For many people, their dream bathroom will be en suite. The sheer convenience of it, with the easiest possible access from bed to bathroom and back, is a temptation that is hard to ignore.
An en suite bathroom is also an investment: research suggests it can increase the value of a home by more than 5%.
What does adding an en suite bathroom to your home involve? As specialists in bathroom design and installation, based in Manchester, we’ll talk you through the essentials.
Use Your Bathroom Budget Wisely
Bathrooms come in all manner of styles, and therefore there will be one to suit both your taste and your budget.
The most cost-effective means of adding an en suite is to do so directly to an existing bathroom on the same floor, or above a bathroom on a lower floor.
From a plumbing perspective, it is less costly if you’re not having to redirect pipework, especially when it comes to soil sacks and waste pipes.
What will a plumber’s day rate cost you? Factor this into the budgeting of your new en suite bathroom.
As for the fixtures and fittings? Strike the right balance between design and functionality. And with tiles, you can achieve amazing effects in finishing your bathroom while keeping to budget.
What About Size?
How big does your en suite bathroom need to be? You need to think of the essential elements – shower, basin, WC, towel rail – and how to include them while making the most of your available space.
Importantly, you want the finished en suite to feel comfortable and practical. If it is too small and cramped and hard to manoeuvre about in, then it is unlikely to be the attractive asset you expected it to be.
There are space-saving options you might consider, such as a corner basin or shower, but you must avoid at all costs creating a bathroom that turns out to be unpleasant to use.
Does an En Suite Require Planning Permission?
As long as your en suit will be within your existing property, you shouldn’t require planning permission, unless you live in a listed building. If this is the case, planning permission is critical.
However, you must comply with building regulations regardless. Where your en suite requires rewiring, heating involving gas or solid fuel, drainage alterations or structural changes, you will need building control approval.
You may require partition walls, whether to divide an existing room or create a whole new bathroom. These should be constructed from water-resistant plasterboard, to protect against dampness.
For the heating and plumbing in your en suite, if you’re going to rely on a combi boiler, you must ensure that there is a sufficient flow of hot water to meet the demands of an additional bathroom.
You should also check that your water pressure will be enough for your mixer tap and shower.
Making the Connection
How your en suite bathroom connects with your bedroom can affect the whole feel of the finished design.
A contemporary option is to go open-plan, without a door, and to create a sense of seamlessness between the two.
However, while this can feel more spacious, it does mean sacrificing some privacy. An alternative is to go for a glass partition door, which will retain that crucial sense of space in the bathroom, but with added privacy.
Consider how the designs of the bathroom and bedroom should complement each other, such as matching bathroom floor tiles to the bedroom carpet colour.
Last but not least is lighting. You will probably need brighter lighting for the bathroom, but softer lighting for the bedroom. Look at the options for controllable lighting, to allow you to vary the feeling it creates to suit you.
Specialists in Bathroom Design
Alfred Fraser provides a bespoke bathroom design and installation service. We can help you plan, design and choose the ideal en suite bathroom for your home.
Call us on 0161 794 0771, email info@alfredfraser.co.uk or visit our showroom in Swinton, Manchester.