When it comes to the world of DIY, one part of the house that many people instantly feel wary about interfering with in the absence of professional assistance is the bathroom. However, should we really shy away from fitting our own ensuite bathroom? Is it really necessary to fork out hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds on top of the original cost of our new ensuite bathroom just to have someone give us a helping hand? Let’s dig a little deeper and find out.
Once you’ve purchased your ensuite bathroom of choice, making sure that it will fit with the dimensions of the room, you’ll need to design the layout. Companies like Wren Bedrooms and Bathrooms can give advice at this stage. Make sure that around each component of your suite, there’s enough standing room to ensure it’s simple to move from toilet to sink, and from bath to shower. The last thing you want is to feel cramped in your new room.
One thing to consider is the electrical component of your new room. Are you going to need special razor sockets? Do you need pull-cord switches within reach of the bath or shower? Make sure you consider this part of the DIY process very, very carefully. If something goes wrong at this stage, it could threaten your entire project.
Before you start with the actual installation, make sure you have everything you need to hand. You should also cover anything that may get damaged near the room, such as your new bedroom furniture. Read through any instructions that come with each part of the suite and remove any old piping that may still be present. Remember to cut off the water supply and leave the taps off.
It is usually a good plan to remove the existing toilet before anything else. Make sure you don’t do any damage to the waste pipe while removing the pan! When it comes to removing the bath, ask a neighbour or family member for help as this can be a tough, physical job.
Once everything has been removed, do a quick tidy-up, sweep the surfaces, and then start the installation! This should be easy enough but a few things to take care over include isolating and checking valves while putting in new pipes, and making sure the new toilet pan is level on the floor and in the exact intended position.