Renovating – when to bite the bullet and get started!

Renovating can be a daunting process. It can easily be continually put off and never get done, especially if it something you haven’t ever done before! It can be hard to know where to start, how much you are going to need to budget for & what the process is. Sometimes though, it is a good idea to bite the bullet, get your renovating pants on and go for it!

 

Leaking/damage

This is a fairly obvious reason to look at renovating but worth touching on nonetheless. If you’ve noticed that your bathroom may be leaking, it really needs to be dealt with asap! Long term leaks can not only cause damage to your bathroom but to other rooms in your house even sometimes leading to structural issues. If your bathroom is leaking, chances are it is quite old & possibly outdates and ready for an update anyway! So not only will you fix the leaking issue but you will update your home adding value to your property.

 

Outdated

Your bathroom may just be outdated and ready to brought into the modern era! If it is a home you are living in and you have another bathroom you can use while the renovation is taking place then really you can get started at any time. If it is your only bathroom you can either get a portable ensuite or if you are planning on going away on holidays we can get in and complete the renovation while you’re away!

Increase property value

Renovating your bathroom is a great way to increase the value of your property. It’s good to consider if it is a place you are renting out & want to get more rental return or if you are getting ready to sell & want to make sure you get the absolute best price!

Is it absolutely 100% necessary to have a bath in my house?!

We have customers asking us all the time – do we HAVE to put a bath in our bathroom? OR, can we delete it and use the space for a larger shower or double vanity? There are certainly arguments for and against but it really comes down to the practicality of having a bath in your particular property, how you live your life (will a bath even be used in your household!) & of course, your intentions for the property.

 

Practicality

Once aspect to consider is how big your property is & what kind of person/couple/family are living there or are likely to live there. If you own a 1 or 2 bedroom unit with a small bathroom then perhaps it isn’t the most practical space to install one. It is unlikely people will live there with young children who might feel they require a bath. If you’ve got a bit more space, or if you own a house with 3 or more bedrooms, then it might be most practical to ensure one is installed! From a practical perspective it really comes down to the size of your home & the space available in your bathroom.

 

Your personal preference

I personally love a good bath! But there are certainly people out there who would never it! Another point to consider is – do you or other members of your household like having baths & will you use it? Of course, if it’s going to be loved & used & you’ve got the space for it then it’s a no-brainer! Start bath shopping!!

 

Intentions for the property

Resale value is another obvious consideration. If your property is a 1 or 2 bedroom unit it is unlikely a family with young children will purchase the property. Anything bigger than this could have children potentially moving in & it may be something that they are looking for the property to have.

 

It really comes down to three things: is it a practical option, will it get used & how will the addition or removal of a bath impact on your resale value.

Toilets

A toilet’s a toilet right? WRONG! They come in all different shapes, styles & designs & it is important to work out what is going to work best in your bathroom before getting started.

 

Toilet Suites

Invisi Concealed:

This type of suite is where the cistern is concealed inside the wall cavity. You’ve probably seen this on THE BLOCK & other renovation shows. Design-wise it creates a neat finish with no visible bulky cistern.

 

Wall Faced:

This type of toilet creates a very on-trend & modern look in your new bathroom. The back of the pan sits flush with the wall all the way to the top of the cistern. This a fashionable & popular option!

 

Close Coupled:

This type of suite is where the flush pipe is concealed between the pan and the cistern. This can often be a good option as it fits with all types of bathroom set ups. For example, if you have retiled your bathroom before considering the toilet you want – this will work for you!

 

Connector:

This is the most classic toilet option with the pan connected to the cistern through a flush pipe which is visible. Not the most modern design but works with pretty much all plumbing arrangements!

 

It can be daunting working out which is going to be the best toilet for you considering the above options! It’s good to do some research into the style you think is going to work best before going out and purchasing the suite.

But ultimately, these are the three things you need to consider:

Design – which option do you prefer aesthetically?

Practicality – which option is going to actually work best with your situation

Budget – which option is going to fit within your budget to purchase in the first place & also what can you afford when it comes to altering the plumbing set up.

Feature Floor Tiles

With so many cool new bathroom trends showing their influence in bathroom design so far this year, it can be hard to know where to start! But one trend that is definitely proving a hit amongst not only high end designers but in your everyday home reno is the use of feature floor tiles. They don’t have to cost the earth but boy can they create a WOW factor in your new bathroom!

 

Pattern

There are many great patterned floor tiles on the market today. They generally will come in a standard bathroom floor tile size of 300x300mm which is great to work with to create appropriate falls to waste. We have seen Dee & Daz do the monochrome patterned floor tile in The Block a few years back and no doubt we will see it again in this years series. It’s a great way to add some personality & style to your bathroom without costing a fortune! By choosing black & white monochrome patterned tiles or neutral greys or browns you can ensure that not only will you bathroom be up to date & on trend, but your bathroom won’t date too quickly either.

 

Team with neutral

Team your patterned feature floor tile with a beautiful, crisp, large format white or neutral grey wall tiles. This allows the floor to be the hero of the room and won’t cause the space to feel to ‘busy’. Natural timber finishes offset the simple wall tiles and keep the space feeling warm & contemporary. You can then finish the space off with brass, gold or black tap ware & accessories for that final WOW factor! Alternatively you can stick with your classic chrome fittings which, lets face it, aren’t going to date any time soon & are certainly more cost efficient than the modern brass, gold & black options!

 

Experimenting with feature floor tiles is a great way to add some pizzazz to your bathroom renovation and is sure to get some ‘Oh Wow”s from your friends & family! Be ON TREND in 2017!!

Large Format Tiles

Most people are now opting to tile their living spaces rather than choose other floor covering such as carpet, floating floors, vinyl or hardwood due to the fact that tiles are extremely hard wearing and tend to last longer than these other options. Over the past 10 years we have seen the average size of floor tiles get larger and larger with the most popular being large format tiles in a 600x600mm. There are a number of reasons for this trend:

 

Design

To begin with, it has definitely become more fashionable to use larger tiles in living spaces, especially in new homes. With many people in Adelaide opting to build a new home rather than buy an existing dwelling, we have seen the layout of  living spaces tend to be large, open plan that really requires a larger tile to match the scale of the room. Large tiles look & feel luxurious & expensive but actually tend to cost the same (or a lot of the time, even less) to purchase and lay than smaller tiles.

 

Practicality

Large tiles mean less grout spacings! Grout joints are always the most difficult area of a tiled floor to keep clean so less grout joints means less cleaning. Which, I think we can all agree, is always a major plus! They are also great for any household with members who have asthma or allergies.

 

Availability

With these large format tiles being so very popular, it means that there is lots of stock in all different colours available at any good tile outlet. This means you can pretty much always find the exact tone or design that is going to work best in your home.

 

Large format tiles are the way to go when tiling your floors. There are not only extremely on trend & fashionable but are a practical choice & readily available for purchase.