Beware of the hidden expenses when choosing the Perfect Bathroom

There is nothing more exciting than designing the rooms in your home and since we purchased our house we have installed a new bathroom, kitchen and downstairs toilet.

I have to admit that, having always rented previously, it was a real shock to learn how much a house costs to maintain and buying a new kitchen or bathroom is a real investment. It is worth remembering that it is not just the bathroom suite you need to pay for, but the installation too, which often costs as much as the bathroom itself unless you are a bit of a DIY enthusiast or know someone in the trade.

Bathroom
Your dream bathroom suite should be the best that you can afford, as you will want to ensure it is built to last for many years to come and ripping out and fitting a new one is a testing time. The first thing you need to take into account is the size of your bathroom. Using a tape measure to accurately measure the dimensions of the room will help you decide which path you want to go down in creating your future masterpiece. Some stores offer a measuring service to help.It’s worth taking into account your existing plumbing, as moving the plumbing and pipes around can be a complex and long process that really bumps up the cost and the time taken to fit your new suite.

We kept our layout the same however our biggest investment in our bathroom was the walk-in shower which was knocked into the old airing cupboard, after falling in love with the large Raindance style shower heads like these from Hansgrohe Showers. We shopped around to get the best deal and compromised on other bathroom wants to be able to afford one, but as a family that prefers showers to baths it was well worth it.

When choosing a toilet bear in mind the age of your children. We choose a downstairs toilet which flushes with a Flush Actuator (button) on the front of it, but it is quite stiff and the kids really struggle to flush the toilet. Having one that sits on the top of the toilet is easier to push.

We had a beautiful old roll-top bath when we first moved in, but much as they look great, they are just not practical with children as they used to splash so much that water ran down the walls straight through into the kitchen below. Now we have a more practical rectangular bath that sits flush to the wall, although we did waterproof the room too, just in case.

I was expecting to have to pay an electrician for any electrical work but one of the biggest surprises to me when buying both a bathroom and a kitchen was that you have to buy taps, waste unit’s and even plugs separately which really added to the cost. I found it a challenge to distinguish a kitchen tap from a bathroom one and am pretty sure we have a Grohe Kitchen Tap on our bathroom sink.

My biggest tip is to shop around to get the best deals and don’t be afraid to use more than one supplier to get the best deals. Why not check out my Dream Bathroom Pinterest Board for inspiration.

Disclaimer: Post written in collaboration with Superbath.co.uk

9 thoughts on “Beware of the hidden expenses when choosing the Perfect Bathroom”

  1. I’ve always thought the same about roll topped baths – they look very elegant though. I’m ashamed to say that our soap holder has been broken for at least 9 years in our main bathroom – Always seems to be the last room we pay any attention to as we use our en suite more often.

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  2. This is an interssting read. We rent and u don’t consider these things as the landlord would be the one dealing with putting a new bathroom in if needed.

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  3. Our bathroom is bijou, or should that be pokey, I would love to redesign and refit mine. Would change the layout and go for a wider shower with a bi fold door, a smaller sink and a better shaped loo, would also find somewhere to fit a cupboard to take some towels and spare toiletries.

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