How to Make Your Bathroom Renovation Project a Success
When you move into your new house, the most common room that people want to renovate first is the bathroom. It's the one room that has to accommodate the whole household indefinitely and everyone has different bathroom needs. It could be that you need a bath because you have children, disabled access for a family member or maybe you love a spacious shower - we share our tips on how to make your bathroom renovation project a success.
Bathroom Goal: Forever home or Resale?
The first thing you should factor in is - is this your forever home? If so, the world is your oyster. Whether it be the colour schemes, products or designs that you've always wanted, you can concentrate on what you really want out of your bathroom. You may not have a strict budget in this case compared to if you know you'll be moving house in the future. Although, if you still have a tight budget, you may want to spend more time finding reasonably cheaper materials that give the illusion of the dream design you're after. Forever home means you can do whatever you desire - you could do a quick and cheap renovation and then save up to create your dream bathroom in the future.
However, if you already know you will not be staying in this house for the foreseeable future (planning to have a family for example), you may have to consider what designs will help sell your house when the time comes. Not to say you shouldn't design your bathroom how you like it, but thinking about neutral colours (white, grey and wood colours) and then adding your own touch, like plants (read our top 10 plants for your bathroom) or ornaments.
You may not even know if you can see yourself staying or moving on yet, and if this is the case then I would set a reasonable budget and go for a simple design. Bathrooms do not always ages well 10-20+ years down the line, but if you have a clean white canvas and add a pop of colour with towels and accessories which can be removed, then you shouldn't have to change much in the future unless you want a drastic transformation.
Budget
Setting a budget can be crucial when planning a bathroom renovation. You may find yourself asking 'how much will my bathroom renovation cost?' and this can vary depending on where you live in the UK and what design you are after. The average cost of having a bathroom installed is under £5,000. If you look in the right places and find cheap deals, then you may be able to get it for a lot less - especially if you or someone you know can install the bathroom themselves. Obviously, if you're just swapping out the suite it can be less than £1,000.
Some of us want to update our bathroom but don't have the funds to change anything drastically, so the cheaper options are swapping out the small, simple things. Here are some decisions you can pick from to restore your bathroom on the cheap:
- Basin and bath taps are usually the go-to as you do not necessarily need a plumber to make this change if you feel competent to do it yourself.
- Another popular change is bathroom accessories. Nowadays, you can get wall-mounted accessories that don't require drilling into the walls thanks to adhesive which can be purchased as an add-on. That being said, if you'd prefer to drill into the wall, they are still supplied with the fixings you will need. Even updating the bin you have in your bathroom to match the aesthetic of the accessories (black or chrome sets for example) can bring the room together.
- Refresh the mirror, whether it be a mirror cabinet to store all your daily bathroom products in or a beautiful LED illuminated mirror to brighten up your appearance. Bathroom mirrors can add a whole new aesthetic to the room and they don't have to break the bank.
- Update your radiator to a heated towel rail. Some bathrooms in the UK still have standard radiators in the cloakroom, en suite or bathroom. Heated towel rails have 2 main benefits - heating the room and your towels efficiently (and are also very stylish). The prices can range depending on the length and width you require for the size of your bathroom, but an essential renovation nonetheless.
- It's often forgotten, but bathroom lighting can be a cheap adjustment if you aren't after anything too fancy like a chandelier. Choose from ceiling, wall and mirror lights to add a new style and brightness to your bathroom.
Products and Materials
Choosing the right products and materials for your bathroom renovation plays a big part in your budget, especially if you have no wiggle room to go over that allowance. Our main goal at Plumbworld is to help you get those big bathroom brands that everyone loves for much smaller prices. Shopping with us will help you save up to hundreds of pounds meaning you can either use the extra money in other areas or save for the future.
If you've been eyeing up things like real marble countertops on Pinterest, you should expect these to be an expensive cost. Most luxury items will come at a cost, so it's really down to how you want your bathroom to look and what you're willing to spend to get that. Marble can increase the property value if it has been looked after well, but they are very delicate, easy to stain and very heavy to install. Another option is quartz. Quartz has become very popular over recent years and can be found in the bathroom or kitchen to create stunning countertops. They aren't as expensive as marble, but they are still on the pricier side of materials. However, if you want a marble effect at a cheaper cost, you may want to look at faux materials. These will often be laminate or ceramic which can leave your bathroom looking just as luxurious without the price tag.
Other materials you may need to source elsewhere, but installers can be very handy - e.g. if you want to build a partition wall because you want to make the bathroom bigger or smaller, an installer can provide all the necessary equipment.
Storage Needs
Bathrooms, majority of the time, are the smallest room in the house. This means you need to think about how you are going to store your toiletries and cleaning supplies efficiently. One storage hack we love to tell everyone about is storage bath panels. Bath panels are used to hide and box in the underside of the bath to make the bathroom look more attractive. You may have thought it is then wasted space, but buying a storage panel means you still have access to under the bath and is the perfect area to stock cleaning supplies. If you have children, you may want to opt for the lockable panels so everything is out of harms way.
As mentioned above, you can get a mirror cabinet instead of a standard one which can hold a lot of small products - a great place to store skincare, toothbrushes and toothpaste. Or, if you have enough wall area, you can choose a separate tall cabinet which has ample space for all your bathroom supplies.
Unexpected Delays
We don't want to think about anything going wrong when it comes to a big renovation project, but these things can happen which is why time frames need to be planned well. Delays could involve the plumber/installer or the products purchased (whether you've changed your mind, the item is unfortunately damaged or the wrong item has been sent).
The number one thing we recommend is: do not book an installer until you have received your items and you are happy with them. This way, nobody is out of pocket or frustrated if something went wrong due to unforeseen circumstances (the coronavirus (COVID-19 is a very recent example of this). Sometimes plumbers have to cancel due to family commitments or health-related issues, and sometimes you might have other emergencies that take priority over the renovation – it's true when they say anything can happen. Again, it's impossible to look into the future and see what's around the corner, so erring on the side of caution is the best way to approach a project like this. At the end of the day, we're all humans - situations and mistakes can happen - but you can rest assured that we'll do everything we can to help you turn your dream bathroom into a reality!
For more renovation ideas and advice, take a look at the following posts - How to Survive a Bathroom Renovation - 5 Ways to Make Your Kitchen Renovation Instagram-Worthy - Easy Kitchen Renovation Tips.
We love seeing your bathroom and kitchen makeovers and sharing them on our Instagram page - if you've had a Plumbworld renovation, tag us in your photos to be featured!
We would love to see, so why not share your favourite designs on social media with us?
Find us at:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Pinterest
Alternatively, sign-up to our newsletter for the latest offers, newest product launches and advice.
Are you planning a new bathroom or kitchen makeover? Shop online with Plumbworld for guaranteed lowest prices and next day delivery options.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our blog for more bathroom and kitchen advice.