Home Renovation Blog
Expert renovation tips and information about Home Additions and quality Renovations
Expert renovation tips and information about Home Additions and quality Renovations
It is little wonder then that bathroom renovations are on the top of the list from many homeowners. Unfortunately, it is also one area of the home that can be the most unforgiving for the home handyman.
Make sure you know how much you expect to spend before you start your bathroom renovation. The worst thing you can do is to simply start and find the money as you go along. Develop a master plan and get it fully costed before you do anything else.
Planning your bathroom layout with accuracy is critical. You will need to measure absolutely everything from the walls, windows, doors, ceiling height, plumbing, toilet and the vanity. You cannot afford to miss a thing.
Get some chalk or a marker, and mark out on the floor of your bathroom where the new fixtures will be located and then draw the arc of the shower door and the arc of the main door. This is a cheap and easy way to test there is enough room to move around and get in and out. We aren’t getting any smaller so don’t make it a tight squeeze! What works on paper does not always translate to a practical solution.
Consider designing a your shower without a door. Door-less showers are an increasing trend and are popular because of the open and free-flowing feel that they add to the room. The big bonus is the space that they save. This makes them perfect for small bathrooms such as ensuites or apartment living.
Homeowners are increasingly asking whether having a bath is a relic of the past that no longer fits in with our fast-paced lifestyle. Your decision depends on a range of factors such as space (apartments often have a shower only) and whether it is an ensuite bathroom or a kids bathroom. Personally, we recommend every family home should have at least one bath. We break this topic down even further in the blog article – Bath or no bath?
Products that combine more than one function can be ideal to save space. A case in point is the 3-in-1 exhaust fans that also feature heating and lighting. We have seen bathrooms with these installed that have had terrible issues with moisture and ceiling mould over time. We recommend avoiding them if possible.
If you still have one – or more – of the old single flush toilets in your home it is time for them to go. They waste an extraordinary amount of water with every flush when compared with modern dual-flush toilets. A modern toilet can provide considerable water savings and you will benefit from ongoing reduced water bills.
Ensuring your wet areas are correctly waterproofed is critical. If it is not done properly, you will experience persistent and difficult to fix issues such as mould, paint and plaster damage. Once water gets in behind the tiles your waterproofing is no longer effective. The only solution is to rip up the tiles, waterproof again and re-tile. This is costly, time consuming and inconvenient.
Once your bathroom renovation is complete try this quick test. Throw a bucket of water in the bath and then in the shower. Observe how long they take to drain. If drainage is slow, look for rubble that may be sitting in the drain. This is a common and frustrating problem. To fix it, remove the drain cover and use tongs to pluck out as much debris as possible.
Before the plumber leaves, check that the taps and mixers work and the water drains away properly in the sinks. Check that the hot is hot and the cold is cold. It is not unheard of for this to be installed the wrong way around. Make sure there are no leaks at any of the joins, particularly under the sink inside the cupboard. These are easy things to get fixed while the plumber is still on site.
A member of the Amerex team will arrange a time to discuss your
renovation and additions project and assess what stage you are at in the building process.
PO Box 328, North Perth WA 6906
ABN: 67 009 252 680 Builders Registration: 10250
10 Monger Street, Perth WA 6000
PO Box 328, North Perth WA 6906
t: (08) 9227 1822
e: info@amerex.com.au
