Bathroom Design Essentials - What You Should Consider When Designing, Building and Renovating Your Ultimate Bathroom - Part 2

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Last week in Part 1 of Bathroom Design Essentials we considered a number of items that you should consider when designing a new bathroom. Whether you are intending to renovate your existing bathroom or building a new bathroom it's essential to get the bathroom layout right and choose the right fittings for you and your family. Changing bathrooms later will be expensive.
In this article I discuss additional items you should consider.

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​The design of your bathroom should consider the following:

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• Including a double vanity, or a ‘his and her’ basin adds convenience, reduces arguments over toiletry locations and mess and gives an added wow or luxurious factor. Of course you need a slightly bigger bathroom to fit the additional wash basin.
• The standard height for the top of a basin is about 850 to 900 millimetres (33 to 36 inches). Some basins (depending on what you choose) sit on top of the vanity (counter) which means that the top of the vanity should be lower to accommodate the raised basin bowl. Other basins only have their lips above the counter, while others fit to the underside of the counter (but in both these cases the bulk of the basin sits below the vanity top so the top of the vanity can be at the 850 to 900 millimetre height). Of course taller people may prefer basins set slightly higher.
• Counter tops around wash basins should be robust enough to withstand water splashes and spillage, and they can add a luxury feel to the bathroom if they’re of stone or natural materials.
• There should be adequate space in front of the toilet and to the sides to allow easy access. Also, consider where the toilet paper holder (dispenser) will go where it won’t get wet from the shower or washbasin.
• Bathtubs that are too short are useless and irritating – who wants to bath with their knees bent nearly around their ears? Try out the bathtub in showrooms by getting into it. Ensure that your bathroom is big enough to fit the bath that’s the right length.
• Avoid bath showers, they can be dangerous. Sure it’s useful to have a hand held shower by the bath for washing hair while you are bathing, but not for actual showering.
• A built in seat in the shower can be a useful feature for people to use when they are shaving, or for someone who’s infirm – of course this isn’t suitable for small showers.
• Avoid shower curtains. They look cheap and are irritating, sticking to you when you shower. Glass (Perspex) walls and doors on a shower are more expensive, but they’ll add immensely to the look of the shower. Ensure the fittings are sturdy. Choosing a cheap sliding door in a spindly frame could result in the door becoming jammed or coming off its tracks.
• Storage space is essential in any bathroom and can take the form of:
  • Under basin storage. Which serves a dual purpose of hiding water and waste water pipes. Remember though that the underside of the basin and the plumbing pipes will reduce the amount of storage available.
  • Mirror cabinets above the basin. These could be recessed into the wall to increase space or to reduce the amount they protrude beyond the wall. In fact if they’re recessed they might not have to protrude from the wall.
  • Shelving above basins for toiletries.
  • Other cupboards if space is available.
  • Shelves in showers and above baths to store soaps and shampoo.
• Dirty clothes are often stored in the bathroom before being washed. Place could be allowed for a laundry basket or bin. For houses with a second or third storey, incorporating a laundry chute into the layout so that dirty washing can go straight to the laundry below is a neat feature. Obviously this chute needs to be positioned vertically above the area below where the dirty washing will be stored, which is usually in the laundry.
• There’re a wide range of bathroom fittings and fixtures which can vary hugely in price. Choose tap handles which are easy for old people to operate, even when your hand is covered in soap. Having a combination shower with a fixed shower head which also has a flexible hose attachment is useful. Bath and basin tap spouts must be practical and long enough so that water goes into the bath and basin without splashing out.
• Position of taps in showers and baths. The shower controls should be accessible from both inside and outside the shower and should be able to be operated without you becoming wet. Bath controls should be easily accessible to a person seated in the bathtub without having to turn around and the controls must be easily reached from the outside of the bath.
• Pipe entry and exit points are dictated by the type of bathroom fittings and tap-ware selected and also by what’s structurally possible. Waste pipes from baths, showers and toilets have to flow down and out the building. Generally they have to be installed in the floor, or below the floor, unless they can run down inside an enclosed duct or wall. To accommodate waste pipes there should be adequate space in the ceiling voids in the floor below upper level bathrooms, otherwise baths, basins and toilets have to be positioned on the outside walls, or internal walls must have ducts (cavities) for the pipes, or the shower floors and bathtubs have to be raised above the floor to create space for waste pipes (which isn’t ideal).
• Look out for Part 3 for more practical tips for designing your new bathroom.

​For more valuable home improvement and renovation tips and advice read: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' and 'Volume 2 Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home'

​This is an extract from: 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses Volume 2' by Paul Netscher. Available in paper or eBook from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon CA, Amazon AU and all online bookstores. To read more

​© 2018 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.

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