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Bathroom revamp, advice appreciated!

(58 Posts)
phoenix Wed 04-Sep-19 18:38:27

Hello all, and usual good wishes.

Having sorted the kitchen, we are now turning out attention to the bathroom.(Glutton for punishment!)

As we don't have enough room for a separate bath & shower, we have been considering an L shaped bath, and one of those combination wash basin/wc furniture things.

Our plumber has said that a standard (1700) length bath, with the extra width for the L shaped bit, would take a LOT of water, so we are looking at a 1600 length.

Has anyone had an L shaped bath, and if so, what are your opinions?

Thank you!

Daisymae Wed 04-Sep-19 19:12:30

Yes, he is right and takes a long time to fill. We had one so that there could be a shower option in the main bathroom. TBH it rarely gets used as most guests just shower. I would consider getting rid of a bath and having a shower, unless you really want to bathe now and then.

Gymstagran Wed 04-Sep-19 19:23:00

I had an L shaped bath put in as my bathroom was too small for separate shower and I do like a bath. I've not noticed it taking any longer to fill but would have chosen the bath route anyway. Unfortunately as I only have one bathroom in a 3bed house I think going down the shower only route would be detrimental if I wanted to sell.

Davidhs Wed 04-Sep-19 19:23:18

Depending what kind of hot water system you have you may not have enough, we fitted a really nice spa bath only to find we needed a second hot water cylinder to get enough water.

Newquay Wed 04-Sep-19 19:57:37

Funnily enough we’ve just had our bathroom changed to a shower room. Much as we love a soak it was getting difficult/dangerous getting out. So we now have a decent sized walk in shower. I understand OP saying about not having a bath when you come to sell but we need house to suit us now and, hopefully, in the future too.

phoenix Wed 04-Sep-19 20:05:45

Thank you all for the responses.

Gymstragran absolutely with you on all counts! We too have only 1 bathroom in a 3 bed house, so not a good idea to get rid of the bath altogether, plus I struggle to do the flamingo thing when trying to shave my legs in the shower grin

Feelingmyage55 Wed 04-Sep-19 20:34:04

1. Everyone will take a shower. Not everyone will take a bath.

2. Make sure you get nonslip/safety flooring.

Smileless2012 Wed 04-Sep-19 20:37:39

It really depends on how often you have a bath as opposed to a shower.

I agree that it's not a good idea to do away with a bath all together. A 3 bedroom house is generally considered a family house, and a family looking to buy, when you eventually come to sell, would I'm sure want a bath.

Doodle Wed 04-Sep-19 20:39:40

Not actually in answer to your questions but we have had 5 new bathrooms fitted over the years (not in the same house I hasten to add ?). Here are some thoughts.
Had a loo fitted with concealed cistern in a wooden unit. SIL broke the toilet seat and we couldn’t get it fixed as there wasn’t enough access in the unit to get underneath and fix it.
Big tiles means less grouting and easier to keep clean.
Finger tiles (long thin ones) look good but collect dust in between them.
Fittings flush to the floor with no gaps behind are easier to clean than those where there is a gap behind the toilet.
Units that don’t touch the floor at all are great as you can just clean under them.
Our bath is big is 180 x 800 it takes hours to fill to a sensible level (it is smaller than the one the bathroom bloke wanted to install.
Double sided mirror doors on bathroom cabinets are great if you want to look at your hair from all angles.
If having a sink set in a unit make sure the top of the unit is well sealed and not wood or it will rot.
Hope you enjoy your new bathroom phoenix

phoenix Wed 04-Sep-19 20:41:33

Feelingmyage55 Take your point, but still feel that it is better to keep a bath, I love the occasional soak!

We already have non slip bathroom flooring, but may have to change colour, but of course will make sure the replacement meets the same standard.

Coolgran65 Wed 04-Sep-19 21:26:14

We have a concealed cistern but boxed it in with tongue and groove (painted grey) using screws covered with a silver dome. This made for easy removal for maintenance.

However, we did decide to future proof for ourselves and replaced the bath with a large walk in shower. We've never regretted it.

Yes to toilet bowl flush to the back wall so no nooks to clean.

Make sure the washbasin tap/s can swivel out of the way, something we overlooked.

Ensure the toilet roll holder cannot be leaned upon by children getting off the toilet, that's how ours eventually pulled out of the wall last week!
(Looking at you youngest dgc aged 3).

Coat hook on the back of the bathroom door is invaluable.

Newquay Wed 04-Sep-19 21:49:08

Yes we’ve gone for easy taps you can push up. Grab rails-in chrome look rather posh-in shower near head and on leaving and one near to toilet to avoid OP problem. And we had a “comfort seat” loo-slightly higher (we are both tall). There’s a flipper door at foot of shower screen so can get in and out easily.
We did think about keeping a bath, as OP have said, but we would/should not use it.

SpringyChicken Wed 04-Sep-19 22:03:40

Fit a stainless steel shower caddy, chrome caddies usually rust.

Esspee Wed 04-Sep-19 22:57:50

I have never seen an L shaped bath. Do you mean a P shaped one? Personally we prefer a bath with the thermostatic mixer tap for the shower/bathfill in the middle rather than at the end. It gives you the option of which direction you wish to lie and two grandchildren can enjoy a bath together without discomfort.

Esspee Wed 04-Sep-19 23:06:39

I second the higher toilet suggestion. So much more comfortable. An extractor fan is essential and to give the feeling of more space keep everything possible off the floor. Underfloor heating is wonderful (we don't have that and I never let my OH forget he talked me out of it).

Hetty58 Wed 04-Sep-19 23:44:57

I have underfloor heating. It's well worth the extra expense!

Ailsa43 Thu 05-Sep-19 02:24:19

I have a very small upstairs bathroom ( separate toilet).. wooden floors . The room is just long enough to have a bath wall to wall, with an over bath electric shower which my husband installed , and next to it with just a couple of inches to spare is the sink and unit!

I'm desperate to have the bath removed and a walk in shower installed instead, but o/h thinks it would cost too much and create too much upheaval. After several falls trying to step out of our bath despite having a grab rail, I really want to have the shower installed , can anyone give me advice as to how much it may cost and all what's involved, and even perhaps the recommendation for a fitter/plumber. I'm near North London

many thanks in advance

sweetonion Thu 05-Sep-19 03:06:52

Dude. L shaped bath tubs. Never heard of them here (US). Googled them. Very nice! Could have used one in our new house! Wish I had known!

We use a shower in the master bath. But do have a tub/shower combo in the guest bath. That’s pretty standard here.

Have fun designing!

Newquay Thu 05-Sep-19 08:57:31

Mm-we has ours done while we were away thank goodness, the dust is everywhere! If you’re having falls you need to address the problem IMHO. As for cost (!) just received bill from builder (who is neighbour). Estimate was £3,200, bill is £5,700! Gulp! That does include plumber but not electrician. We had already paid just over £4K to suppliers too. Might have to sell a kidney as our DD2 would say

Ailsa43 Thu 05-Sep-19 09:17:49

Newquay wow that's a lot.!! I can't imagine how taking a bath out and replacing it with a shower stall would cost so much !! ..but thank you for input!!

Charleygirl5 Thu 05-Sep-19 09:21:24

Mine did not cost half as much- I cannot remember the amount but that bill would have stayed with me forever.

GrannyAnnie2010 Thu 05-Sep-19 10:20:23

You could have a very small bathtub - 1.2m by 700mm, and have space for a shower cubicle. We have only a shower, so when son's leg was in plaster, he couldn't shower - wished then that we had even a small tub. So now we're going for both - tiny tub and big shower.

okimherenow Thu 05-Sep-19 10:22:38

How very helpful and practical.
Thank you

EllieB52 Thu 05-Sep-19 10:40:42

I prefer having a shower to a bath - just quicker, however I absolutely hate trying to keep the cubicle clean. There are so many nooks and crannies and unless you wipe and dry the glass doors down every time they end up with water/lime marks (depending on hardness of water). The other day I was inside the cubicle cleaning (fully clothed) and accidentally turned the tap whilst polishing it and got soaked! I like the idea of a walk-in shower that’s just an extension of the bathroom but space is needed for that. I find an over bath shower much easier to clean but harder to get in and out of. With lack of space it’s always a compromise.

grandtanteJE65 Thu 05-Sep-19 10:42:59

A wall fitted toilet makes cleaning the bathroom floor much, much easier.

Is there any possibility of moving the inner wall of the bathroom to accommodate both a bath and a shower, as you all seem to think it is a necessary selling-point to have a tub?

Or converting somewhere else into a separate toilet and hand-basin?