So you’re thinking about installing a new bathroom.
Whether you’re looking at a complete bathroom renovation or a few, smaller changes, you’ll want to ensure you’ve planned well and considered everything from bathroom plumbing fittings to colour scheme.
Before you start knocking things down or going gung-ho with a sledge hammer while installing a new bathroom, we would hate for you to have not considered these very important factors.
It’s all in the design
First things first, before you start imagining installing a new bathroom of your dreams, please be aware that function always comes over form. A bathroom is designed around plumbing fixtures and an experienced plumber can help you with this. Before colour scheme or layout is even considered, you’ll need your plumber to lay out where wet walls, pipes, drains and other fixtures will be easily installed or moved to.
The design of your bathroom will also impact the cost involved. By keeping plumbing fixtures, wet walls and drains in the same spot as before, you’ll be able to reduce cost. This doesn’t need to be a limiting factor when you consider all the changes you can make to your bathroom that don’t involve moving toilets, baths, sinks or showers.
The big things to consider
Drains
In a good bathroom, water would be able to flow to a drain at any point in the room. Without adequate drainage with your bathroom remodel you could be left with pooling water that can cause rot, rust, termite attack and eventually, structural failure. Your plumber will analyse the floor and be able to plan where drains can be installed.
Wet walls
A wet wall is located over a drainage point. Without proper wet wall application you’ll find mildew, rot and structural failure occurring. Your plumber will help you map out where a wet wall can be constructed when you’re installing a new bathroom.
Pipes and fixtures
If you’re looking for a quick update to your bathroom, keeping sinks, baths, showers and toilets in the same position will mean that pipes need not be reroute. If you’re moving things around, your plumber will discuss whether installing new piping is necessary and will analyse the structural integrity of walls and floors to ensure new piping can be placed here.
What’s most important to you?
Before installing a new bathroom it’s important that you evaluate what is most important to you. Here are some questions we like to have clients consider before installing a new bathroom:
- Is a bath necessary or are you happy with only having a shower?
- Do you require a lot of space around the sink, is a vanity necessary?
- Is storage essential? Do you like to keep toiletry items, towels and skincare products in your bathroom?
- How many people will be using it? Do you require multiple towel racks, a double sink etc?
- How much are you willing to spend? Are you willing to keep it simple or do you have specific design preferences?
Make the most of the space
When it comes to installing a new bathroom, even if you’re blessed with a large room, there are a few space-saving tricks you can implement to make the most of your new bathroom.
- Use rounded corners on sinks and vanities. There will be less opportunity for bruised hips with rounded edges and they tend to make spaces look less cramped.
- Consider mounting the towel rack on the door of a shower or on a glass splash protector. It’ll save space and makes grabbing your towel after a shower a lot more convenient.
- Select a vanity with a shelf underneath it. Even if your bathroom isn’t a small space, having an extra shelf for towels, toiletries or toilet paper will come in handy.
- Consider putting your shower over a bath. It’ll remove the need for a completely closed in shower and save space!
- Use a coat rack instead of a towel rail on the wall in a busy bathroom to hold more towels.
- Install a large mirror to reflect more space and have your room look more open and less cramped.
If you have any questions about plumbing needs for a bathroom renovations, get in touch with the team at Tai Irwin today.
