Adding an en suite
PART 5: En suite bathrooms
Structural considerations
Design details
Building Regs
Costs
Though it may seem like a small feature in terms of square footage, an en suite can provide a convenient and luxurious addition to the home. As well as freeing up space in the family bathroom on busy mornings, a well-designed en suite has the potential to provide a serene escape removed from busier areas of the household. Whether you’re taking a quick shower or nipping out of bed to use the facilities, an en suite offers an alternative that’ll save you a chilly trip down the hallway to the main bathroom.
There’s plenty to consider when it comes to creating an en suite, from sanitaryware and heating to structural details and plumbing. Here, we outline the details to know.
WHERE TO CREATE ONE
At first glance, you may think that adding an en suite to your house is going to be a tricky job, especially if you haven’t got much space to work with. However, there are plenty of savvy ways to maximise your home’s floorplan.
“With most typical Victorian houses you can carve out a small en suite by merging two good size rooms and create a shower room in the centre, sandwiched by a bedroom on either side,” says Claudia Aksoy, a partner at A2studio. “For a larger, more luxurious setup you could knock through to an adjacent bedroom.”
If you don’t want to sacrifice an entire bedroom to create your en suite, then there are alternatives. For instance, an en suite could take up one small corner and put up studwork to partition off the space.you could even create a compact shower room in an area previously occupied by walk-in wardrobes.
“Consider proportions and furniture positioning if you’re doing this,” says Lisa Jensen, senior interior designer at Granit Architecture + Interiors. “You don’t want to create an awkward bedroom layout if you’re planning to partition off a section for an en suite.”
If you already have a spacious master bedroom, another option is to bring the en suite facilities into your sleeping quarters.you could incorporate a glass modesty partition to conceal a shower or bath in the bedroom, or even a half wall instead of a full floor-to-ceiling partition.
If you’re looking to incorporate an en suite as part of a larger loft conversion project, using the top floor of your house could be a smart way to make the most of precious square footage. “Baths and loos are well suited to fitting into the sloping walls of a pitched roof, for example,” says Mick Haley of The Gentleman Architect.
Of course, the facilities you can incorporate depend largely on the space available. “As a minimum, a zone with a walk-in shower should be around 1.5m x 2m in size,” says Claudia. “An average bathroom is around 2.2m x 2.5m, which allows for a bathtub and shower. A more generous setup would be more like 3m x 4m, which opens up the possibility of a freestanding bathtub, steam shower, double sink and storage.”
THE DESIGN
Before setting your heart on an opulent freestanding tub, spend some time ironing out the various functions your en suite will perform. “First thing’s first — who is it for? Is it going to be a fun space for children or a master bath used by a couple?” says Kate Clare, founder and architect at LOUD Architecture & Interior Design. “Another thing to bear in mind is the way the room faces — will it get the morning light (for showers) or the evening sun (for baths)?”
If you want to establish a continuous flow between the bedroom and bathroom, you might choose a
doorless frame to link the two spaces. In this case, choosing for a design theme that flows seamlessly from one space to the next works well. Opting for similar colours, for example, will enhance the link between the two spaces.
“The personality of the homeowner now comes across more and more in bathroom design via the use of colour and customised products,” says Sally Cutchie from BC Designs/bayswater. “We aren’t seeing stark white bathrooms anymore, instead colour is at the forefront through a combination of brassware, paint and even coloured ceramics.”
If your goal is a practical zone for swift morning showers, a wetroom may be ideal. This type of en suite can be a life saver if you’re working with awkward angles, as a simple shower screen will maximise space compared to a fitted enclosure. (More on creating the ideal wetroom over the page.)
Keeping the space clutter-free is vital, especially if you’re working with tight dimensions. Bespoke, built-in storage solutions or even inset shelving can be a smart way to make the most of every square inch, rather than having freestanding units. “Cutting into a chimney breast can be useful for storage and sinks,” says Kate. “Think about the space above doorways, as well as seats, banquettes or benches and what can go inside them.”
Another way to optimise the usage of every nook and cranny is to use multi-functional sanitaryware solutions. “A bath-shower, like Kaldewei’s Puro Star Bath, is a space-saving concept,” says Adam Teal, head of sales at Kaldewei UK.
STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
Before you get carried away browsing for stylish sanitaryware, take a breath and think through the numerous structural considerations that will dictate the practicalities of your project. For instance, if you’re knocking through a wall to create access to your new en suite, be sure you’ve checked whether that wall is load bearing.
“This can be difficult to judge,” says Dan Fordham. “People are often advised that hollow sounding walls are timber studwork and therefore not load bearing — this can be misleading. Usually, the general configuration needs to be checked to see where the roof, upper walls and floors are positioned. It often requires access to lofts and small opening up works to determine joist spans.”
If you need to incorporate structural support as part of the works, steel beams can often be hidden within ceiling or floor voids. “The strength of the beam comes from its depth, but shallower steel beams can sometimes be used as long as they’re paired with much heavier sections,” says Dan.
If you’re incorporating stud walls to partition off the en suite, these would typically be constructed using either 3x2 or 4x2 timbers that form a lattice-type studwork. “This gives you room to run any electrical and mechanical fittings within the wall. Once these fittings are done, the wall can be plasterboarded and plastered over,” says Andy from Create Bespoke.
You can also use studwork to conceal the pipework your en suite requires. “One option to save you having to bury internal fittings for taps and so on into the wall is to batten it with studwork and allow your pipework and fittings to sit within that,” says Andy. “The only disadvantage of that is you’d lose a bit of space, but if you’ve got enough space to lose then in many cases it can be a lot cheaper to do things that way.”
Wall-hung sanitaryware
Fitting wall-hung sanitaryware is a smart way to enhance the feeling of space, as it allows you to run floor finishes all the way to the walls. However, you’ll need to consider whether the wall the sanitaryware will be attached to can take the load.
“If the walls are studwork, then it’s recommended to build the skeleton of the wall and then offer the sanitaryware up to the wall before plasterboard is fixed.the locations of any fixings can be set out and horizontal timber noggins can be installed to suit,” says
Dan Fordham. “Once the wall is plasterboarded, the fixings will then go direct into solid timber. Some items will have their own framework to hide in a wall.”
Adding a bath
If you are including a bath in your new en suite, you’ll need to consult your builder or structural engineer to ensure the floor can support the weight of the tub — and won’t bring the ceiling beneath down!
“Firstly, do the calculations to determine what the bath will weigh once it’s fully filled with water. Knowing the capacity of the tub is vital for this,” says Simon Taylor, managing director at Blue Crow Projects. “To explore further, investigative holes can be made in the floor to look at the size of the joists and the space between them.”
If reinforcements are needed, you can incorporate additional joists below the bath to reduce the risk of deflection. However, most modern homes have been designed to take the load of such items.
THE PLUMBING
Choosing the location for your en suite wisely can help pave the way for a smoother project in terms of connecting to the existing plumbing system. If you’re incorporating the new zone in the loft, for instance, it makes sense to position it above the main bathroom on the floor below for easier access to pipework connections.
“If it’s on the first floor, try and install it above a downstairs WC or kitchen to decrease the pipework runs needed,” says Lydia Luxford, technical and customer services manager at Easy Bathrooms. “Consider different layout options to improve pipework connections — remember that shower units don’t have to be in the corner of walls, and freestanding baths can be positioned anywhere in the room.”
If the existing connections aren’t close to the site of your new en suite, seek advice from a plumber. Typically, it is straightforward to re-route pipes from
the landing or hallway, depending on the current positioning of the setup. However, waste connections might cause more of a headache. “You can run shower, bath and basin wastes into a current location, such as a fall pipe from your gutters. You’ll need to check that this isn’t a clean water drain only. The easiest way to see if any other wastes in the house connect to the gutter fall pipes, or have a look at neighbouring properties,” says Lydia.
If you do want to install a WC in your en suite and it turns out that there’s no good internal route to an existing soil stack, you can see whether a new one can be added from an external drain in the ground. “Another alternative is to fit a macerator to the back of the toilet, which will allow you to use much smaller waste pipes that are easier to route to the current soil stack,” says Lydia. “However, macerators can be quite noisy and require regular maintenance, so they aren’t always the best option.”
Adequate water pressure is essential for any luxurious en suite, so it’s another element to check with your plumber. Ideally, most suppliers recommend choosing taps and showers that operate at a minimum of 1bar of pressure (enough to push water through a 10m pipe). Gravity-fed systems run from a water tank in the loft may have a pressure lower than 1bar, in which case you can add pumps to the pipework to improve performance.
THE COSTS OF ADDING AN EN SUITE
Depending on the quality of the products you select, the average cost of a new en suite with a 6m2 floor, 20m2 of wall space and basic structural work like having stud walls built out for a new shower, would be between £3,500 and £4,500. However, in cases where there were no structural works to consider, you could get away with paying £600 or less.
“Factors likely to add to the cost are structural works, such as adding to/replacing existing steels,” says Simon Taylor from Blue Crow Projects. “If you’re removing a load bearing wall, the minimum cost for a new en suite would be within the region of £2,250. Costs to consider include materials, labour and waste removal,” says Simon. “Remember, various trades are required for creating an en suite — plumbers, carpenters and tilers all have a role to play. The cost of incorporating an average en suite, including structural works, can cost anywhere between £5,000 and £6,000.”
“Ensuring there’s access for waste to run to the soil pipe is another notable task that can require lots of additional work,” Simon adds. Digging drain lines for a new soil pipe could cost upwards of £1,000, depending on how much work it takes.
BUILDING REGULATIONS
Building Regs covering drainage, electrics, changes to heating setups and structural alterations will all apply to your new en suite. Approved Document P handles the rules concerning electrical safety.
“Light fittings used in some areas of the bathroom need to be IP rated.the bathroom is broken down into three zones,” says Claudia Aksoy from A2studio. “Zone 0 is inside the bath or shower. Light fittings in this area need to be low voltage and rated at least IP67 (total immersion proof). Zone 1 is above the bath or shower to a height of 2.25m. Here, use IP65 light fittings. Zone 2 is 60cm outside the bath or around the wash basin. The minimum rating here is IP44.”
Part F of the Regs looks after the requirements for ventilation.while an openable window will suffice for WCS, projects involving new baths/showers need a mechanical extractor fan that vents 15 litres of air per second. Usually linked to the light switch, the fan should continue to vent for another 15 minutes once the light has been switched off.
Plumbing and foul water drainage needs to comply with Part J of the Regs, too. “If there are structural changes, this would be covered under Approved Document A,” says James Munro, an architect at Granit Architecture + Interiors.
“If the works are minor, some may be covered under the self-certification scheme, but we’d always recommend checking with building control,” says James. In most cases, you’ll need to obtain a Completion Certificate to show that your project adheres to the Regs. In addition to the final assessment made by your building inspector, your builder will also need to provide electrical and gas installation certificates where applicable.