I bought a renovation project at the end of last year, and when I mean renovation project I think the only thing that remains from the house that I purchased is the external walls, so I’m going to show you how easy it is to renovate your bathroom.
On the day I got the keys (at 11 am) my Mum and I had ripped out all of the carpets and began pulling the bathroom out by 2 pm. The kitchen followed suit as the house had been neglected and was very run down.
By day 3 the house had been completely gutted, all the wallpaper was being stripped of not only the decades of paper on paper but also the thick layer of cigarette tar and smoke that lingered in smell and also in thick brown colour on every single wall and surface.
The first job was to pull out the back boiler that had been installed when the house was built in the 1970s which resulted in a full double pipe central heating system and boiler being installed. Hooray hot water – after the thermostat broke in the middle of a freezing December.
Whilst the central heating was being installed, it came to light that a full rewire was required too. This was started and completed within 3 days.
How to Easily Renovate your Bathroom to Create a Luxury Hotel Feel
Back to the bathroom
With central heating and safe electrics, my bathroom installation was also ongoing at this time.
I knew that I wanted a minimalist hotel-style luxury bathroom so I set out by creating a mood board of how I wanted it to look.
I’m not a fan of anything grey and wanted to go for more neutral tones throughout the house as well as black accents as all my rooms will have simple styling and black accents.
From the bathroom transformation in my previous house, I knew I wanted a freestanding bath so kept an eye out for the Black Friday sales and bought the Lisbon Freestanding Double Ended Bath in this sale (funnily enough while in a casino in Murcia on my birthday).
Renovate your bathroom with fresh ideas
The initial layout of the bathroom was a waste of space in my opinion and when discussing with the plumber I asked about the possibility of placing a shower where the toilet had been and moving the toilet to the wall with the sink.
This was possible because of the size and positioning of the door too. If you’re renovating your bathroom do think about where you can move things too as this is a small bathroom and doesn’t feel cramped because of the choice of items, colours and also clever illusion hacks.
To complement the bath I opted for wall mounted waterfall taps in matte black these were purchased on Amazon after I spent hours scouring the internet for taps that would follow the straight lines and edges I desired and that would suit all of the areas which required taps.
I also purchased similar basin taps and a matching concealed shower. I had the controls added to the shower entrance so that the shower can be turned on and adjusted prior to getting in. A touch that most of the luxury hotels I’ve stayed in also have. This is one of my biggest essentials in a bathroom and where possible you should implement it in your bathroom too. Attention to the little details like this makes a massive overall impact when creating a luxury style.
Opting for a wall hung toilet and vanity unit was also essential as the bathroom is small so having things off the floor was essential to making the room look more spacious and minimalist. I originally ordered a 600mm basin however we decided for space and to keep the room looking luxurious I ended up swapping for a 500mm. When trying to create a luxurious feel to any room really think about streamlining your edges and lines for space saving.
Many bathrooms have those setback shelves with lighting which I was originally going to have, however, didn’t have enough wall depth for them and actually don’t miss them in the final fit.
I chose a matte marble tile with a golden vein ensuring that it wasn’t heavily veined to create a softer look and ensured that my tiles chosen were for both the wall and floor as keeping the same tile throughout added to the luxury feel.
I had ordered a couple of different sample tiles so that I could see them in the lighting of the bathroom. My advice would be to choose a maximum of 3 samples and choose from there. I had to make a decision otherwise I’d still be looking at tiles now. These ones are beautiful though and because they’re simple are really modern and luxurious looking.
Again when choosing the tiles I used tiles of the same size (these were 600mm x 300mm) to add a luxury feel and I had the tiles stacked on top of each other instead of bricked – much to the tiler’s anger! Keeping with the matte black accessories I asked for black edging, as opposed to the chrome he was originally going to put on and if I’m honest this really finished the entire tiling job off.
White spotlights were fitted in a matte white cladded ceiling, again for that luxury boutique feel and the room was finished with a matte black radiator in the shower entrance (for ease of getting a towel) and a mirror.
The bathroom has been finished off and styled with 800gsm Deyongs bath towels, a Cereria Molla Bergamotto di Calabria candle (my favourite all-time scent) and some Jo Malone hand wash. All bottles and toiletries are stored in the vanity drawers to keep everywhere minimal.
In hindsight, I wish that I had had electrics installed in the mirror area so that I could have had an LED mirror and LEDs behind the bath. However overall the bathroom looks incredible and really hit the brief I gave myself, on to the bedrooms next.
How much does a bathroom renovation cost?
The question on everybody’s lips. And if I’m honest I don’t think this should be a taboo conversation. Obviously, tradesmen are all priced differently based on location and experience.
Admittedly the electrics and heating have been installed by old drinking friends so I’m sure there was a little mates rates discount however the bathroom wasn’t.
Here’s a breakdown of bathroom costs and where applicable the products;
- Bath: £347.97
- Bath taps: £245.99
- Shower taps: £199
- Shower screen: £157.97
- Shower waste: (gifted from MyLife Bathrooms)
- Wall hung toilet: £276.40
- Vanity basin: £169.99
- Basin taps: £54.99
- Towel rail: £107.97
- Bath waste: £49.99
- Tiles: £428.25
- Plumber fit: £2,800 – JLT Bathrooms
- Materials incl shower tray: £1,200
- Tiler – £850
Total bathroom cost: £6,888.52
The entire transformation has set the bar for the rest of the house and because this was high on my priorities to have a luxurious bathroom I think that the final price isn’t too extreme.
You can create a luxury bathroom on a smaller budget if you shop around for different products. I looked for discount coupons and waited for sales around Black Friday, Christmas and other events where I knew the companies would be offering better prices.
Are you looking to renovate your bathroom? I’d love to hear your plans. Or have you just renovated your bathroom? Drop a comment below I’d love to know how you found the experience.
