Refurb bathroom where do you start?

HooCanTellMee

Hi Everyone,
Just discovered the forums, oh joy, lots of lovely people to put me straight, I hope!
I have just had a plumber in to quote for replacing my bathroom suite, and fitting a shower, he told me it was unlikely we could have another electric shower upstairs. We already have one in the en suite. He also suggested that I either got the tiling done myself or got someone in to do it. This is fine, but where do I start, he will remove the old suite, but do I get the tiling done first?
Can anyone put these jobs in order they should be done:-
Fit shower.
Tile and paint walls.
Sort out uneven, wobbly floorboards.
Fit radiator or towel rail.
Change bathroom suite.
Fit new flooring.
Install new lighting,
We have an en suite, so could live without the bathroom for a while, so would it be worth trying to remove the old suite well in advance, then have a blank canvas. We won't be altering the layout, the bathroom is very small so it just needs to function, no room for fashion statement.
Any money saving tips to keep the costs down? Good place, price to get a mixer shower, must use existing hot water supply, not heat the water itself. What is a good make to go for?
Give me the benefit of your experience, I need help!

genny

HooCanTellMee wrote: »

Hi Everyone,
Just discovered the forums, oh joy, lots of lovely people to put me straight, I hope!
I have just had a plumber in to quote for replacing my bathroom suite, and fitting a shower, he told me it was unlikely we could have another electric shower upstairs. We already have one in the en suite. He also suggested that I either got the tiling done myself or got someone in to do it. This is fine, but where do I start, he will remove the old suite, but do I get the tiling done first?
Can anyone put these jobs in order they should be done:-
Fit shower.
Tile and paint walls.
Sort out uneven, wobbly floorboards.
Fit radiator or towel rail.
Change bathroom suite.
Fit new flooring.
Install new lighting,
We have an en suite, so could live without the bathroom for a while, so would it be worth trying to remove the old suite well in advance, then have a blank canvas. We won't be altering the layout, the bathroom is very small so it just needs to function, no room for fashion statement.
Any money saving tips to keep the costs down? Good place, price to get a mixer shower, must use existing hot water supply, not heat the water itself. What is a good make to go for?
Give me the benefit of your experience, I need help!

You may have to run another fat electric cable from your fusebox to have a secondary electric shower upstairs.

Personally I'd go with a mixer, saves more electric everywhere.

A good builder would:
1) rip everything out
2) Made the floor and ceiling ok, with lights / fan if required
3) skim walls if required, / move pipes / box anything in etc.
4) tile and maybe floor (if tiled)
5) fit all sanitaryware and radiator
6) floor if not in 4.

However you can do it cheaper by installing sanitaryware on bare walls then tiling up to.

Yes remove everything first, blank canvas is far better. you could move bath/sink/radiator that's easy, moving loo with soil pipe is usually expensive.

HooCanTellMee

Thanks Genny,
I am not planning to move the toilet, nowhere else it would fit, just wondered how easy it would be to get all prepared before the plumber arrived. Never thought of fan, thanks for that, there is a window, but a fan would probably help with the condensation. Likewise I can't think of any way to change the rest of the layout, the only thing I could do would be take out the bath and just have a shower, this would give better floor space, but I do like the odd bath, as does my daughter. Do I need a builder, plumber and electrician?

Aquatronixjenny

Yep, I agree with genny.

To be honest, stripping the old stuff out yourself is easy. As long as you know how to isolate the water supplies :eek:

If you don't want to keep the old sanitary ware then just get a club hammer to it! It will save you a day or 2 in labour costs. If you do want to keep the old stuff then get the plumber to strip it out for you as then if anything breaks then its his fault and he will have to replace it FOC.

You shouldn't need a builder, and if you aren't putting in a new electric shower or fan then you won't need a sparky. A plumber should be able to do the lot, but some plumbers won't do tiling.

Good luck

genny

Only thing to consider if you remove the bath for a shower unit, when reselling, you'll put off people with young babies, as a shower only is useless for such families. Personally I'd love to do that in our bathroom, but as we may move in 5-10 years, it'll ruin the market potential.

Plumber should be able to do it all, but if you are having new lights/fan, get a proper electrician in.

HooCanTellMee

Thanks Aquatronixjenny,
Toilet has stop valve on water supply, so that would be easy, not so sure about bath and sink water supplies. No I don't want to keep the old suite, it is a horrid shade of pink! I really can't think of anyone who could possibly want it! Plumber says it would be about a month before he could start, so I have plenty of time to plot my moves.

phill99

genny wrote: »

1) rip everything out
2) Made the floor and ceiling ok, with lights / fan if required
3) skim walls if required, / move pipes / box anything in etc.
4) tile and maybe floor (if tiled)
5) fit all sanitaryware and radiator
6) floor if not in 4.

However you can do it cheaper by installing sanitaryware on bare walls then tiling up to.

I agree with this except, 4) and 5). It is essential that the bath or shower tray go in BEFORE tiling. This will enable the tiler to tile down to the bath / shower, which will aid a good water tight seal.

Also tiling up to sanitary ware can cause problems in the long run when you need to change a sink or a wc.

HooCanTellMee

Hi Genny,
You are right the bath is probably a selling point, it is just that the space is so tight. Picture oblong room bath down long wall, toilet next to tap end of bath, just fits then the sink is on the same wall as the bath, almost overlaps the bath and is up against the wall at the end. Window is over the back of the toilet. That is sum total of space, it is all there, but very little room to move around. Almost like a wide passage! Looking at it from the other way, we do have the en suite, which is just a walk in shower, sink and toilet, so if mobility gets difficult we do have either option. Can't do anything about the size of the bathroom, already have extension, not much cash and need all three bedrooms for teenage brood.
In mid fifties and honestly can't see us moving again, stuck in a rut now, will just get more room when teenagers go their own way, one already at University, youngest planning to be Doctor, so probably leaving for uni in four or five years. Then we will be able to expand!

genny

phill99 wrote: »

I agree with this except, 4) and 5). It is essential that the bath or shower tray go in BEFORE tiling. This will enable the tiler to tile down to the bath / shower, which will aid a good water tight seal.

Also tiling up to sanitary ware can cause problems in the long run when you need to change a sink or a wc.

I think you misunderstand me. I mean tile the entire room (all walls 100% tiled) BEFORE fitting anything, providing you can afford to. Much better quality of finish than fitting stuff and tiling down to the item. IMO always better to start with a clean space, tile completely and then fit everything over the tiles, you get a very high quality finish, and very good seals.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

genny wrote: »

You may have to run another fat electric cable from your fusebox to have a secondary electric shower upstairs.

No you cant


Not many consumer units can take 2 electric showers

1984ReturnsForReal_2

genny wrote: »

I think you misunderstand me. I mean tile the entire room (all walls 100% tiled) BEFORE fitting anything, providing you can afford to. Much better quality of finish than fitting stuff and tiling down to the item. IMO always better to start with a clean space, tile completely and then fit everything over the tiles, you get a very high quality finish, and very good seals.

I think you misunderstand.

You install the bath & shower BEFORE you tile.....

It stops your kitchen flooding... Or whatever is underneath them!