18 Jan Bathroom Renos…Bathroom Renos…Bathroom Renos…
Bathrooms
The bathroom may be the most used room in the house and thus is the most critical for design, function and quality of workmanship. The bathroom can be the most aggressive environment in the house with steam, running water, condensation, soaps, cleaning supplies compounding the wear and tear on the space. Additionally, everyone wants a clean bathroom, but nobody likes to clean tubs, toilets, sinks and tile. A well designed bathroom should do everything possible to make cleaning easy and function smoothly.
Bathrooms come with different purpose and therefore different designs:
Ensuite may be for a single user, more specific usage and maybe more elegance with more creature comforts such as heated floors, towel warmers, water jet shower, free standing soaker tubs, separate shower, etc.
Main bath may be more of a family bath, where everyone in the family uses at some point. Therefore, the bathroom must be very functional with storage, easy to clean tub/shower combination, etc.
Powder rooms are typically minimal usage and for casual guest usage on the main floor of a home. Therefore, toilet, functional vanity or pedestal sink
When making design decisions and selecting products the bathroom has more selections then any other room in the house, tub, shower faucet, shower door, tile, toilet, vanity, sinks, faucet, mirrors, tp holder, towel bars, grab bars, vanity lights, ceiling lights (LED pot-lights), paint colour. Each product selected will have specific benefits and associated costs, so it is always wise to discuss these products with and expert, which your contractor should be, if you have chosen well.
Bath Exhaust Fans: One critical element that is often over looked is the bathroom fan. For a typical residential bathroom, I typically recommend a minimum of 90 -100 cfm fan with a maximum of 1 sone on the loudness scale. The fan must be vented to the outside, not the attic space or on top of the soffit, which will likely create mould in your attic. A home HRV is typically not sufficient to evacuate the moisture/steam from your bathroom, therefore a bathroom always needs a fan. I recommend installing a timer to allow the fan to run for 5-15 minutes after your shower.
Lighting: Lighting is another critical element in any room in the house, but the bathroom is very important. The point to remember is you can always turn off or dim lights if it is too bright, but adding light is difficult after the project is done, so I always suggest more light is better, we like to recommend vanity lights and ceiling LED pot-lights, including a water proof LED pot-light in the shower and LED pot-lights should be on dimmers.
Toilets: There are a lot of toilets to select from and they have different features. We have been recommending a toilet with a MaP rating of over 800-1000, one piece for easy cleaning, concealed trap for easy of cleaning and 17” comfort height to easy of getting up! Duel flush is often requested and is a personal preference, but all toilets should be low flow (6 litre flush) and I find a simple sing lever flush is often preferred.
Grab Bars: You can always use grab bars, regardless of your age. The bathroom is the most dangerous room in the house for slip and fall injuries. Every surface in the bathroom is sharp or hard, floors and other surfaces are often damp or wet and we are often in our bare feet, making a perfect storm for slips and falls. The inside of a tub/shower can become slippery during use and having grab bars is never a bad idea.
Faucets: Always purchase the best quality you can afford as faucets can be expensive to fix and a challenge if they malfunction. There are many quality products on the market from known supplier such as Moen™, Delta™ and others, do some research and ensure the faucet is right for you.
Tub & Showers: There are many options when it comes to tubs – stand alone tubs (vessels), elcove tubs, drop in tubs, tub/shower combinations (with and without domes) and then stand alone shower units. Tubs can be fibreglass, acrylic or steel. Showers can be fibreglass, acrylic or tiles and all tubs and showers can have a glass door, shower shield or a shower curtain depending on the desired look. With all that being said, I would suggest that you do your research on each, look on-line for options and features you like and discuss with a professional contractor.
With so many bathroom options and products to select, it is always wise to contact a professional contractor with the knowledge to guide your selections and design of your bathroom.