useful advice in relation to bathroom building rules and regulations.
En-suite Bathrooms
Wall Mounted Basin
As an en-suite bathroom will not be the sole bathroom in the home, consider what basic items you would require. For example, you might not want a bath when space is constrained and could opt for a compact shower unit as an alternative. Fitting a small wash-basin directly on to a wall may be a better option than selecting a basin with a pedestal, because this should create more room. There are many very stylish modern wall mounted washbasins available at reasonable prices.
Personally, I steer customers away from quadrant shower enclosures. They are notoriously difficult to keep clean, seem to need constant adjustment of doors and rollers, and there is very little space inside them, unless you choose one of the largest sizes.
Cast Iron Baths
If you are thinking about fitting a cast-iron bath, it may well be an absolute essential to have the bathroom floor reinforced to cope with its significant weight. If this is not feasible a quality acrylic bath is an option. Many excellent free-standing baths can be bought which are replicas of Victorian tubs, but are made of much lighter acrylic compared with cast iron, and yet are very durable.
Storage cabinets are also an important feature of a bathroom and stylish vanity units are increasingly popular because of the storage capacity they offer for bleaches and cleaners.
Extra electrical supplies will be needed when a shower pump is to be installed. Sometimes these are easily provided, other times it can be a challenge. Light fittings are another issue to be considered. There are strict regulations concerning the types of light fittings that can be fitted in bathrooms, depending on the applicable zone. You may want to consult an electrician, although a multi-skilled bathroom fitter should be well aware of these regulations, and be able to advise you. It could be necessary to fit a vanity unit including an integral lighting system, so specific electric safety issues will need to be thought about.
Bathroom Flooring
Bathroom flooring goes through various “fashions” the same as everything else. Tiled floors have been popular for a while but are a very permanent solution meaning that any plumbing problems will have to be resolved by access through the ceiling below. Modern cushion vinyls in timber or tiled patterns are very popular as they look extremely authentic, are warm to touch and can be rolled back for access, or even changed after running a knife around the edge.
As you can see, there are quite a few factors to be thought about if installing a new bathroom – hopefully these notes on bathroom design and installation provide a list of the more important ones. Bristan provide a bathroom planner here.
