Tiny Bathroom Advice - gutting and starting again.

Arfa__

I'm in a typical East London ex-council terrace, with a one downstairs bathroom. It's absolutely tiny, approx 2m square with one corner chopped at and angle where the door to hall. The loo, sink and bath taps butt up against the outside wall, with the sink overhanging the bath! It's in dire need of renovating and I'm looking for ideas, tips and advice.

It currently has a suspended wooden floor, sanded and varnished, but little varnish left from wet... Under the bath, the ends of the boards are rotten from past water leaks between wall and bath. How feasible is it to rip the wood out, concrete it all up, with some under floor heating (either electric or wet hooked upto central heating)?

There's currently a plastic bath that only just fits in along one wall. This was replaced ~6 years ago due to a crack. But now this replacement now has a crack on the outer lip. Its always flexed a little, making the seal with wall leak. Are steel baths much better? Or should I go for old school cast iron, possibly 2nd hand?

We have a basic 9kW electric shower over the bath. I've always wondered if switching this to a power shower off central heating would a) be cheaper to run and b) give a better quality, more powerful shower. What stats on the boiler do I need to check, to confirm it can handle this?

I've also wondered about losing the bath completely and just getting a decent shower cubicle. Do you think this would negatively affect the properties value / selling appeal much? Drastic, but would free up a lot room, even if kids would miss the bath.

Storage wise, we only have a small wall cabinet above the loo, window sill and a makeshift glass shelf I put into window frame! Extractor fan is sorted with decent Xpelair one in outside window.

Does anyone have other tips on how to make best use of such a confined space?

Can anyone recommend fitters, companies etc in the East London/Essex border area? The job is beyond my DIY skills and I hate plumbing!

Canucklehead

Arfa__ wrote: »

I'm in a typical East London ex-council terrace, with a one downstairs bathroom. It's absolutely tiny, approx 2m square with one corner chopped at and angle where the door to hall. The loo, sink and bath taps butt up against the outside wall, with the sink overhanging the bath! It's in dire need of renovating and I'm looking for ideas, tips and advice.

It currently has a suspended wooden floor, sanded and varnished, but little varnish left from wet... Under the bath, the ends of the boards are rotten from past water leaks between wall and bath. How feasible is it to rip the wood out, concrete it all up, with some under floor heating (either electric or wet hooked upto central heating)?

There's currently a plastic bath that only just fits in along one wall. This was replaced ~6 years ago due to a crack. But now this replacement now has a crack on the outer lip. Its always flexed a little, making the seal with wall leak. Are steel baths much better? Or should I go for old school cast iron, possibly 2nd hand?

We have a basic 9kW electric shower over the bath. I've always wondered if switching this to a power shower off central heating would a) be cheaper to run and b) give a better quality, more powerful shower. What stats on the boiler do I need to check, to confirm it can handle this?

I've also wondered about losing the bath completely and just getting a decent shower cubicle. Do you think this would negatively affect the properties value / selling appeal much? Drastic, but would free up a lot room, even if kids would miss the bath.

Storage wise, we only have a small wall cabinet above the loo, window sill and a makeshift glass shelf I put into window frame! Extractor fan is sorted with decent Xpelair one in outside window.

Does anyone have other tips on how to make best use of such a confined space?

Can anyone recommend fitters, companies etc in the East London/Essex border area? The job is beyond my DIY skills and I hate plumbing!

Hi... a good place to start is this excellent guide from the Bathroom Manufacturers Association.

Try to find someone recommended to you by a source you trust. You could also try the CIPHE 'Find A Plumber' facility for someone qualified near you.

Good luck with your project.

HTH

Canucklehead

blossomhill_2

I'd see if there was room for a cupboard above the door, could only reach via a step stool but handy enough if you are strapped
And put a sliding bath panel, will give you bits of storage at each end, if you keep the bath, store anything under there in sealed storage tubs in case of leaks
HTH

Mrs_Arcanum

We managed to squash this suite into our bathroom which is about 1.8m Square with a door that goes into the room. No sink overhanging the bath either.

keystone

Arfa__ wrote: »

I'm in a typical East London ex-council terrace, with a one downstairs bathroom. It's absolutely tiny, approx 2m square with one corner chopped at and angle where the door to hall.

LoL thats not small. I did one, last year I think - can't remember exactly, that was 1.6m x 1.6m.

The loo, sink and bath taps butt up against the outside wall, with the sink overhanging the bath!

Thats normal for this type of property you are lucky that the basin isn't oiverhanging the loo as well.

It currently has a suspended wooden floor, sanded and varnished, but little varnish left from wet... Under the bath, the ends of the boards are rotten from past water leaks between wall and bath. How feasible is it to rip the wood out, concrete it all up, with some under floor heating (either electric or wet hooked upto central heating)?

Well I wouldn't concrete it. I would suggest to riup up the old boards put down WPB ply, then UFH and tiling over that if UFH is what you want.

There's currently a plastic bath that only just fits in along one wall. This was replaced ~6 years ago due to a crack. But now this replacement now has a crack on the outer lip. Its always flexed a little, making the seal with wall leak

Sorry but thats down to poor installation rather than a problem with plastic baths per se. Steel baths are great IMHO but a plastic one will be fine if properly installed.

Or should I go for old school cast iron, possibly 2nd hand?

Yes ery nice but you won't find many 2nd ones about as they usualy have to be broken up to get them out! Think about the weight you'll need to get up the stairs and think again.

We have a basic 9kW electric shower over the bath. I've always wondered if switching this to a power shower off central heating would a) be cheaper to run and b) give a better quality, more powerful shower. What stats on the boiler do I need to check, to confirm it can handle this?

Please describe youi current arrangmenents for DHW and also boiler make and model.

I've also wondered about losing the bath completely and just getting a decent shower cubicle. Do you think this would negatively affect the properties value / selling appeal much? Drastic, but would free up a lot room, even if kids would miss the bath.

Depends how long you are planning to stay there. As far as desirablility is concerned if you get a string of lookers along who want a bath you won't sell but get one that only wants a shower and you'll be OK. Bit of a wet string question really. On balance I'd say keep the bath with shower over - gives you best of both worlds.

Storage wise, we only have a small wall cabinet above the loo, window sill and a makeshift glass shelf I put into window frame!

You are sort of stuck with what you have size/location wise.

Can anyone recommend fitters, companies etc in the East London/Essex border area? The job is beyond my DIY skills and I hate plumbing!

Sorry no can do. Follow CHs linky or get recommends from trusted neighbours, friends and family. Get three quotes for the same jobspec for comparison purposes.

Cheers

Arfa__

OK, totally overestimated the dimensions, its actually 1.65m x 1.70m! The bath just fits the 1.65m length.

Putting down ply wood floor, with tiles on top sounds good plan, much cheaper/easier/quicker I presume. Would this plan limit me to electric under floor heating?

Bathroom is actually downstairs. Boiler is in loft, condensing, its a British Gas branded Worcester RD532, about 7-8 years old.

Like the idea of shelf space above door and under bath.

I found the plastic bath flexed loads when it was full or you stood in it (no, I'm not obese!). I actually put wooden supports under each corner, to stop the edges flexing too far away from wall! It was compounded by the wall tiles stopping a spot higher than the bath edge, leaving a largish gap to seal.

keystone

Arfa__ wrote: »

OK, totally overestimated the dimensions, its actually 1.65m x 1.70m! The bath just fits the 1.65m length.

Thats OK. Its doable.

Putting down ply wood floor, with tiles on top sounds good plan, much cheaper/easier/quicker I presume. Would this plan limit me to electric under floor heating?

No. Tile straight on it and use rad / towell rail for heating purposes. UFH just takes the chill off.

Bathroom is actually downstairs.

Yes sorry my mistake - got carried away with the thought of lumping a new cast bath in an intact condition about the property. Not to be undertaken lightly.

Boiler is in loft, condensing, its a British Gas branded Worcester RD532, about 7-8 years old.

OK so its a combi. Whether you use the combi as a source of HW for the shower or whether you use an electric shower like you have they both operate off mains cold which they heat (by different means) to deliver hot water for your shower. Unless you run (ran) the combi as a system, boiler to heat and store the HW in a cylinder you canm't have a power shower. But the reality is with either heat source its at mains pressure already.

I found the plastic bath flexed loads when it was full or you stood in it (no, I'm not obese!). I actually put wooden supports under each corner, to stop the edges flexing too far away from wall!

Plastic baths should be securely fised to the wall on long and short edges using timber fixed there for the purpose.

It was compounded by the wall tiles stopping a spot higher than the bath edge, leaving a largish gap to seal.

If you jacked it up in the air to fit an existing tile line you may have made it unstable too. Bath should always be installed first then tile down to the edge of the bath.

Cheers