New bathroom - where to start?

We are in the middle of it now, using a local plumbing company who have been in business for 80 years and have very good reviews, it helps That MrOops knows the current manager.

We are designing it ourselves, scouring the web sites for ideas, but going into local shops to actually touch and see the various items. One item we bought unseen was a bathroom cabinet, it arrived yesterday in perfect condition.

Let’s hope all the other stuff arrives in one piece, even though it’s ‘local’ mishaps can happen.

The plumber gave us a price and will source all the various trades needed, removal of everything and their disposal is included in the price

One ‘Bathroom fitter’ we saw gave an outrageous price then said he’d be happy to call round when we had organised the labour!! we would need to hire the skip and he could only do , weekends, strangely on FB he was highly recommended.
Goodness knows what he was going to do when he was here.

We are pencilled in for the actual work in 4 weeks time, just waiting on the vanity unit to arrive from Europe.

keepingquiet - is there a way to incorporate a few beautiful tiles alongside some cheap ones. I realise this is a compromise 😟

Or wait a year or so if they are likely to go out of fashion!

My daughter has used some expensive tiles as a detail in her kitchen and it looks lovely- and deliberate!

Our local independent bathroom company representative came round to our house and sketched a design. We then went to the showroom and chose everything including wall and floor tiles. The company sent a fitter (who was self-employed) and it took him 10 days to strip out the existing bathroom. The thing that took the longest was taking off the old wall tiles. After they had been removed, the wall had to be plastered before the new tiles could be laid. The total cost of absolutely everything was £8,000. The bathroom is not very big but it looks fabulous. Hope this helps.

We had an excellent bathroom fitter who helped us a lot. We looked at his back catalogue of jobs and that helped us to decide.

NotSpaghetti

keepingquiet - is there a way to incorporate a few beautiful tiles alongside some cheap ones. I realise this is a compromise 😟

Or wait a year or so if they are likely to go out of fashion!

My daughter has used some expensive tiles as a detail in her kitchen and it looks lovely- and deliberate!

If it was just a tiler Notspagehetti but it isn't. I need the whole lot gutting from ceiling to floor. It is beyond my budget. I'm managing with what I have.

applause for RosiesMaw2. I had my bathroom changed to a wet room with underfloor heating when I broke my leg and I took advantage of temporary stay in care home to allow workmen to get on with it. So here are some observations. Make sure you can get at the stop cock. There is a device, Surestop, that will switch off the water with a switch. Those pushdown plugs in handbasins can rust and stick, I can't get at the mechanism to free mine but have seen other basins where there is a lever at the back that releases the plug. Another inconveninet concealement is the lavatory seat attachment. When the seat works loose it swivels and needs lifting off then a screwdriver to tighten the fitting and the seat has to be realigned over two upright posts that are never in the right place. The old seat just had screws with butterfly nuts that could be tightened. The straight bar loo roll holder allows the roll to fly off if I brush past it. My old one was curved (and much better quality). Good luck!

a plumbers merchants the smaller the better and often cheaper usually most helpful, they have contacts etc ,i have been involved in too many house renovations over my lifetime!
good luck.I dont see why you would use architects etc they would
be more expensive than having the work done!

If you have a local IKEA they could help you with a plan.

I would go the nearest large Plumbase or showroom and look at the fittings you like. Also worth investing a bit more for the actual fitting you like (rather than saving on something you then regret and have to live with).
Roca (Spanish) brand is appealing and widely available for example - pleasing functional designs.
Soft-close toilet lid is an option
Matki perhaps for shower enclosures.
Perhaps a steel bath. E.g. Bette brand.
Possibly incorporate a narrow dwarf wall behind the basin as a shelf?
Have mirrors cut to size to enhance and lighten the space.
Have bevelled glass cut to size for topping any shelves

My son and his wife are literally doing this as i message only they are doing the whole house before move in. You have to have an idea what it is you’re looking to change. luckily for them my son old neighbors was a builder and he and his crew have done my son last 2 houses my son had a house before he met his wife so they also doing this one. His brother is also a painter and decorator in the group so my son doesn’t have to shop around for one they had to have a new roof done first and walls are being knocked down to open up kitchen but they had plans drawn up before everything was started and plans have been tweaked a few times Do your homework check for reviews chat to your neighbors see if they know any builders. A lot of bad ones out there. My sons builder as just done someone kitchen that a dodger builder made a mess of. It’s cost that person twice. They also went shopping for new bathroom fixtures and kitchen etc before builders started and the companies are holding them until builders ask for them bathrooms were done this week my advice do your research before you start

Firstly I would say always keep a bath, as we turned down several houses with just a shower when we moved. Our last house is where we replaced the bathroom.
We managed to buy a double jacuzzi bath at half price from Homebase in a sale, and shopped around for the walk in shower enclosure. Went to several shops for the best deal on tiles, vinyl flooring, taps etc. OH fitted most of it himself, with British Gas fitting the shower and a local plumber doing the jacuzzi. OH fitted the sink and toilet as it was in the same place. I think we bought the sink and toilet from B&Q.
As it was all plain white it all matched perfectly.
You can save a lot of money in the sales or on discontinued items.

When we had our bathroom renovated, we got recommendations from several friends who had all used a lady plumber. She recommended plastic wall covering (plastivan) rather than tiles. It is the type which is double layered with a honeycomb center. Good insulation for our north facing bathroom with 3 exterior walls. It has the advantage of not having grout to discolour but just sealant at the top and bottom and a corner. A window wiper blade does a quick wipe down round the shower and a dry cloth on the sealant so no mold after 6 years.

My partner is having a bathroom redesigned due to illness, bath being ripped out and replaced with a large walk in shower, door being re hung to create more space, a higher toilet bowl and all new fixtures and fittings, we asked the neighbours firstly to see if anyone had similar work done , luckily one had and could recommend a company, we then went online looking for other local companies doing the same work, we got 4 quotes, chose one not the cheapest, the work is almost complete and is looking good so far.

VBOOO we got the wall panel when we redid our bathroom and they are so easy to clean no grout to scrub. We got ours from a company called WetWallWorks and the selection was great and the advice we got was invaluable. Our builder loved working with them, so much so he recommends them to new customers.

And - you may want to consider giving the contractors keys and going on holiday! Then you can come home to a beautiful new bathroom and you miss out on all the noise and mess!

Our family bathroom was ripped out and redone a couple of years ago. We went to loads of bathroom shops, spoke to many assistants etc and then decided what products we wanted. Once that was done we went back to a couple of the showrooms that had impressed us earlier and had them round to measure up and advise re any design amendments. We then chose the one we thought was most knowledgeable, gave sensible alternatives and was a fair price. After that was decided we visited several tile shops to choose wall and floor tiles. A time consuming job but great result.
My sister took a different approach with getting a new kitchen, chose a recommended shop, picked out the units from their range and a couple of years on she's still unhappy with it and finding new problems quite frequently. The neighbour who recommended the shop later mentioned that she'd also had several problems with the same company!

When we had our bathroom done I lived to regret using a company that said they would send their team to do the work. It transpired that the “team” was a self-employed bathroom fitter who was not as good as he made out and obviously was nowhere to be seen when any problems cropped up later. I also discovered that the bathroom company required him to give them a % of what we paid him to do the installation.

Another vote for shower panels instead of tiles - we have them in our small shower room and they're so much easier to clean (no grout). They also come in a wide range of colours and patterns.

Another vote also for a “Japanese” toilet - we had a Geberit shower toilet installed and it is lovely! Well worth the additional costs.

I measure up carefully and then work out a plan, as NotSpaghetti suggests.
Moving the toilet position is often not possible because of the soil pipe, though it should be possible to move the basin and bath. Obviously new positions would be more expensive in terms of plumbing.
Personally I prefer free standing baths, wall-mounted WCs and basins as keeping the floor clear makes the room feel more spacious and easier to clean, but it is often simpler to box them in and hide the plumbing, provided you have proper access panels, as RosieMaw2 found.
Some equipment is very expensive, but if you look online at bathroom suppliers you can get a pretty good idea of what level of spending you'll need to achieve what you want.
I'd always prefer to use a recommended plumber rather than a bathroom company, so if you have friends or neighbours who can recommend a good, reliable, helpful plumber that would probably be cheaper though you may have to wait until he can fit you in. Sometimes they can get a discount on the equipment too, though I've always bought everything online myself, including the tiles, mirrored cabinets and lights.
We've modernised quite a few bathrooms over the years and found that the extra cost of prestigious brands hasn't always been reflected in the final look of the bathroom. The standard manufacturers' products are very stylish now - and much cheaper. The one thing I'd suggest is that you don't skimp on is taps as an attractive, good quality tap will make a big difference to the look of the room. Also if you plan to have a shower, either separate, over the bath or as a bath handset, it is worth getting a thermostatic mixer.
The idea of panels on the walls rather than tiles sounds good, but our experienced builder had never used them so we went with large porcelain tiles in the end. You need to be careful with floor tiles to make sure that they are not very slippery when wet.

The Local authority last Autumn decided to install a new bathroom in my council house.
They didn't ask what I wanted or needed just sent workmen to do the installation.
They installed a walk in shower and new toilet and basin. Renewed the flooring and repainted in white. It is lovely but a little colourless. I brighten it up with colorful towels and accessories Absolutely no complaints.

Lots of good advice here. I’d just say…2 toilets are a real bonus in advancing years! If you’re future proofing think carefully about keeping a2nd loo.

We live in a flat and had previously removed the wall between the bathroom and toilet losing the radiator.. Took the measurements to B&Q and they produced CAD drawings of what was possible. We chose the fittings and a surveyor came and checked everything out. Two charming young fitters spent 10 days doing the fitting and all the junk was removed. Under floor heating was a bonus as they had to move the radiator pipes. I’ve seen bathrooms done by the local plumbers and was glad I used b&q as those lads worked solely on my bathroom to get it done quickly .

I went to a bathroom shop and they supplied everything and suggested one of their approved installers. The result is fabulous even though the fitter was an odd mix of snooty and lazy … possibly because he was dealing with a woman .

Go to B&Q, Wickes, homebase, Kent blaxhill and/or your local bathroom showrooms, and tile warehouses and pick up their glossy catalogues, and look at their room displays. Decide your price point/ quality and features you want, , then study the catelogues and work out what you think you want. The assistants can be very helpful in these stores so take your room.measurememts with you, but don't sign up to anything until you are happy with the design and costs budget.

Sone bathroom suppliers do have a full fitting service but do ask your neighbours for details of tried and tested recommended small/ medium sized builders to do the work as and they will sourced the plumber electrician and tiler for you. You normally pick your own bathroom suite, tiles and taps, and get these delivered when you have found a builder. If you are knocking out load bearing walls or changing window sizes/ positions you may need structural engineer. Remember to ensure that all new works comply with all necessary building regulations and ensure the contractor gets the sign off certificates. Don't pay up front and make it you do pay in installments that you don't pay the last amount until the building reg certificates are issued.

When my bathroom was renovated all the plumbing was done by a local recommended plumber, he made some.suggesyins to maximize space and the loo.has been moved, and the bath is slightly shorter but lower. One thing I learned from when mum needed her bathroom sorting was that if it is a pretty but slightly fancy bath with taps in the middle, you can't use a device that lowers you into the bath and helps you out if you start not.being able to easily get in and out of the bath
I hope it will be a long time before I need that but as well to be prepared.
I have a small house the downstairs flooring is laminate from Costco, much better quality than I've seen in local diy shops, and with a degree of water resistance. Both my son and his friend were impressed enough to get the same.sort for their house renovations
The wall was in pretty bad state, and one of the walls had when I moved in some sort of textured paint, an absolute disaster. Might even have contained asbestos, probably not but putting wall covering sheet on made it easier,.no need to remove,.it covered a multitude of sins and is a dream to clean. As the room is small I went for my ight colours with marble, not keen on grey as plain grey, but with white marble with grey veins round the bath, it makes it feel a bit like I'm in ancient Rome!

We used Wickes who did everything using a local team.The whole thing was completed in a week .We were very pleased and we had the added bonus of half price bath, shower,tiles etc.The designer kept her eye on things and everything went smoothly.