bathroom, bathrooms, bathroom renovations

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Some Design Ideas:

Bathrooms

Tip: First have a rough design done and get a ballpark estimate to avoid over running your budget.

Over many, many years we've continuously come across cases where people have a home or alterations designed that totally overruns their budget. So, please do yourself a favour: work closely with your prospective builder during the design stage. What's the sense in having a magnifcient R1.7 million design when your budget is only R1.15 million. All you've done is waste your money on the design!

In other words, if you can afford don't go designing

this this

A Few Simple Steps to a Dream Bathroom

Though the bathroom is usually the smallest room in the house, its cost is the highest per square metre. For packed into that small area are generally quite expensive fixtures, fittings, surfaces, and accessories. It is also very labour intensive with plumbers, electricians, and wall and floor tilers coming into the labour equation.

Bathroom remodeling ranks with kitchen remodeling as one of the most popular major home improvements, perhaps because the return on investment when you sell your home is so high.

Bathroom remodeling can cost you as much or as little as you choose to put into it. While a simple spruce-up involving a new vanity top, light fixture and accessories can be done very economically, many people are choosing to yank everything out and start from scratch again. A completely new upgraded bathroom can however run into a lot of money.

If you have money to spare you can make your master bathroom large and roomy, and include such luxuries as a whirlpool or soaking tub, a steam shower, separate vanities, storage, and large windows or skylights.

Start your project right with the following bathroom remodeling tips:

1. Determine your exact bathroom needs.

Do you want to enlarge your bathroom? - Some extra square metres will open up a cramped bathroom and increase your design possibilities. Increasing the bathroom's size will allow you to increase your storage space. Add cabinets, drawers, and shelves to store all of your necessary hygiene items. Cabinets that have molding and glass fronts increase the appeal of the bathroom by giving it more character. Decorative knobs and pulls can add to this appeal. The goal should be to make your master bathroom a place that welcomes you morning and night with its warm atmosphere. Along those lines, adding a comfortable chair gives the room a luxurious touch. Being able to take a break and sit down after a relaxing bath is nice. Use soft, natural colours in your bathroom. By using natural colours overall, bright accessories, such as towels, curtains, vases, can be used to liven up the room without clashing with existing decor. Fill the room with scented candles, plants, flowers and art. All of these extras help beautify your bathroom.

Would you like to add windows? - Taking out a wall and replacing it with a window allows natural light to come in and creates a more open feel. Choosing the right window is important since you want sunlight to come in but at the same time you'll need something that gives you privacy. If windows aren't an option, skylights can be used.

How about the lighting? - Consider replacing light fixtures to allow the option of having softer light for those relaxing evenings in the tub as well as brighter light for getting ready in the morning.

Does the flooring need to be replaced? - Ceramic tile is a rich choice for flooring. Use a natural tone such as ivory or taupe. This will keep the bathroom light. If you think ceramic tile will be cold to walk on in the winter, floor heating provides heat from below your floor, keeping your tiles, feet and the rest of your room very warm. If installing a new heating system isn't within your budget, strategically place rugs in the areas where most needed.

Think about what your ideal bathroom will look like and then prioritize your needs before your wants.

2. Gather bathroom design ideas.
A set of architectural plans will really help you and your builder visualize the finished project, but any design preparations can be helpful.

Consult with a designer for ideas or check out magazines and cut out ideas, designs or photos that approximate what you want. It can also be helpful to a designer if you can make a sketch on graph paper of what your plans are. Any of these things will be help you express what you actually want to your builder.

3. Establish a realistic bathroom remodeling budget.
At this time you will also need to determine how you will finance your bathroom remodel. Do you have a savings that you can dip into or will you need get a loan? The answer to this will be a factor in determining your budget.

Will this be a larger remodel or are you making minor changes? When establishing your budget keep in mind the design ideas you would like and whether they fall on the pricier side. Always be aware that it will be less expensive if you don't need to relocate plumbing fixtures, such as toilets or sinks, so if you are on a smaller budget it is more economical to incorporate your current bathroom layout into the new design.

4. Consider popular bathroom design trends.
Second basins have become very popular in bathroom remodels as they allow two people to use the bathroom at the same time.

Another popular trend in bathroom design is separating the toilet from the rest of the bathroom.

If you only have a shower, consider replacing this with a bathtub which can serve double duty as both a bath and a shower (as depicted on the left).

Here are a few design tips:

Toilet/Bidet:
- Try to allow enough clearance from the center of the fixture to a wall or adjacent fixture on either side.
- Leave an area of clear floor space in front of the fixture for sufficient knee space.
- Private toilet compartments should measure at least 1M x 2M.
Basin:
- Allow at least .5M of side clearance from the center of the basin to a wall or other obstruction.
- Ensure that vanity height will fit the user.
- For double-bowl vanities, try and leave almost a metre between the centers of the two bowls.
Bath Tub:
- A bath-tub should be large enough to use comfortably. Think carefully before fitting a shorter than standard bath - you may be short but the next buyer may not.
- Leave a clear floor space either parallel or perpendicular to the bath.
- If a built-in seat is planned on one end of the bath, increase the width of the clear floor space by the added depth of the seat.
- For whirlpool tubs with control panels, leave an additional third metre of clear floor space beside the control panel for easy access - or perhaps put these panels against a wall.
Shower:
- Shower cubicles are sometimes very, very small and uncomfortable to shower in. If you are critically short of space put the shower above the bath.
- Shower doors should always open outward, into the bathroom.

When you deal with us YOU'LL BENEFIT GREATLY from the fact that we listen, and we care, and we will act to exceed your expectations and provide the best customer experience possible.

For more info about NHBRC call (011) 348 5700 or click http://www.nhbrc.org

Bresbou Construction CC, Pendulum Construction CC,

Monyakus Construction CC and Universal Coverings (Pty) Ltd

Tel: (011) 453 4401

Cell: 084 303 8179

Fax: 086 640 4667 (local SA faxes only)

E-mail: build@webmail.co.za