If you’re thinking about having an en suite or new bathroom done you will probably need more than just a plumber!
This case study, carried out by ukbathroomguru.com in Adel, Leeds shows why
Introduction
When installing a new bathroom or en suite, often many trades are required:
- Labourers and /or a plumber to remove the old suite and strip out all the old tiles, floor coverings etc.
- Plumber to fit pipework for the new bathroom suite and reposition / fit suite items as required
- Tiler to prepare & tile the walls and/or floor
- Plasterer to skim the ceiling or board out the walls prior to tiling or plastering
- Painter to paint the newly skimmed ceiling with anti mould bathroom paint
- Joiner to re-hinge doors or build studwork e.g. if adding a new en suite to a bedroom
- Electrician to fit underfloor heating, ceiling spotlights, an extractor fan or a shaver point
- A general builder if any structural work is being done such as knocking a separate WC & bathroom into one, putting in an RSJ or fitting a new UPVC window.
Most importantly they all need someone (the lynchpin) in charge to pull the whole project together!
Please see here for more information on project managed bathroom installations (which is what I do).
Case study – en suite installation in Leeds
The previous design featured a close coupled toilet and a small shower enclosure.
TRADE: Project management / design
The new design / layout was chosen to make use of the existing plumbing and drainage and was determined during a free site survey through rough sketches:
……and then refined by 3D computer drawings:
Visualising your new bathroom can be hard so please see here for how to make things easier.
TRADE: joinery
Studwork was erected to hide the wall hung toilet frame and cistern, and also to hide all waste pipes previously on show to the side of the toilet.
This approach would also allow the customer to have a concealed shower valve and a tiled storage recess in the shower for shampoo bottles etc.
TRADE: Tiling
The existing floor was levelled and underfloor heating cables were added ready for porcelain floor tiling.
TRADE: plumbing
A high quality concealed shower valve was fitted that featured a fixed head & hose outlet.
TRADE: joinery / tiling
A storage recess was made to tie in with the pre-determined tile layout.
TRADE: tiling
After all the joinery & plumbing work was done, the wall was boarded with tile backer boards ready for tiling / plastering.
The (now level) floor was tiled with porcelain floor tiles.
You can see in the background that the walls in the shower enclosure have been tanked prior to tiling.
The shower walls were then tiled with large format porcelain tiles.
Note how the tile layout suits the position of the recess & shower valve perfectly.
TRADE: plastering
As the tiling on the shower side of the tile trim continued, the rest of the walls (that would remain outside the shower enclosure) were plastered.
TRADE: plumbing
Once all the tiling was completed, the glass shower enclosure was fitted – an excellent Simpsons enclosure – one of the best I’ve fitted.
TRADE: tiling & painting / decorating
Tiled upstands were fitted instead of skirting boards and all the plastered walls were decorated in a suitable paint.
Then the wall hung toilet was fitted – These hang off the framework within the all and create a sense of space (and allow for easy cleaning).
TRADE: electrics, joinery, plastering, painting…….
The recess centred above the toilet was finished off with a custom cut mirror, custom made glass shelves and a spotlight which was wired to come on with the new ceiling spotlight.
Using mirrors and glass helped to make the space appear as large as possible.
The joinery and plumbing work was tightly co-ordinated so that the shower valve and recess would fit in with the tile layout.
On the other side of the room, the existing basin and pedestal were to be replaced with a wall hung vanity unit to provide additional storage space…..
TRADE: plumbing, plastering & painting
……therfore all pipework had to be recessed into the wall prior to plastering & decoration.
TRADE: electrics
The final design featured a wall hung basin with a tiled splashback and an illuminated LED mirror unit with shaver point above.
An extractor fan to cope with bathroom humidity and ceiling spotlights were also added.
This ensured that the en suite would be functional as well as attractive.
Summary
If you are thinking about having an en suite done I have complied a list of relevant articles just for you:
Shoot me a message or a comment if you found any of this helpful
All the best
Chris