PLANNING YOUR BATHROOM RENOVATION
One of the most important things you can do when renovating your bathroom is to plan its layout.
– Jan Antoni Glinkowski • Director • Style Plus Renovations
We know that creating your bathroom or doing it up can be a daunting project. There are things that you can do to make sure you make the right choices and achieve the best possible outcome.
The team at Style Plus Renovations North Shore Auckland take a brief look at planning your bathroom renovation.
- Efficient bathroom layout.
- Bathroom concept plans.
- Planning your bathroom space.
- Location is the key.
- Planning your bathroom lighting.
- Functional floor plan
PLAN AN EFFICIENT BATHROOM LAYOUT
Even the completed gorgeous bathrooms seen on Pintrest all have to initially deal with the less glamorous side of planning your renovation bathroom.
For example, planning your bathroom renovation could include the routing of plumbing, water feeds, waste outlets, ventilation and the layout.
So, depending on the size and shape of your bathroom, plan a design that takes into consideration these factors along with the features you need and desire when planning your bathroom renovation.
BATHROOM CONCEPT PLAN
Planning your bathroom renovation starts by getting your thoughts down on paper – this is the first exercise to be completed. To do this we would recommend creating a bathroom concept plan.
The bathroom concept plan would provide you with a visual of your bathroom layout and would include clearances measurements. For example the distance between a bath tub and vanity unit or toilet clearances.
If you are confident PC user, you could try why not give 3D modelling. 3D planning tools are designed to give you a view of your proposed bathroom. This would give you a feel of how it will look.
The following bathroom clearance guidelines will help you create a practical working space that maximises the potential of the room you have to work with.
By using these measurements you can determine the best furniture, shower, bath and fixture combination for your bathroom.
- Bathroom Access Clearance – minimum 750mm to 1200mm.
- Wall Hung Vanities Height – average 870mm (top of cabinet).
- Tall Side Cabinets – average 200mm off the floor.
PLANNING YOUR RENOVATION BATHROOM SPACE
An important component of a modern bathroom is consistency of design. All aspects of the design should work together to create a sophisticated modern space.
So, the first step when developing your new or improved layout is to work out what fittings you would like to include based on the space you have to work with.
Wall mounted products can offer more flexibility in terms of your layout and space considerations.
Also, by repositioning your bath and sink, you may have created more wall space for your preferred units.
The type of shower door you have selected does in some cases have an impact on what space is required. For example, a pivot shower door will require more space to allow for the door to swing open/close, where as a walk-in type of shower enclosure will not need room for a door to open but will need enough room for you to gain access to the shower.
Check the recommended clearances and keep in mind the functional and building code requirements.
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!
The next step is to work out which bathroom wares (toilet, shower, bath, vanity, heated towel rail) you need and exactly where they are going to be placed.
One of my pet hates is opening a door to a bathroom or ensuite and immediately seeing a toilet in front of me. At Style Plus Renovations our design team always try to tuck the toilet away behind something else, which is possible if you have an L-shaped bathroom.
Also consider positioning the toilet as close to the soil pipe as possible so you don’t have to accommodate large waste pipes in the layout.
If you’ve decided to fit a new bath or shower in a different position from the old one, this will entail altering the pipe work (water feeds and waste pipes), which will need to be done before putting the bath in place.
Also, keep in mind that bathrooms may require additional support framing, for example, if you introduced tiled floors or walls.
PLANNING YOUR RENOVATION BATHROOM LIGHTING
Lighting is one of the most important aspects in planning your renovation bathroom.
The purpose of planning your bathroom lighting is to ensure that your lighting should not only look good but is functional as well.
A bathroom renovation should include in our opinion a lighting plan that layers and blends four different types of light — task, ambient, accent and decorative.
Areas to consider lighting:
- Over the vanity.
- Around the mirror.
- Above the bath | shower.
- By your toilet.
Top Tips:
- Remember to also plan lighting wiring if its not currently in the place you want it.
- Any fixture that is used in a bathroom or wet areas should have an IP rating that is sufficient enough to stop the ingress of water. IP rating is shorthand for an Ingress Protection mark. The IP (Ingress Protection) rating of a bulb or light fixture identifies the level of protection it has against dirt and water.
- Different lighting effects can be achieved with the different colour temperatures that are available with LED lighting.
FUNCTIONAL FLOOR PLAN | CONCEPT PLAN
Remember, a functional floor plan | concept plan of the bathroom is the key to a successful renovation or new build bathroom.
In order for a bathroom designer to create the best bathroom for you, they will need to understand who is using the bathroom, when they will be using it, how they are currently using the space and how they would like to use the space.
With this information in hand, at Style Plus | Renovations our bathroom designer may surprise you with layout ideas you might otherwise have overlooked.
Want to ensure your bathroom renovation goes smoothly? Talk to the experts at Style Plus Renovations now.
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YOUR RENOVATION PROJECT
Tel us about your renovation project and we’ll call you back for a no-obligation chat about your ideas.
Alternatively, if you prefer, we can initially set up a meeting using Microsoft Teams or Zoom (and other meeting apps) for a no-obligation chat about your ideas.
We look forward to hearing from you to discuss your project and get you started on your renovation journey.
If you would like to know more about our renovation process, check it out here.
