Bathroom Design and Installation Tips

Hi, I am a bathroom ‘expert’ and have run a business 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 decent quality, sturdy, and attractively finished bathrooms 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 with budgets of less than £4,000.

Our top ten tips for an affordable bathroom design and renovation project

one) Don’t be too ambitious with your bathroom design:- The new tub/shower/toilet/sink should sit almost exactly where the old units were:- remember that professional labor costs account for at least 70% of a cheap bathroom. -installing and running new water supply and drainage pipes is time consuming and involves additional material costs

2) Before you spend money on tile and fixtures, hire a professional fitting crew of all trades:- There’s no savings to be made by flooding your downstairs neighbor with botched DIYs or with cash in hand and “fly at night” jeans: – If your carefully selected and vetted professional team has an unlikely but potentially expensive accident, then the company’s insurance (check this before you hire them) will cover the costs involved: – Shortlisting 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:- 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 bathroom including all work as required: – Please ensure your contract is in writing and signed and agreed to by both parties. No need for a fancy or legally worded contract: – An exchange of handwritten letters or clearly and simply expressed 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) Find your own sanitary fixtures:- There are some fantastic deals:- For example, and at the time of writing, B&Q have a great deal on a complete “Sandringham” suite from Armitage Shanks Ltd (including bath, sink/pedestal/ toilet and taps) All for 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 out comparative offers online for a better price. deal.

5) If you have a “combi” boiler in your home, you’ll find that a shower with a thermostatic valve, or “power 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 hidden valve depending on the type of walls you have:- When selecting an electric shower, remember that the newer, more powerful showers available today (with rated power up to 11KW and above) ) ​​you will need a larger cable 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 commonly 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, cutting 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 or her best, but remember that mosaics absolutely 100% perfect can only be achieved in 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, neutral or solid colored tile and paint finishes work best. Colored tile borders or bands can end up dictating the color of your towels, decorative accessories, and future paint colors on the walls, etc. The ceiling is a very cost effective yet elegant finish that works very well with all colors of towels and fixtures, especially when paired with silver tile trim/beads 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 whatever you want and certainly don’t listen to any bathroom installer!

8) Your contractor will likely be on site in 7-11 business days. Let her have a fairly large area to store her tools, supplies, bathroom fixtures, etc.: – Any self-respecting contractor 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 is done 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 set before fixing the new toilet and sink pedestal, etc. . In the absence of a second bathroom, alternative 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 who are looking for reliable 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/ – 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