Small bathroom renovation

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Seric20

Registered User
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Hi,
An elderly relative could really do with a bathroom renovation. It is falling apart and they would love an electric shower. Thats all they want really but a new working toilet, bath, probably need redo tiling will all be needed. So a makeover. Any ideas approx how much a small bathroom renovation would cost....toilet, sink unit, mirror, bath, overhead electric shower (upstairs bathroom), tiling. Currently a line floor, same would do again. Currently no electric shower.
Any tips to do it cheaply but effectively.
Thank you for any advice.
 
Between €2-5k.
It really depends on the spec of items chosen.
Get a company too supply & fit.
3-5 days work in total
 
I got my bathroom renovated late last year. New toilet, sink, replaced bath with walk in shower and low level tray, new electric shower to replace an existing one, tiled floor and most of the walls, new radiator and bathroom cabinet.

Cost me over 6k. It took 4 weeks in total to do, because there were supply problems (items from UK stuck in customs).

I would recommend a walk in shower instead of a shower over a bath if you're right on space - much safer for getting in and out.
Make sure that all the items needed to do the refurb are in stock to avoid delays.
 
Notice you don't mention grip rails etc. which would be very important for an elderly person. Best to take this type of stuff into account now because it is amazing how health can deteriorate quickly especially in the elderly. Take good advice from suppliers on this aspect of the renovation.
 
Mapara said:
How do you find the low level tray works..
As regards water drainage or flow out on the floor,,was it a bought one or made in place.
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I'm very happy with the tray, which was bought and installed. It's higher than the level of the floor (a couple of inches), is the length and width of the bath it replaced, with one glass panel and a gap to walk in (no shower door).

The tray tapers very slightly at the waste, so drains very well. I've had no escaping water at the open end.
 
If they are getting old, you should future proof it for additional supports, like grab rails, level entry shower, shower seat, so these can be fitted later without making structural alterations.
 
gipimann said:
I got my bathroom renovated late last year. New toilet, sink, replaced bath with walk in shower and low level tray, new electric shower to replace an existing one, tiled floor and most of the walls, new radiator and bathroom cabinet.

Cost me over 6k. It took 4 weeks in total to do, because there were supply problems (items from UK stuck in customs).
Click to expand...
I was gonna suggest 5k as a start-off point as all-in-all I paid a little less (probably around 3k to 3,5k) two years ago but I was getting lots of other stuff done as well in the apartment. Did you source your own and use a builder or did you go into a bathroom store ?
 
RetirementPlan said:
In fairness, there's a difference between fitting something now and future proofing so that something can be fitted with ease later.
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You either buy and fit them now, or wait and buy and fit them when required.

The designs and mounting positions of these items evolves continuously, and there are no standards, so it would make very little sense to install fittings for items like grab rails now that may no longer be available when it comes to fit them. The fixture points would also be unsightly and may suffer water damage.
 
elcato said:
I was gonna suggest 5k as a start-off point as all-in-all I paid a little less (probably around 3k to 3,5k) two years ago but I was getting lots of other stuff done as well in the apartment. Did you source your own and use a builder or did you go into a bathroom store ?
Click to expand...
I used a tradesman who had done a bathroom refurb for me in another property several years ago (he was a contractor with one of the bathroom shops at that time). He worked on a supply and fit basis, so sourced everything I needed.
 
Leo said:
You either buy and fit them now, or wait and buy and fit them when required.

The designs and mounting positions of these items evolves continuously, and there are no standards, so it would make very little sense to install fittings for items like grab rails now that may no longer be available when it comes to fit them. The fixture points would also be unsightly and may suffer water damage.
Click to expand...
You don't want to be drilling through all your nice tiling in a few years time, with the risk of cracking a tile. Plan ahead.
 
RetirementPlan said:
You don't want to be drilling through all your nice tiling in a few years time, with the risk of cracking a tile. Plan ahead.
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You have two choices:
  1. Drill through them now and leave an ugly hole or fixture visible and risk water penetration damage to the substrate. Then drill some more holes in the correct locations later and try to bodge some filler on the holes you drilled in the wrong spots.
  2. Wait until you need to install the supports and just drill the holes you need where you need them.

There is no advantage whatsoever in drilling now. It saves zero work, looks amateur and will still leave work to be done when it comes to fitting.
 
Leo said:
You have two choices:
  1. Drill through them now and leave an ugly hole or fixture visible and risk water penetration damage to the substrate. Then drill some more holes in the correct locations later and try to bodge some filler on the holes you drilled in the wrong spots.
  2. Wait until you need to install the supports and just drill the holes you need where you need them.

There is no advantage whatsoever in drilling now. It saves zero work, looks amateur and will still leave work to be done when it comes to fitting.
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The other option is to design your tiling (or non-tiling) around your future plans, and ensure that you can fit grab rails, show seat and more without drilling tiles at all.

Some older people can be sensitive or reluctant to the idea of 'the disabled bathroom', so it is worth putting some time into exploring the options that look really cool and stylish, while still proving appropriate supports and facilities.
 
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Regarding future proofing, I think gipi's idea of changing the bath to a walkin shower is good. Getting in and out of a bath now is dodgy for me and I'm still youngish :cool:. A walkin shower can have a (removable) seat put into it accordingly and, well, you can walk in even with a zimmer.
 
As above, I'd recommend a walk in shower also, and the toilet & sink should be aimed for future use.

The toilet should be a "high toilet", sink not placed too high on the wall and get taps that are easy to turn on with sufficient space for soap / etc.

Any shelving shouldn't be too high and any presses / cabinets are with easy access / within reach, so as not to result in too much stretching up / bending down low for anything.
 
RetirementPlan said:
The other option is to design your tiling (or non-tiling) around your future plans, and ensure that you can fit grab rails, show seat and more without drilling tiles at all.
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Unless you're using small mosaic tiles and get lucky, it's simply not possible to future plan tile alignment to ensure that a hold would only require mounting points to be drilled along joints. Many of the grab rails use three fixings in a triangular pattern at each end.

Tile positioning should be dictated by the dimensions of the tiles and your space to ensure you end up with even sized cuts at both ends of a wall.

It's usually easy enough to adjust the position of a hold by a cm or two to ensure that you're not drilling too close to the edge.
 
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