Bathroom Design Essentials - What You Should Consider When Designing, Building and Renovating Your Ultimate Bathroom - Part 3

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Over the last 2 weeks we considered a number of factors that you should consider when designing and renovating bathrooms. (Read Part 1 of Bathroom Design Essentials and Part 2 of Bathroom Design Essentials for more.)

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​The design of your bathroom should consider the following:

• Regulations and safety are important, so floors should be non-slip and electrical fittings must be compliant for wet areas.
  
• Some regulations require that the bathroom floor has a drain for cleaning and in case of flooding, so then the bathroom floor should slope towards the drain. Generally all bathtubs and wash basins should have an overflow so that if the outlet is closed and a tap is open then water can still escape the basin or bathtub when it reaches a certain level, so it doesn’t flood the bathroom. (Note, it’s pertinent to ensure that these overflows are actually connected to the waste pipes when the basin and bathtub are installed, as some plumbers neglect to complete the connection.)
• Sound waterproofing is essential in bathrooms. This includes waterproofing shower walls where they can be splashed, under showers so that water doesn’t flow into neighbouring rooms or to rooms situated below the shower, and also waterproofing around bathtubs and under bathroom floors for bathrooms on upper levels. Care must be taken that the waterproofing is applied properly and that it isn't damaged by other following trades. Even the tiniest fault or hole will lead to a leak. Fixing leaks is often difficult and expensive and will involve chopping out floor tiles or chipping holes in the walls of your newly completed bathroom.
• Bathroom colours. Not everyone wants a bathroom that has pink, green, or other colour fixtures and tiles. Fashions change and what’s the ‘in’ colour now could be completely different next year. Even what we like changes. Changing tiles and bathroom fixtures (such as toilets, bathtubs and basins) is expensive and time consuming, so try to keep these colours neutral. In fact toilets, basins and bathtubs should be white – keep it simple. You can add accent colours with trims and paint, and even with the towels and the bathroom mats you use. Light colours make the bathroom appear brighter and larger.
• Wall finishes. Paint on walls and ceilings should be a product that can withstand damp conditions and which will resist mould growth. Tiling bathroom walls to the ceiling provides a more luxurious finish and is usually easier to maintain, however tiles are expensive. As a minimum, walls in showers are tiled to at least 1.8 metre (nearly six foot) and the area around basins and baths are tiled to about 400 to 600 millimetres (eighteen to twenty-four inches) above the basin and bathtub to create a splash-back. There are now alternatives to tiles which includes glass amongst others. Always check that the products can withstand moisture and preferably view showrooms where the products are on display so that you understand what they'll look like. Some products can seem like a good idea, but then look like a cheap motel bathroom when installed.
• Choose wall and floor finishes that can easily be cleaned. Tiles which have a rough texture or finish could allow mould to develop and be difficult to clean. Carefully consider tile layouts and colours. 
• Consider how pipes can be accessed if there’s a blockage or a problem. Sometimes installing suitable access panels so that sharp bends in the pipes can be accessed could eliminate problems in the future.
• Accessibility. For those who are older or disabled you should consider:
  • Fitting grab rails to the wall above bathtubs, in showers and next to toilets.
  • Ensuring that doors are wide enough for wheelchairs.
  • That there aren’t steps into showers.
  • That the edge of the bath isn’t raised too high above the floor.
  • That taps can easily be gripped and turned.
• Position of towel rails. Many bathrooms don’t have sufficient towel rails, or the rails are too small so the towels remain folded or scrunched and they don’t dry, or the rails aren’t where they’re needed. You usually want a towel close to the basin so you don’t walk with dripping hands across the bathroom. You want to hang towels close to showers and baths so that you can easily reach them while standing in the shower and bath. Unfortunately towel rails are often added as an afterthought, so there sometimes isn’t space for them where they’re needed. When planning the bathroom layout always give thought to where the towel rails will go, since this could impact the direction doors open and the location of windows, bathtubs and basins.
• Floor transition from other rooms to the bathroom. Bathroom floors often have to slope towards floor drains. In addition bathrooms on upper floors should have a suitable waterproofing membrane between the floor finish (usually floor tiles) and the structural floor. Between the provision of the waterproofing and the gradient of the floor it could mean that the bathroom floor could be fifty millimetres (two inches) thicker and higher than the floor of the adjoining room. Obviously we don’t want to have a step up into the bathroom. Therefore, to accommodate this requirement it’s good practice to design the top surface of the structural floor element for the bathroom of the upper storey to be fifty to seventy-five millimetres (two to three inches) lower than the adjoining floor. So either the structural part of the floor under the bathroom should be thinner, or it needs to extend below the bottom of the other floors. 

• Remember the floor supporting the bath must be designed to take the bath, plus the weight of the water in the bath as well as the weight of the person in the bath. Usually floors under baths need additional strengthening.

Conclusion

I hope that you've found the last 3 articles informative. It is important to carefully plan bathroom layouts. Look at alternatives. Visit bathroom accessory showrooms to view different baths, toilets and taps. Consider alternative tiles and how they'll fit with the fittings and fixtures you choose. Consider alternative light fittings. Don't just go for the cheapest. Of course it's also usually not necessary to select the most expensive finishes. Consider the needs of you and your family, what's practical, your budget, and what future buyers will like.
Many bathroom accessory suppliers have facilities to convert your bathroom plans into 3 dimensional colour drawings so you can better visualise what your new bathroom will look like. Some architects and builders even offer virtual reality where it's possible to view your bathroom as if you were walking through the completed bathroom.
Of course it's also important to use reputable contractors, especially for waterproofing, plumbing and tiling (note in future articles I'll discuss what to consider when choosing contractors and later good and bad floor and wall tile layouts). You wouldn't want your dream bathroom ruined by faulty workmanship.
Good luck with your bathroom design and construction.

​For more valuable home design 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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