In lots of homes, especially conversions, bathrooms are shoehorned in and thus lack space - and, often, light as well. If this applies to your bathroom, consider making the room you've got go further by incorporating space-saving ideas.
Free-standing basins are perennially popular, but vanity units are a good alternative if you want lots of storage under your basin without it taking up much more space.
If you haven't considered a vanity unit, take a look at some of the contemporary designs available. And if, having done so, vanity units still aren't your thing, there are plenty of clever storage solutions for around basins, above cisterns and in the corner of the bath, etc.
When storing towels is a problem, consider fixing a metal towel shelf on one of the walls, so they can be stacked up on there.
Use heavy-duty toggle screws for this if it's a hollow wall or, better still, screw into the studs, and if it's a solid wall, use suitable rawlplugs and screws, which are often supplied with the shelf.
If you're struggling for places to hang towels when they're in use, fix a towel rail, perhaps a double one, on the back of the door, but remember to use (fairly long) wooden screws.
Perhaps the most obvious way to save space is to have the shower over the bath, rather than in a separate cubicle.
A more popular option is to have a separate shower. If you want an electric one, don't attempt to fit this yourself.
Some showers require a pump to improve the water pressure and, again, get a professional in to install this.
Electrical work in a bathroom should rarely, if ever, be attempted by DIYers. Play safe and employ an electrician and if you're buying electrical fittings (in practice, usually lights), make sure they're suitable for the bathroom zone they'll be in.
Once you've settled on the layout and fixtures and fittings for your new bathroom and have checked you're not breaking the law with your plans, you need to decide who's going to fit the bathroom.
It's obviously much cheaper to do the work yourself, but unless you're a very experienced and competent DIYer, this will probably be a false economy.
The best-case scenario is that your bathroom refit is straightforward and simply entails basic plumbing work with easy-to-use modern fittings and standard DIY equipment, much of which you probably already have.
But, as with any DIY job, it's all too easy to come across unexpected problems as you progress. As you're dealing with water, which can do a lot of damage to your home, and possibly electricity, which can be lethal to you, especially combined with water, a refit is usually best left to the professionals.
And with budget bathroom suites costing only a few euros, you can afford to pay a plumber if you'd rather not risk doing the work yourself.
DIY is all very well but not if it endangers you and others.
Free-standing basins are perennially popular, but vanity units are a good alternative if you want lots of storage under your basin without it taking up much more space.
If you haven't considered a vanity unit, take a look at some of the contemporary designs available. And if, having done so, vanity units still aren't your thing, there are plenty of clever storage solutions for around basins, above cisterns and in the corner of the bath, etc.
When storing towels is a problem, consider fixing a metal towel shelf on one of the walls, so they can be stacked up on there.
Use heavy-duty toggle screws for this if it's a hollow wall or, better still, screw into the studs, and if it's a solid wall, use suitable rawlplugs and screws, which are often supplied with the shelf.
If you're struggling for places to hang towels when they're in use, fix a towel rail, perhaps a double one, on the back of the door, but remember to use (fairly long) wooden screws.
Perhaps the most obvious way to save space is to have the shower over the bath, rather than in a separate cubicle.
A more popular option is to have a separate shower. If you want an electric one, don't attempt to fit this yourself.
Some showers require a pump to improve the water pressure and, again, get a professional in to install this.
Electrical work in a bathroom should rarely, if ever, be attempted by DIYers. Play safe and employ an electrician and if you're buying electrical fittings (in practice, usually lights), make sure they're suitable for the bathroom zone they'll be in.
Once you've settled on the layout and fixtures and fittings for your new bathroom and have checked you're not breaking the law with your plans, you need to decide who's going to fit the bathroom.
It's obviously much cheaper to do the work yourself, but unless you're a very experienced and competent DIYer, this will probably be a false economy.
The best-case scenario is that your bathroom refit is straightforward and simply entails basic plumbing work with easy-to-use modern fittings and standard DIY equipment, much of which you probably already have.
But, as with any DIY job, it's all too easy to come across unexpected problems as you progress. As you're dealing with water, which can do a lot of damage to your home, and possibly electricity, which can be lethal to you, especially combined with water, a refit is usually best left to the professionals.
And with budget bathroom suites costing only a few euros, you can afford to pay a plumber if you'd rather not risk doing the work yourself.
DIY is all very well but not if it endangers you and others.