BATHROOM BASICS

Creating your perfect bathroom may seem like quite a daunting task. There are so many concerns to address, be it  worries about waterproofing, technical issues with plumbing or structural change, so much has to be considered. Designing a bathroom can also be fun. Rather than imagining a cheap bathroom, imagine making a wish list "as if money were no obligation", flicking through catalogues of the most beautiful bathrooms imaginable, releasing the designer you never knew you had in you. You could be forgiven for indulging yourself in the creative design aspects of your bathroom project whilst leaving all the technical side of things to the expert tradesmen.

However, your bathroom will likely be far more successful if you take the time to understand at least the basics of the technical side of how your bathroom will function. Make sure that from the offset you reflect properly on every decision that you make. Questions like where to put the bathroom lights, how much bathroom storage space you will need or what size bath would be suitable for the room space. This fore-thought should ensure that you benefit from a balance between form and function.

Bath

Usually the size of the bath will be the first thing to consider as well as the shape, colour and the material the bath is constructed from. Even a fairly modest sized bath can be fitted with extras to ensure you bathe in luxury, such as an overhead bathroom radio system, internal bath lighting, integrated waterproof bathroom tv and media systems, a power shower or even whirlpool jets.

Shower

Firstly you will need to know how your bathroom's hot water is produced and it's pressure (either high or low pressure). It is essential that you know these two facts before you go looking for the right shower for you and for your bathroom. Once you have determined these facts you can then begin to decide on the shower enclosure shape, the shower head style and the type of shower tray you would prefer. If you think you willl require both bath and shower facilities, it might be worth considering the option of an all in one shower-bath. A "P shaped shower-bath or a modern "L shaped shower-bath" could provide you with exactly what you need.

Basin

You will need to have a good think about the conditions your basin will be used under, once this is done you can then determine the suitable options you will have when choosing a basin. Think about where you want to put your basin, how your basin will be mounted ie. a wall mounted basin, a pedestal basin etc. and how much use it will get on a day-to-day basis. Basins come in a wide variety of materials ranging from ceramic basins, glass basins and even stone basins. Choose the right one depending on style, frequency of use and budget. 

Part 2 of "Bathroom Basics" will be published tomorrow.