Can't make my mind up on Bathroom - DIY or professionals?

Phirefly

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

kind of regret buying a cheap bathroom suite from b and q now i realise i could have got a vanity unit from wickes for £99 , or with a toilet as well for £149 then just the bath to add on. also wondered whether i should have got a back to wall toilet and got the matching wc cabinet from wickes...

Do you mean something like this?

or this?

If so then I think you've done the right thing as I think they look quite cheap and narsty. Yours will be a much nicer bespoke custom fit finish, and once its tiled/decorated, it won't even notice. I for one am not a fan of vanity units or cabinetry in bathrooms per-se inless you've got a nice whopping bathroom and have lovely custom-built timber cabinets. Have a look at the boxing in behind the loo on the photo I posted in this thread and see how much nicer it looks than off-the-shelf units...

Phirefly

Thanks for posting those plans... I'm really looking forward to seeing everyones 'after' photos!

In other news - the shower valve arrived today... slick or what...

want2bmortgage3

Thanks for the posts.. do you have any advice as to what sort of tiles to use? the original plan was just to tile the back wall and the sides up to the edge of the bath.. dont want too many tiles as they attract condensation more than a painted / wood clad wall. what do you reckon? also for the floor is tiles the way to go? its just a small square basically. i'll probably be renting the flat out shortly so i'm just looking for cheap and effective no something to look at and admire.

want2bmortgage3

thanks i actually dont mind the current vinyl flooring which is a wood effect. its warm and soft but waterproof.. ideal really. im not sure i like ceramic tiles as they can be cold and very hard/solid.. i suppose its the same with metal bed frames i dont like hard things you can hurt yourself on!

andyhop

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

heres the progress so far... as you can see one wall is boxed in fully along the end of the bath to conceal the shower fittings and this makes the bath fit against the other wall, where there was a wood 'shelf' before

kind of regret buying a cheap bathroom suite from b and q now i realise i could have got a vanity unit from wickes for £99 , or with a toilet as well for £149 then just the bath to add on. also wondered whether i should have got a back to wall toilet and got the matching wc cabinet from wickes...

the substitute is the boxing in to create a shelf... though i'm still not that sold on it.. my dad likes boxing things in!! the walls around the bath will be tiled and possibly the boxed area behind the sink and wc.

i just wondered what you think of the progress and any suggestions you might have.. i'm still prepared to pay a bit more to get a better end result, and not worried about having to sell spare parts...

bit of a waste of space

i would loose the basin and ped and fit a wall mounted item with chrome trap of even a semi countertop basin

you could then use a push touch hatch

http://www.profabaccess.com/8000accesspanels.html

hatches are strong enough to take 15mm travertine

andyhop

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

Thanks for the posts.. do you have any advice as to what sort of tiles to use? the original plan was just to tile the back wall and the sides up to the edge of the bath.. dont want too many tiles as they attract condensation more than a painted / wood clad wall. what do you reckon? also for the floor is tiles the way to go? its just a small square basically. i'll probably be renting the flat out shortly so i'm just looking for cheap and effective no something to look at and admire.

if you plan to rent the flat out you need to use this stuff, long lasting and hard wearing

http://www.multipanel.co.uk/

want2bmortgage3

andyhop i kind of agree about waste of space there are 2 problems though which made boxing seem a good idea.. 1. hiding the pipes along the bottom and 2. the soil pipe comes in the room from the side so with a modern toilet we are not sure if it would go all the way back to the wall. the old toilet was ok but it was a low level one with seperate cistern.
reasons against the boxing is getting access behind the shower fittings, and like you said the boxing kind of imposes itself a bit on the room and it is a small bathroom. hmm... decisions!

want2bmortgage3

just before we continue work tomorrow thought id post a few more pics and see if anyones out there to give their advice....
i included 2 pics from outside the door to give an idea of size, one pic of the pipes along the bottom (was more from shower originally but took them off bath instead-the original idea of boxing was to hide pipes but there arent so many now), the other pic is the area behind the toilet which the wall is damaged a bit, the plasterer did as far down as he could and i painted a mist coat down to that level. so what do you reckon.. leave it as it is? box in lower just to cover pipes? dont box at all? i'm happy with the shower boxing but find the rest of it imposes a bit on the room, i know it will make a shelf but that doesnt bother me as i could put a small cupboard on the wall or something. appreicate replies!!

Doozergirl

I think the boxing where it is is good. It's far better high up with a practical shelf than having it lower.

I would tile the entire thing, including the shelf (or put worktop on the shelf) as it will look a lot less like boxing, far more deliberate.

want2bmortgage3

thanx for your post doozer.. any tips on tiles? was going to tile round the bath in bumpy white (already bought some but got receipt) but if i'm also tiling the extra boxing behind sink/wc then i'm worried it might be a bit too white/clinical