Bathrooms; these small confined spaces in our homes are so magical. They give us the non-judgmental space to not only sing our terrible voices out but also prepare for important upcoming presentations and even job interviews.
Relaxing bathrooms spaces have been scientifically proven to increase our level of creativity. Somewhere on earth under a warm shower or in a bubbling bath, numerous life changing ideas and musical masterpieces have been created.
For instance Archmedes, a renowned Greek scholar while plunging into a bathtub made the realization that the rising water level as he entered the bath was equal in volume to the submerged part of his body. The Archmedes principle is in use all over the world.
Impressive right?
In hindsight bathrooms are only a great relaxation spot and creative space if they are designed right. It’s quite easy to make mistakes when building or renovating one and th effect would be anything but effective. .
In this article we have gone ahead to highlight the common bathroom mistakes made by renovators and builders. We have also gone an extra mile and explained how to avoid them so you can have a taste of the great experience a good bathroom offers.
Here they are…
1.Insufficient storage
So common around the world; this is a rookie mistake as a result of renovators focusing too much on aesthetics rather than functionality. In addition the renovators only consider putting up vanity drawers and cabinets and end up creating a space that’s too cramped up and difficult to navigate.
When designing bathrooms the goal should be finding the sweet spot between an aesthetically pleasant and functional space.
Solution
Get creative with the available space. For instance instead of having a mirror adhered to the wall go for a mirror cabinet. With that you will have both a mirror and additional storage space for your day to day essentials such as make up, shaver and toothbrush.
Generally speaking a combination of open storage spaces and closed cabinets will do the trick
2.Poor lighting
We are pretty sure at a point in your life you have entered a bathroom and thought “Goodness! It’s too bright in here” or contrastingly “Goodness! It’s too dull in here”.
The error in lighting is common since most inexperienced renovators opt for simply down lights placed over the vanity shower or toilets. This mistake often leads to a room that’s too bright or too dull which makes the bathroom space far from relaxing. Additionally plain general lighting creates shadowing. If you use the bathroom for shaving or applying your makeup this is the worst possible environment.
Solution
The best lighting would be one that includes;
- Layered lighting with several light sources that can be controlled independently. Different controls would allow you to set the mood of the bathroom depending on how you feel.
- Task lights on each side of your mirror for shaving or applying makeup
We have found having the perfect blend of general lighting (concealed LED strips), task lighting and natural light from windows to create the best lighting for a bathroom.
3.Improper ventilation
Inexperienced renovators lack the experience to foresee the bathroom being the steamiest area of the house, unless you own a sauna. And for this reason the renovators fail to put this fact into consideration when planning the ventilation spaces and the end result is ugly black mold spots on the wall and ceiling.
Solution
Even with well fitted windows for ventilation you will need an air conditioner installed to extract all the steam after you shower. Other helpful tips would be showering with the windows opened if you will still have privacy and wiping the walls and floor dry after you shower.
4.Poor quality fittings and finishes
It’s quite obvious cheap is expensive. That said it’s pointless to invest in a number of cheap, poor quality fittings and finishes that will require regular repair works. Regular repair works end up being costly because in the process of repairing one element you may end up destroying another
Solution
To avoid regular repairing we advise you seek the help of a professional when purchasing fittings and finishes. The knowledge of professionals will ensure you go for fittings and finishes that are of the best quality and suite your family’s lifestyle.
5.Exposed plumbing
An unwritten rule of plumbing is that the plumbing works should never be exposed. Even for those going for an industrial look bathroom, it is still an unacceptable mistake. Not only does exposed plumbing works create an unpleasing site to view but also makes the bathroom a hazardous space, especially if you have kids around.
Solution
To create a safe and aesthetically appealing bathroom space you should ensure all your plumbing is covered.
6.Foregoing professional assistance.
This is a mistake that’s committed by both rookies and seasoned bathroom renovators. Although cost effective in the present moment, it may lead to major regrets in the future.
When DIY-ing a professional’s jobs you get the freedom of expressing your creativity and a sense of saving a few bucks, which is quite satisfactory. The down side of working on your own is that you might easily make design mistakes and other errors such as; settling for fittings and finishes without considering their pros and cons and whether they’ll suite your family’s lifestyle. As minor as these errors seem, they may lead to a need to restart your remake after a short period of using the bathroom. Would you really want that? We don’t think so.
On the other hand the benefit of involving a professional is that they will ensure the bathroom renovation or building job is done on time and in a perfect manner that will not require redoing later on. Additionally a professional will ensure everything runs within your budget
Solution
Involving a professional in your planning phase and carrying out jobs that require a professional would assist you foresee and prevent majority of other bathroom mistakes. In most cases an experienced professional who has an eye for detail on the best materials, finishes, fittings and bathroom design that will suite your needs, is all you need to create a magical space.
7.Committing to multiple themes
With the high level of creativity in bathroom designs and themes renovators are spoilt for options in the market. Inexperienced renovators make the mistake of failing to commit to a single theme. This ends up being costly mistake as they often create a space that’s overbearing and feels like too much is going on.
Bathrooms should complement the already existing theme of the house. This is because isolating the bathroom, by having a theme that’s different from the rest of the house, disrupts the flow when the house is viewed generally as a single unit.
Solution
The trick to create a bathroom with a matching theme is identifying and settling on a single component such as; color or material that embodies the end look you want. After selecting the primary component, choose other elements that match or complement it.
8.Wrong placement
Another rookie mistake is placing fittings without considering the aesthetic appeal or functionality, for instance placing the loo directly in front of a bathroom door. This is a huge mistake as it creates an unstylish look. Another case of wrong placement is failing to leave enough elbow room on the sides of the toilet, making the space feel cramped up. And finally another error in placement is failing to align the water drainage pipe with plumbing drain resulting in a bad odor in the bathroom.
Solution
To avoid this mistake you should seek the help of a professional in planning how you will utilize the available space in the best possible way and to ensure measurements are correct to avoid miss alignment.
Conclusion
If you are building or remodeling your bathroom, be sure you will make one or two mistakes. Luckily they are easy to remedy.
A perfect bathroom would be a key convincing point if you plan to sell your house in the future. If you plan to occupy your house forever, a perfect bathroom would be the closest thing to a vacation you get every evening.
That said we hope this article guides you in solving and preventing common bathroom mistakes.
