
Whether you want to install a new bathroom or make improvements to an existing one there are some decisions you need to make and challenges to overcome. A bathroom must be tailored to your requirements and every plan will vary depending on the planner's needs.
1. Seek professional advice before planning a bathroom. You may need to consider local water regulations, existing plumbing facilities and the way your house is constructed.
2. Define the role and requirements of the new bathroom. Planning a bathroom involves more than the positioning of basic fixtures such as the bath, basin and toilet. Make sure your plan allows for plenty of floor for wall space and for extras such as towel rail, mirror and storage.
3. Decide if you need to make any changes to existing services and whether structural work is required. Measure up and note the position of the existing services, windows and doors and work out the plan to get the bathroom fixtures where you want them. You'll also need to decide if you need to move any doors, windows or walls and whether you need to make changes to the electricity wiring, water and drains.
4. Draw out the bathroom area on graph paper and work out how best to divide up the bathroom for different purposes or tasks. You may need to consider whether to use double or sliding doors, archways or curtains.
5. Ensure that you have enough space to accommodate your chosen fittings as well as enough room to move them into position. Think about how much room will be required for toiletries, storing towels, medicines etc.
6. Build in utilities such as heating, ventilation and lighting. These are important to ensure that your bathroom has enough light and works efficiently.
7. Make provisions for future plumbing and allow for access to potential trouble spots such as the shower pump and boxed-in toilet cisterns. If possible, fit removable panels instead of sealing these utilities behind fixed walls.
8. Find out exactly what sort of fittings you require and whether they will be suitable for the intended location.
9. Think about your style preferences in terms of the fit and flow with the rest of the house. There are products to meet most requirements or designs. Consider the trade off between price and good quality, and look out for longer warranties and guarantees.
10. Consider traffic patterns in terms of how many people will be using the bathroom and how often. Also, if people of varying ages use the bathroom, you may need to choose fittings that cater for different age groups in your household such as a slide shower so you can adjust the height of the spray.
Taking time to plan ahead can help to translate your ideas into reality and ensure that you end up with your ideal bathroom.
Copyright © 2005. Bridget Mwape writes for DIY Tips UK: http://www.diy-tips-uk.com/ which features how-to articles and products to help you with your DIY and home improvement projects.
This article may be reprinted as long as all the above links are active and clickable.
AP - Vice President Dick Cheney said Thursday that he sees no reason for President George W. Bush to pre-emptively pardon anyone at the CIA involved in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. "I don't have any reason to believe that anybody in the agency did anything illegal," he said.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.
AP - The U.N. suspended food deliveries to Gaza and the Red Cross accused Israel of blocking medical assistance after forces fired on aid workers, killing two, as the threat of a wider conflict emerged with Lebanon.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama implored Congress on Thursday to "act boldly and act now" to fix an economy growing perilously weaker. Leading lawmakers set an informal goal of mid-February for enacting tax cuts and government spending that could cost as much as $1 trillion.
AP - The many Bernard Madoff investors who withdrew money from their accounts over the years are now wrestling with an ethical and legal quandary.
AP - In grainy cell-phone videos played over and over on the Internet, police officers force an unarmed black man to the ground and hold him face-down on a crowded train platform. Suddenly one of the officers draws his gun and fatally shoots the man in the back — then looks up.
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Reuters - Recovery teams ventured into battlegrounds of the Gaza Strip on Thursday to gather bodies from the rubble, and Hamas officials said the Palestinian toll in Israel's 13 day-old offensive rose to 765 dead.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama warned on Thursday the U.S. economy could stay mired in recession for years without bold action and he urged lawmakers to work day and night to pass a massive stimulus plan.
Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc has agreed to support a rewrite of bankruptcy law being proposed in the U.S. Congress to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, lawmakers said on Thursday.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama named Tim Kaine as head of the Democratic Party on Thursday, rewarding an early supporter with a high-profile political post even as he continues to serve as Virginia governor.
Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff had signed checks totaling more than $173 million in his office desk ready to be sent out before his arrest, U.S. prosecutors said in court papers on Thursday asking a judge to jail him.
Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other top U.S. retailers delivered disappointing December same-store sales and profit warnings on Thursday, sparking fresh recession concerns that hit stock and currency markets.
Reuters - Europe on Friday looked for a swift restoration of gas supplies, after striking a deal with Moscow on monitoring gas shipments via Ukraine that have been halted by a rancorous pricing dispute with Kiev.
AFP - Diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza conflict intensified Friday with Western and Arab diplomats agreeing to call for an immediate ceasefire as the death toll from the two-week-old war rose past 760.
AFP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on the terms for the deployment of gas monitors in Ukraine, paving the way for an end to a Europe-wide energy crisis, the EU presidency said.
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