Bathroom Building Regulations: When They Apply
Approval, drainage, extraction and electrical certificates: what to check for your proposed bathroom work.
Bathroom guides
Straight answers before you spend anything
Costs, timescales, wet rooms, tiles and damp, explained the way Martin explains them at the kitchen table rather than the way a showroom explains them.
Permissions and regulations
Read guide
Choosing a fitter
How to choose a bathroom fitter near you
What to ask, what the quote should say and which warning signs to walk away from.
Costs
How much does a new bathroom cost?
What drives the price of a new bathroom, and where your money actually goes.
Wet room costs explained
Why wet rooms cost more, and when that extra spend is justified.
How much does an en suite cost?
Adding a new en suite or refitting an old one, and what moves the figure.
Walk in shower cost: what you are paying for
Trays, screens, wall preparation and drainage, and how each changes the price.
What does it cost to tile a bathroom?
Area, tile format, preparation and pattern, and how each changes a tiling quote.
How much does a plasterer charge to skim or plaster a room?
Skimming walls and ceilings, full replastering and what moves the price.
Bathroom fitting cost
What drives the price of fitting a bathroom when you supply the suite or refresh an existing room.
How much does it cost to plaster a ceiling?
Skim, overboard or replace: what decides the price of plastering a ceiling.
The cost to install a shower: what actually drives it
Shower type, pipework, tray, tiling and electrics: the factors behind a shower installation quote.
Small bathroom renovation cost: what moves the figure
Layout, tiling area, suite choice, plastering and flooring: the factors behind a small bathroom quote.
A cheaper bathroom renovation: where to save and where not to
How to renovate a bathroom on a budget: layout, panels versus tiles, refit versus renovation.
House renovation cost: what actually shapes the figure
What drives the cost of renovating several rooms, and how a proper quotation is put together.
The cost of a downstairs toilet: what shapes the figure
What drives the cost of adding a downstairs WC, from the waste route to the finishes.
Timescales and process
How long does a bathroom renovation take?
A day by day timeline for a full renovation, and what causes delays.
What actually happens during a bathroom fit
What happens in your home, stage by stage, during a bathroom fit.
How long does tiling a bathroom take?
Where the time goes in a tiling job and which stages should never be squeezed.
Choosing between options
Wet room vs walk in shower: what is the difference?
The real differences between a wet room and a walk in shower, with a comparison table.
Bathroom renovation or refit: which do you need?
How to tell whether your room needs a full renovation or just a refit.
Replacing a bath with a shower: what to expect
Waste routes, tray or level floor, waterproofing and whether to keep a bath anywhere in the house.
Bathroom wall panels vs tiles
Panels or tiles for showers and bathroom walls, judged on cost, time and finish.
Regrout or retile your bathroom?
How to tell failed grout from failed tiles, and which fix suits each.
Bath or shower: how to decide for your household
The keep-or-swap decision: household, mobility, space and resale, weighed honestly.
Shower baths: choosing one that works day to day
P shaped, double ended and standard baths with a shower over: what to choose and what fitting involves.
Shower enclosure types: an honest comparison
Quadrant, corner, walk-in and steam enclosures compared by space, sealing and upkeep.
Bathroom ideas
Bathroom ideas for every kind of room
The starting point for every ideas guide: small rooms, en suites, wet rooms, showers and layouts.
Modern bathroom ideas that will still look right in ten years
Wall panels, large format tiles, walk-in showers and hidden storage: the modern look that lasts.
Bathroom layout ideas that respect the room you have
Where the bath, shower, toilet and basin can sensibly go, and which layout moves are worth it.
Family bathroom ideas that survive real life
Durable floors, serious storage and bath-shower combos: ideas for bathrooms that serve a family.
Small bathroom ideas that work
Space saving changes that genuinely work in a small bathroom.
Shower room ideas: designing a room without a bath
Layouts, screens, niches and ventilation for a room with a shower and no bath.
Walk-in shower ideas that work in real bathrooms
Screens, trays, tiling and layout ideas for walk-in showers in rooms of every size.
Small en suite ideas for rooms with no spare centimetres
Layouts, doors, compact fittings and storage ideas for a small en suite.
Wet room ideas that survive daily use
Open and screened wet room layouts, flooring choices and drainage ideas for real homes.
Downstairs toilet ideas for a compact cloakroom
Compact toilets, short basins, wall-hung options and finishes for a downstairs toilet refit.
Planning and materials
The bathroom planning checklist we use
The decisions worth making before work starts, in the order they matter.
How to choose bathroom tiles
Tile size, material, slip rating and grout, plus the best tiles for a small bathroom.
Large format floor tiles: what to know before you buy
Flatness, lippage and falls with large porcelain floor tiles.
Wall hung toilets and concealed cisterns: what is involved
Frames, boxing in and access panels for a wall hung toilet.
Apartment bathroom renovation: what to know first
Leasehold consent, access, waste routes and protecting the flat below.
Bathroom flooring options compared
Porcelain, ceramic, stone and vinyl compared for slip, warmth, heating and wet areas.
Bath replacement: fitting a new bath
Sizes, steel or acrylic, panels and the tile line when you swap an old bath for a new one.
Loft bathrooms and en-suites
Head height, shower position, waste runs and tiling under sloping ceilings.
Adding an understairs toilet: what has to be checked first
Headroom, waste routes, macerators, ventilation and regulations for an understairs toilet.
Tiling, plastering and wet room detail
Kitchen tiling: splashbacks, walls and floors done properly
Timing, setting out and grout choices for kitchen splashbacks and floors.
Can you tile over old tiles?
Whether old tiles can stay, and the checks that decide it.
Wet room tanking: the layer that keeps the water in
The hidden waterproofing under every wet room, explained simply.
Wet room floors and drainage: the part that decides everything
Gradients, linear and centre drains, and floor build-up: the engineering under every good wet room.
Skim or replaster: which does your wall actually need?
Skim coats, patch repairs and full replastering, and how to tell them apart.
Artex ceiling removal: what are your options?
Testing older artex, skimming over versus removing, and textured bathroom ceilings.
Problems
Leaking shower tray: causes and fixes
Where shower water escapes, how to narrow it down and when a repair is enough.
Why damp and mould keep coming back
Telling condensation from a leak, and fixing it before you redecorate.
Bathroom extractor fans and ventilation explained
Why bathrooms steam up, and how fans, position and airflow fix it.
Mould on walls: why it appears and what to do
Bedrooms, corners and outside walls: condensation or water getting in, and when to replaster.
Shower tray replacement
Cracked or flexing trays, waste problems and fitting a low-profile replacement properly.
Shower leaking through the ceiling: finding the real cause
Diagnosing a shower leak through the ceiling: seals, grout, tray waste and pipework checked in order.
Shower drain smell: what causes it and how to fix it
Dry traps, blocked wastes, biofilm and hidden leaks: why showers smell and what fixes each cause.
Low water pressure in the shower: causes and real fixes
Mains versus gravity systems, pumps and electric showers: why showers run weak and what fixes it.
Accessible bathrooms
Accessible bathroom installation
Level access showers, wet rooms and safer layouts for older or less mobile users.
Still easier to ask a person
None of these guides replace looking at the room. Martin will visit, measure and tell you what your bathroom actually needs.
Free home survey
Written scope and price
One team for every trade
No obligation to proceed
Free home survey
Ready to plan your bathroom?
Talk directly to Martin about your room, priorities and budget.