Wash your hands of dull bathrooms

If your next home design project is focused on making your bathroom squeaky clean, our tips might help

Designing a new bathroom can present something of a challenge for many homeowners. They are usually among the smallest rooms in the house and, as such, there are a limited number of ways you can lay them out.

The first thing to do is decide on a budget. The amount you can spend on a bathroom will be different to other homeowners so work out how much you can afford.

Surprisingly, the suite itself is often not the biggest factor in the project’s overall costs. It amounts to the same to pay a plumber to fit a top end designer toilet as it does a £60 budget WC.

Something to be aware of is where existing pipes are – particularly the soil stack behind the toilet. Moving the plumbing around is an area where things can start to get expensive.

If you do want to shift the toilet and bath to a different side of the room be prepared for costs to increase.

Deciding what you want from your bathroom will make it easier to plan.

If it’s a family bathroom you may want lots of storage for towels and space for everyone’s toiletries.

If space is at a premium take a look at wall mounted cupboards, or if it’s upstairs you may be able to build some into the eaves.

Do you shower often but take a bath once in a blue moon? Then it might be worth ditching the bath altogether and opting for a large, luxurious walk-in shower instead.

If you want both but space is at a premium a shower over the bath is a good compromise where there isn’t room for a bath and shower cubicle. You can buy P-shaped baths that give nearly as much standing space as a cubicle does.

If you use your bathroom to relax and you have a decent amount of space, look at a freestanding bath for that luxurious feel.