Six suggestions for a better bathroom

Thanks to the lockdown, most of us are likely to have spent more time in our bathrooms this year than at any time since childhood. That’s probably not because we’re washing more, or hopefully using the bathroom excessively for its other main purpose.

It’s because the bathroom is a refuge, especially in shared homes. It’s the one room where privacy is unquestioned and, indeed, sacrosanct, unless the next occupant is very very desperate.

Bathrooms, of course, are often marketed as scented, candle-lit sanctuaries, envied visions of relaxation and luxury. The path to that state of bliss, however, can sometimes prove rather less than blissful.

One of the problems for selfbuilders is that installing a bathroom is part of the second fix. This is the finishing-off stage that follows the installing of pipework, wiring and other hidden stuff that makes the visible stuff work. It’s fairly late in the build process, when completion seems finally in sight, but energy and finances can be flagging. It can also be the time when PC sums come into operation.

Provisional cost sums are those agreed, or suggested, by a main contractor to cover items that haven’t been decided on yet. Kitchens and bathrooms are typical examples.

There are numerous reasons for this. You may prefer to see what the finished space looks and feels like before you choose a bathroom suite that suits. You may be waiting for a long-ordered item before finalising a design.

Or, as in my case, your budget is so tight you simply write in the cost of a basic bathroom suite and pray there’ll be enough cash left to cover it when the time arrives.

The downsides to this are:

a) there won’t be enough cash, though you’ll spend it anyway;

b) your choice is likely to be restricted to the standard suites available at the local plumbers’ merchant or DIY store; and

c) you may not have thought through the implications of your choice, or even be aware of them, until a plumber is actually on site.

So here are some random bathroom thoughts, some based on my own experience, others more aspirational.

1. A waste heat recovery system

Hot water from showers and baths goes straight down the wastepipe, taking its heat with it. In a waste heat recovery system the waste water is run through coils of copper pipe containing cold water en route to the boiler or the hot water cylinder. As a result, the incoming water is preheated, reducing the amount of energy required to raise its temperature.

Manufacturers claim that close to half of the lost heat can be saved and, if you have a gas boiler, the upfront costs should be recoverable within three years, less with all-electric heating.

The system is easy to install in a new build and is usually maintenance-free. Retrofit versions can also be fitted under shower trays or baths.

2. Bidets

Like the idea of never having to buy a toilet roll again? A year’s savings can repay the cost of a simple bidet, and it’s easy to fit in a new build. More expensive versions can include an extending spray arm, a warm air dryer and even a separate ‘lady shower’ – all incorporated into a conventional toilet. Or you can buy a separate ‘smart bidet’ toilet seat to attach to the top of a standard WC pan.

3. Integrated toilet seats

In other words, a back-to-wall or wall-hung seat where the cistern is either concealed behind the wall or in a unit to which the seat is attached. Seat, floor and wall, or unit, form a continuous surface, making it much easier to keep clean than a standard close-coupled toilet where dust can gather invisibly around the exposed waste.

4. A downstairs wet room

Wet rooms can be sited anywhere, but creating a fully waterproofed room can be more challenging on an upper, timber-joist floor where some degree of movement is inevitable in a new house. A solid ground floor provides greater long-term stability as well as the ability to shape the top screed into the necessary slope to drain the room.

A ground-floor wet room can also act as a boot room for children and dogs, and cope better with the needs of the infirm or elderly.

5. Bathroom wall panels

Ceramic tiles are inherently cold and the grout they require can discolour or become mould-stained over time, especially in showers. Ceiling-high wall panels, however, slot together, creating a waterproof seal. They’re made, in order of thickness, from laminated MDF, acrylic or PVC, all of which are warm to the touch and maintenance-free. They can’t match the variety of colour, pattern, texture or kudos of ceramics, but for a shower, or a wet room – especially one that needs to be finished quickly and cheaply – they can be hard to beat.

6. Effective ventilation

Unless it’s removed rapidly, moisture-laden air in a bathroom soon produces mould, flaking paint and blown plaster. To avoid this, site an extraction fan as close as possible to the source of steam and as far as possible from incoming fresh air. One example is a ceiling fan fitted directly above a shower. Moist air exits through a flexible duct which vents through a loft wall or an eave. The fan and motor sit in the duct, well away from any wet area and minimising noise.

Fans are typically operated by the bathroom light switch, and over-run when the light goes out. But in a windowless bathroom, or one in frequent use, a continuous fan is more useful. Always on at low speed, it accelerates automatically when humidity levels rise. Continuous fans are increasingly fitted in highly insulated new builds where a constant air flow can’t be guaranteed.

June 2020