Thinking of renovating the bathroom yourself? Avoid these common mistakes.
1. Spatial planning: Celia Visser has more than 25 years experience in bathroom renovations. She said not planning according to the space is something she sees often. “Don’t think of bathrooms as an afterthought, it’s a space you’ll use daily.”
2. Unskilled DIY: “People often think of the bathroom costing less as it’s a small area, but the reality is there are up to 10 to 12 trades involved in a full renovation process,” Ms Vissler said.
3. Bad lighting: Getting the balance right is important. For example, LED does not work well in bathrooms as it gives shadow lines, and make-up can look like a different colour. If you have a bath it might be good to have atmospheric lighting.
4. Inadequate ventilation: “By law, it is required if you don’t have a window, but even if you do I would still suggest adding it,” Visser said. “Underfloor heating helps dry out the space quicker.”
5. Removing baths: You don’t need one in every bathroom, but for resale it is ideal to have at least one bath.
6. Mismatched fixtures and fittings: You don’t have to use the same brand, but aim for the same finish. Although people often want to source their own products, Visser finds they haven’t considered the design. “There are many different heights, sizes and styles and you need to know how they all fit and work together,” she said.
7. Inadequate storage: Storage is often last on the list or missed entirely when people are renovating a bathroom. “The bathroom has to be liveable, so do you have a space for the loo paper, make-up, cleaning products, even dirty laundry? Go as far as looking at heights of bottles for example, will they fit in your cupboards?”
8. Unbalanced decor: Aim to include only three materials and colours; it is often a smaller room and you don’t want it to feel overcrowded.
9. No flow: Not the flow of water, but the fixtures. “Where does it open and where does your eye first travel? You don’t want to walk straight into a toilet or see one either,” Visser said.
10. Cash constraints: This is a wet area, issues can crop up. If it is a complete renovation, be prepared to spend at least $40,000.
Adapted from stuff.co.nz
