Your bathroom is supposed to be a place where you sit back, relax and unwind as you soak in the bathtub, perhaps with a bubbles or a bath bomb (obviously in an ideal world we'd have a few rose petals thrown here and there for good measure) But if you take an honest look at the bathroom you have right now, is it really somewhere you can relax and have a chilled out experience? The answer may be “probably not.” Many of us have bathrooms that are well overdue a renovation.
Are you wondering whether it is time that you got out the grout and started re-tiling? If so, this post is for you. Here, are some of the telltale signs that your bathroom is overdue a renovation.
You Don’t Have Enough Storage Space
A busy bathroom may have clutter everywhere. Toothbrushes next to the sink, mouthwash, razors and cabinets stuffed with junk you don’t use.
If your bathroom has a storage issue, then it is a sign that you need a renovation. Inadequate storage is almost always a reflection of a poor layout - something that you can change if you decide that you want to rip everything out and start again. Top solutions include things like mirrored cabinets, vanity units, and getting rid of all that stuff you don't need.
Your Bathroom Is Full Of Old, Mouldy Tiles
While you can clean up your tiles to a degree, there comes the point where you have no choice but to rip them out and start again. Mould can penetrate deep into the grout, making it almost impossible to remove by scrubbing alone. You can never get your tiles to look as pristine as they once did.
Getting rid of mouldy tiles isn’t just something you should do for aesthetic reasons, but health too. Mould on tiles releases spores that can get into the atmosphere and adversely affect your health, leading to allergies and breathing difficulties.
The best approach, therefore, if you have a severe mould problem is to rip the whole lot out and start again. You’ll need new tiles, some Conbextra GP grout, spacers and tools. If you don’t fancy yourself as a tiler, get a professional in to do it for you.
You’re Relying On Old Plumbing
While there’s nothing wrong with old plumbing per se, it can begin to generate problems. The primary issue homeowners have to contend with is noise. The moment you turn on the shower or flush the toilet, it sounds like the house is infested with poltergeists.
Old plumbing is also problematic for another reason: it’s just not very good. Old plastic pipes may crack and split, especially those made of Poly B, a material that was in use for much of the 80s and 90s and you don't want to end up with unintended water features - not what you want!
You Have Poor Lighting
Bathrooms should be bright and airy spaces that ultimately help you feel rejuvenated. Too often though, the lighting in bathrooms is poor, making them feel cold, dark, and uninviting.
If your bathroom is lacking in the lighting department, the solution is usually to add more individual lights, around mirrors or as spotlights in the ceiling.
For those of you who feel particularly adventurous, there’s always the option of adding waterproof LED strips to the floor to provide lighting from below as well.
It Just Looks Outdated
Some classical bathrooms age well, but the majority do not. A lot of very old bathrooms look more like an old college changing room than somewhere you’d want to spend time soaking on a Sunday afternoon.
Bathrooms that are a mishmash of different styles also tend to age poorly. Modern sinks, baths and toilets with old-fashioned wallpaper is a big no-no and just highlights how out of date the room has become.
Interestingly, though, an outdated bathroom is just as much an opportunity as it is a chore. It may have features that an experienced interior designer can use to your advantage, transforming something that looks outdated into a room that looks far more chic than you ever thought possible.
Your Bathroom Is Wasteful
With various environmental crises looming, many people are looking for ways to make their bathrooms use fewer resources. For the vast majority of bathrooms built in the past, eco-friendliness wasn’t a consideration. The majority, therefore, did not employ any water- or energy-saving technology at all.
Today, though, you have all kinds of options to reduce your resource usage. Low-flow faucets and showers are now both a thing, and you can also get toilets that use far less water to remove waste than previous versions.
A wasteful bathroom is no longer something you have to put up with. You can change a few fittings and fixtures which, combined, will slash your utility bills and make your home green.
It’s Dragging Down The Value Of Your Home
When buyers look around a property, one of the first places they look is the bathroom. They know that if it is in a poor state, they’ll have to invest a considerable amount of time and energy putting it right - not something that they want to do on top of saving for a property..
As a homeowner, therefore, it makes a lot of sense for you to invest some time and money fixing the place up. You don’t always have to perform a full renovation - there may still be elements of the bathroom you can rescue. But what you want to achieve is something that looks both modern and functional, not run down and dated.
Living with a drab bathroom can affect your wellbeing and you shouldn’t have to put up with it. Renovating doesn’t have to be a hassle. You don’t have to do any of the work yourself if you don’t want to. All you need is a professional, a plan...and a few rose petals :)
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