Before embarking on a project to install a bathroom in a new room or location, it is important to establish the feasibility of running water and waste pipes to that new location. It may sound obvious, but water needs to run down hill. Waste pipes need to have a slight fall on them so the water runs the right way. So, for instance, if the soil/vent pipe is at the back of the house and the new bathroom is going to be at the front of the house, you have to find a solution to run the waste over that distance. Running heating pipes and hot & cold water pipes is less of a problem.
The main pipe to consider is the 4” waste pipe that comes out of the back of the toilet. As it comes out close to floor level and the pipe is big, it generally needs to exit the building and be run outside. If that isn’t possible, then if the floor joists are running in the right directions, then it may be possible to run the waste pipe below the floor. If neither of the options is available to you then you should consider a macerator toilet or “saniflo.” This has a much smaller outlet pipe and is pumped so you can effectively run the waste uphill if required.
When choosing how big to build the ensuite in an existing bedroom you need to consider how much of the bedroom you’re willing to sacrifice. A shower room can be quite small. If you install an 800mm x 800mm shower tray at one end of the room, the toilet at the other and a basin on the middle opposite the door, the the external measurement can be kept below 1m x 2.5m.
There are a few other important building tips worth noting that most builders or plumbers do not realise. Firstly, the walls. Usually a 4” x 2” structural timber will be used for building the walls. They will then be insulated and plaster boarded. I would always recommend spending a little more to get acoustic insulation in the walls and an acoustic plaster board, sometimes double boarded. Without being too graphic, it is good to keep the noise from the bathroom, in the bathroom!
I see a lot of issues with bathroom floors when I visit my clients. Cracked tiles and cracked grouting. Water damage visible form the ceiling below. This can often be attributed to the construction methods of the floor. It is essential to properly stabilise the sub floor of a bathroom to prevent and movement. By totally removing the existing flooring, adding structural “noggins” between the joists, laying structural ply wood, and finally “Ditramat,” you are assured of a solid base on which to lay you chose floor finish. That would usually be tiles but even if you are using a more flexible finish such as a luxury vinyl tile (LVT) it is still important to stabilise the floor so that when stepping into the shower or bath, there is no movement to allow water through. It is often difficult to see this problem until it is too late as the silicone seal around a bath or shower is flexible so that when you step in, the floor moves allowing a gap to open up which then springs back when you step out.
Other structural considerations are the recessed storage areas built into the walls, commonly know as “niches.” With a timber wall it is possible to construct (or retrospectively fit) these” niches” quite easily. When tiled and even with a small LED light they can be both very useful for shampoo bottles, do away with shower baskets and look really good as well.
Always ask us about lighting early on, as there are many very small and neat lighting solutions available that we can run electrical cabling for during the build process.
When choosing how much to spend on a bathroom or shower suite there are a few guide lines. As with most things, the rule of thumb is the more you spend, the better it will be. There are, however, plenty of good budget components available if you don’t insist on designer labels!
Again, we can recommend which products to avoid to ensure the bathroom will last over 10 years.
We have been installing a few of the Japanese style “smart” toilets with built in bidets and driers. They are quite expensive but if you can afford it…!
With wash basins consider the function as well as the style. Is it big enough to wash your face in? Will I bang my head on a cabinet? Will the tap protrude too far? If you use a good local independent bathroom supplier, they will have a specialist in house designer you can hep you with those and the many other questions you may have.
When choosing your floor and wall finishes, the most common are porcelain tiles. The other newer contender are the previously mentioned LVT’s. They are warmer under foot, and extremely hard wearing so worth a look. Wall tiling would usually have three options. Firstly, you could tiles all the walls. The most expensive and can make the room feel smaller. Secondly, tiling the wet areas and tiling the walls to half height, around the height of the basin splash back. Or thirdly, just tiling the wet areas. So the shower, around the bath and a splash back for the basin. Have a good look on line for inspiration, but remember, the smaller the tile, the greater the cost to install!
If you do choose to not fully tile the room, we would always use a specialist bathroom paint for walls and ceiling. These contain mould resistant chemicals and are wipeable.
So summing up. Have a good look on line and discuss all your options with us early on and if you follow that rule, we guarantee you the finest bathroom in Weybridge, Surrey you can imagine!