Put some passion into your bathroom project

THE improvements you make to your home now will have an impact when you come to sell your property.

Take your bathroom for instance. Having a good quality, stylish and well-designed bathroom will create desire and allow a potential buyer to picture themselves living there rather than them thinking “It’s okay but I’ll have to spend money on it at some point...”

As Peter Burke, the director of Harrison Bailey in Bradford, one of the largest tile and bathroom showrooms in the country, explains: “Gone are the days of banks throwing money at you to renovate your new property; most mortgage companies now only lend enough money to buy the property, which means the new owner has to wait and save up for essential home improvements such as bathrooms and kitchens.

“Therefore the trick is to have rooms such as these already sparkling and new. This creates the desire and removes negative thoughts.

“All of a sudden your home is the one that they want instead of a comparative property.”

Harrison Bailey’s team has amassed a vast amount of experience and knowledge in the bathroom and tile trade, and can offer a wealth of information to make sure you create the right bathroom for you and your home at your particular budget – while creating a wow factor others will appreciate.

For instance, don’t used inferior, unbranded products as this tells people that it has been done on the cheap and will most likely need to be replaced in a short time.

Luxury can be inexpensive, such as with the aid of large format tiles even in small bathrooms. These can give a high quality feel and finish.

Lighting is crucial too, and LED lighting, whether it is in the ceiling, as a feature area or a subtle runway under a bath or vanity unit, will create that all important ambience. Providing it is considered at the design stage, it need not add too much cost to the project.

It is always worth visiting quality bathroom and tile centres, rather than relying on pictures on the internet. You need to be able to feel the weight and smoothness of taps, and shower doors should feel substantial and have a reassuring “clunk” – like a luxury car door – rather than a wobble and a rattle. And ceramics should have enough glaze to shine.

You can find all this at Harrison Bailey – with over 30,000 square feet of showroom space it can display just about every configuration of bathroom design and help you imagine how your new bathroom will look in your home.

All of this advice does not mean your next improvement will be expensive, with Peter pointing out that a typical bathroom costs around £3,500 to £4,500. “That’s not much more than what the estate agent will charge you for selling your house. This price includes the design, supply and fit