THE FOOLPROOF GUIDE TO Bathroom renovation

Consider these 10 helpful tips before making any big changes to your bathroom

- JEN JONES

1. Reuse the plumbing

If your budget’s tight, do your best to reuse the existing plumbing locations. Try not to move the toilet or shower as this can be a costly exercise by the time the water supply and wastewater pipework is repositioned and extended as needed. This means keeping the bathroom layout the same, and refreshing it with new finishes, fixtures and fittings instead. If your budget allows it though, definitely reconfigure the plumbing to improve the layout.

2. Limit the tiling

If you don’t have a huge tiling budget, consider laying a feature tile on one area and either plain white porcelain tiles to the rest of the walls, which can be part or full height, or a paint or plaster finish instead. That way you’re still getting a bit of wow out of the space without breaking the bank. Alternatively, opt for a large tile – think 60cm x 60cm – the larger it is, the quicker, easier, and cheaper it is to install as there are less cuts and less grout to contend with. The only exception is in the shower, in which case you’ll benefit from choosing a strip drain or acrylic base for ease of fall (the way the water drains away).