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Planning a Small Bathroom Renovation

Planning a Small Bathroom Renovation

From planning, budgeting, honing your ideas and even shopping...

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before you begin

first steps:

By design or necessity, homes are smaller than ever before, and we are learning to rethink our attitudes towards modest spaces. While they make take a little longer to plan, small bathrooms are full of design potential and allow us to create pocket-sized spaces that are both practical and inspirational.

Whether small or spacious, there are lots of elements to consider before embarking on a bathroom renovation. However, a more compact bathroom footprint does require additional attention to detail and some careful forward planning.

Before you begin, we recommend assessing your needs, wants and expectations for your small bathroom renovation, for example:

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assessing your small bathroom

Maximising on space in small bathrooms begins first and foremost with careful consideration of your bathroom layout. The function of the bathroom, the size of your bathroom and the shape will all dictate the direction your bathroom design will take and the look of the finished project.

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Window and door location

Take into consideration where your doors and windows are located in your bathroom, as these will often dictate where you place your fixtures. it is recommend that you leave a clear space of 32 inches to allow the door to swing to it’s full width.

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Size and shape

So often the ‘forgotten room’ in the house, more often than not, the bathroom is that room that is built into the space leftover, and this room may be l-shaped, rectangular or long and narrow, all of which must be taken into consideration when thinking about your design.

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Plumbing location

Depending on your budget, plumbing location is the factor that is most likely to determine the design of your small bathroom. You could opt to swap out existing fixtures, saving on plumbing costs or if your budget stretches to it you can reconsider the existing plumbing layout and really get creative! As a rule, it’s generally cheaper to keep plumbing to a single wall.

measuring your bathroom

Measure wall to wall and ceiling to floor, noting any projections and obstacles including windows, doors and external fittings. Draw or sketch your floor plan from overhead and also from a front-on perspective. Where you can, include photos to give your renovation team a clear picture of what they’re working with.

Ceiling Height

Depending on the age of your home, you would be surprised how few buildings are in fact symmetrical, and older houses especially are likely to have mismatched wall heights. For this reason, be sure to measure the ceiling height on every wall as they may not all be exactly the same.

Existing Fittings

Whether or not you choose to replace them, it is important to measure and note the placement of any existing wall plumbing, electrical and light fittings.

Obstacles

Measure the location of obstacles (include doors, windows, and pipe chases) along each wall. Record their width, height and depth (from their outer edges).

Corners

Check the squareness of the corners at the floor, base and wall cabinet levels. So you can account for any issues you might have during installation.

Start moodboarding your dream small bathroom today with the help of our project book tool.

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bathroom renovation permits

Even small bathroom renovations may require council or neighbour approval, ensure you are covered legally before beginning your renovation.

It’s important to check with your local planning authority and other relevant authorities to ensure that you have obtained all necessary approvals before beginning your bathroom renovation project.

Speak to the experts

Bring your dream bathroom plans to life with the help of the professionals and make a design appointment with your local R2 stockist today.

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