Great Bathroom Ideas

Archive for September, 2009

To the majority of folk, the term ‘freestanding bath’ is interchangeable with ‘roll top bath; if only things were that simple!  The fact is, there’s a free standing bath designed to fit in with any décor, from traditional claw-foot, roll top styles to ultra-modern design.

Balterley Vista Slipper Bath £596

If you’re short on space, look for a bath that is 1400mm in length, rather than the regular 1700mm.  Some slipper baths fulfil these criteria.  Our Balterley Vista 1545×735 Slipper Bath is slightly longer at 1545mm x 735mm but this might just be enough to make the difference between can fit and can’t fit.  There are plenty of shorter baths in our dedicated small bath category. 

For something in the uber-elegant category, what about the Laufen Il Bagno Alessi Freestanding Bath?  Designed to appeal to all your senses, this wonderfully curvaceous design will transform a humble bathroom into a stylish sanctuary. 

Phoenix Plato Freestanding Bath £594

If art-deco is more your style, the Phoenix Plato Freestanding Bath has the requisite straight lines and angles; a long-sided hexagon with a 180 litre capacity.  Just made for a comfortable, deep bath with somewhere to rest your back! 

With four pages of freestanding baths to choose from, we can’t possibly describe them all here – you’ll just have to take a look at Great Bathroom Ideas.

View our full freestanding bath range

The 2005 Building Regulations suggest that electric showers should be installed by a qualified electrician, which makes sense when you think about what a lethal cocktail electricity and water make together.  On the plus side, electric showers are the only type of shower that are suitable for all types of domestic water system – so you pays your money and you takes your choice. 

Triton Excite Electric Shower 9.5kw £264

When you have decided to ‘go electric’ you’ll find that the selection of electric showers put together by Great Bathroom Ideas covers the whole gamut of prices and styles.  Top of the range is the Triton Excite Electric Shower; this 9.5kw slimline electric shower benefits from a stylish satin finish.  It also features power on and low pressure indicators, start/stop button and rub-clean shower head.  Its top, bottom, side and rear cable and pipe entries make it easy to install, as it gives more flexibility when routing the cables and pipes. 

Also at the top end of the range is the Hudson Reed Corona 10.5kw Electric Shower, which can be fitted with left or right hand entry, thus, avoiding the need for re-piping or re-wiring. 

Moving to mid-market, there are a number of options, still at 9.5kw power.  There are a couple of Triton showers – the Excite, Entice, and Enlight electric showers are all mid-range in price, or you might prefer the Redring Slimline Electric Shower.  The ultra-slim Redring model is fully temperature stabilised, and has 3 power settings, as well as overheat protection, push-button power selection and on/off, timed phase shut-down. 

Hudson Reed Electric Shower 10.5kw £288

At an even lower price-point, there is yet another Triton, this time the Enlight 8.5kw model, which comes in at just over £60. 

Don’t forget that you will need to add the cost of installation to these prices.

View our full electric shower range

The bathroom is one room in the house, apart from the kitchen, that needs the most preparation. A well planned compact bathroom will not only add importantly to the economic value of your home, but will also offer an needed luxury: somewhere to relax, wash, feel great and be pampered. As you’re in all likelihood working with one of your home’s smallest places, using every inch is key.

Rose Freestanding Bathroom Suite £1099

The bathroom no matter how big or small needs to be practical yet fully functional. When designing your bathroom you need to get the planning stage right to avoid high-priced changes in plumbing or tiling further down the line.

Ok so what first?

If you are revamping a small bathroom area it is vitally important that you get all of the sizings exact an easy way to begin is drawing a scale plan of your bathroom with the intended suite added. You also need to take on in your plan the placement of windows existing plumbing positioning and something that is often ignored the door. Which way does the door swing will it open fully with the next bathroom suite installed and where is the toilet in relation to the door, basically can you be seen sat on the toilet by the neighbours if the door is open!

It is a more difficult task if you are starting with a bare canvas, as you may not have existing plumbing that you can marry a new suite to which adds to the cost if a lot of plumbing work is required. Again the scale plan is a useful tool that can be enlarged to cover plumbing aspects.

If you are exchanging and exsiting bathrom suite the task is slightly easier. Most of us will be functioning to a budget so the best way to keep prices down is to replace your existing bathroom suite with furniture that will fit in the exsiting place.

Mojo Oak Bathroom Furniture Unit £269

There is a huge amount of choice now with bathroom suites and all of the top makers seem to have a design that will fit all budgets and bathroom sizes som of these manufacturers include Deva, Roca, Bauhaus and Shires. So whether you have a large or small bathroom the choices of bathroom suites and furniture seem to be endless.

Additional points to consider

It’s a good idea to speak to your plumber about your designed layout before you commence work. Your plumber will be able to propose on piping, drains and water pressure. A good plumber will most likely have been inside a number of conservative bathrooms, like yours, and may have some useful advice for position of sanitary ware, basins and the lavatory – if you’re searching for inspiration or a bit of help.

In terms of space enhancement, simple additions like mirrors, light colours (tiles and floor), good storage and selecting wall hung sanitary ware can make your bathroom seem bigger than it is. If you’re lucky enough to get it, natural light also does wonders. A small bathroom can be an asset to your home, and if you have a well-thought plan, get some credible advice and search out quality sanitary ware, you’ll be off to a great start!

Take a look at our full bathroom range