Bathroom and plumbing design
Bathrooms and kitchens are the most expensive rooms in property to
replace. It is very easy to spend thousands of pounds in these areas and
receive little or no return. Consequently, careful design is very
important. Practical tenant demand criteria might include:
- Bathroom is likely to be heavily used if all bedrooms are
utilised to maximise rent. The bathroom should be designed with this
in mind.
- Showers with decent water pressure are essential. Tenants do
check!! Use pumps or ideally utilise a pressurised system boiler and
cylinder. If there is no room for a separate shower, place the
shower over the bath but ensure water is containerised and not
causing floods.
- Available space may be an issue. Outside the U.K. a decent
shower (and no bath tub) will often suffice. British clients
(especially women) tend to still be attracted to a bath so generally
we would advise installing a bath if at all possible to attract the
widest possible potential client base. However it is far from
essential.
- All bathrooms should be fitted with extractor fans that activate
with raised humidity and turn off once the bathroom is dry and
humidity falls. Tenants rarely open windows in winter and this
system ensures mould growth is reduced especially when combined with
under floor heating.
- Underfloor heating should be considered if floor coverings are
to be changed. Consider 'wet' versus 'dry' (electric) systems.
A few cost effective Buy2LetExpert design ideas are:
Use natural materials. For example a carefully sourced travertine
tile might cost £30 psm versus a decent ceramic alternative at say £20
per sq M. So, a typical smaller bathroom might cost an extra £250 to
£300 in tiles for floor to ceiling tiling. So, summarising the costs:
- Labour price £1000.
- Adhesives, grout etc £200
- Tiles costs (30 m2) £600 (ceramics) or £900 (traveltine)
So, using ceramics the tiling job costs £1800. However, for £2100 the
job is done in completed in travertine.
We would strongly recommend the extra £300 spent here and easily save
this in the purchase of bath, W.C. etc. The use of natural materials has
many advantages but include:
- Timelessness. Natural materials date far less. Artificial
colours and finished do. Consequently expect less frequent bathroom
refurbishments when using natural materials. The base tiling should look
good for 20 years when using natural tiles. However, an artificial tile
with particular colours can look dated in 5 years.
- A natural tile is a solid material and not just a glazed
product. Hence no need for ugly plastic corner pieces on outer corners
and edges. The feel of quality is enhanced without such plastic edging.
It is easy to see the natural tile is solid especially on window ledges
and corners. It oozes quality.
- Replacement of the tiles is easier. With a natural tile an
exact match is not always necessary:
- If a bath is to be installed, avoid plastic moulded versions.
They are expensive and stain easily. A simple white ceramic bath is
quite adequate and should cost no more than £250. Ratings are often
given regarding the thickness of the bath. Generally, the thicker
gauge implies more chip resistance.
- Attractive modern W.C.’s can be purchased cheaply utilising the
internet. Likewise taps, waste kits for sinks and baths, shower
trays etc. Spend a little time here and save far more than the extra
£300 required for the travertine tiles.
- Replace any dated obscure glass glazing to windows with sand
blasted glass. This is cheap to execute but is important
- Like the W.C., bath and sink and taps, accessories such as
toiler roll holders, hooks, shelving, towel rails, mirrors cupboards
etc can cost a fortune. Source cheap alternatives from the internet,
or use Ikea or similar retailers.
- Lighting. Consider upgrading to sunken spot lighting. Avoid low
voltage halogen which produces a very white light. Mains voltage
halogens give a warmer light.
- Glazing. 'Mottled' or 'patterned' glass should be replaced for
more contemporary sandblasted glass which give the same privacy.
In summary, spend on the natural materials for floor and walls.
Upgrade lighting and any dated window glazing. Go almost as cheap as
possible (within the design constraints) on the remainder but NOT the plumbing quality. This targeted
spend will keep the cost down and result in a bathroom that both looks
great to a wide audience and is likely to far outlast many typical
alternatives.
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