HBS_Guide to customising your bathroom

A GUIDE TO CUSTOMISING YOUR HOME BATHROOMS

Your home-build made easy with Australia’s leading home designer for 26 years.

DESIGN A BATHROOM THAT YOU WILL BE PROUD TO

Your bathroom

The planning of the family bathroom is essentially governed by two major needs. Firstly it needs to be practical. The family bathroom must be able to cater for the needs and demands placed on it by the typical modern day family. Secondly, it needs to offer privacy.

While these two needs may govern the planning of your bathroom, there is still plenty of scope for customising a bathroom that you will be proud to have your guests use when they visit.

How many bathrooms do you need?

Needs and wants

How many toilets will your family need? How many showers? Do you need a bathtub? Do you need room for linen storage, will there be enough wall space to hang all the towels you will need to dry on a daily basis? Do you need to separate the toilet from the bathroom or can you combine everything into the one room?

Work out your “wants” and your “needs” to ensure that your bathroom/s function effectively for your family dynamics. Doing this before you build will save you many hours of frustration and pain after you build.

Your home-build made easy.

Flushed with success

Toilets

So many options available for the modern toilet, close coupled, back to wall, floor mount, floating (wall hung), the list goes on and on. The most popular is the “back to wall” toilet which has the pan and cistern sitting flush against the wall so you get a nice, clean and modern look.

The choice of materials is an important decision as this will impact not only on the cost but also the longevity of your toilet suite. Plastic cisterns are very affordable and some of them look good...until the effects of sun and cleaning chemicals start to take its toll on the plastic and it starts to degrade. Plastic cisterns are known to bow, loose shape, discolour and appear crackly over time. Home-Build Concierge only include ceramic pan and cistern toilet suites for all three series of designs.

Toilet suite for Gable Series

Toilet suite for Freedom Series

Toilet suite for Prestige Series

Soak in the glory

Bathtub

Bathtubs are such a versatile piece of bathroom furniture. A must have for bathing infants, handy for washing pets and perfect for a luxurious bubble bath to soak away the stress of a busy day at work or running a household. Mine works great as an oversized ice bucket full of beer and wine when hosting a party. Others just put one in for the resale value.

Whatever reason you use, make sure that you choose a bathtub that suits your intended purpose. There are a lot of amazing bathtubs out there but some are completely impractical for bathing infants or kids, some might be difficult for older folks to get in or out of, while others can barely contain a fully grown man or woman. On the up side, most will work well for keeping beer and wine chilled on ice.

Your home-build made easy.

Vanity

The bathroom vanity is an important thing to get right in any bathroom design. Who and how many are using the bathroom will determine how much bench space and the number of basins you will need. Do you want a built in basin or a bench top basin? How many cupboards and drawers do you need? Free standing or wall mounted vanity? Ask yourself these questions beforehand so you can accommodate the vanity you need (want).

For the sake of marital bliss, twin basins are an absolute must in the master ensuite. If you have a large family, you may want to consider twin basins in the main bathroom also.

Placing the vanity outside of the bathroom and toilet means someone can use the vanity while someone else uses the bathroom. A Jack and Jill style setup can be ideal between two kids bedrooms.

Vanity, it’s not always a sin

Shower with praise

Shower

The modern day shower is all about clean lines, glass and minimal or no visible framing. Shower heads plumbed directly into the ceiling to give a rainfall effect are popular but not with everyone. Some people prefer to have the water hitting them in the more traditional position, from in front, at head height. Others like the freedom of an adjustable shower head with a hand held option so they can get the right position for them.

A dual shower in the main ensuite is a great innovation and can be a real time saver, although it doesn’t always work out that way, sometimes it leads to longer showers.

Recessed shelving in the shower cubicle is a great way to store soap, shampoo etc. and keep them off the floor. A built in, tiled bench seat can be a useful addition, especially for the elderly.

Your home-build made easy.

Checklist

Here’s a quick checklist of things to consider before you start planning your dream bathroom.

Equipment / Setup

Multi Generational Family Large Family (4+ kids) Family (2 kids)

Retired Couple

Toilets Material Ceramic pan and cistern Ceramic pan and cistern Ceramic pan and cistern Ceramic pan and cistern

Number 3 to 4 3 2 to 3 1 - 2

Purpose Multi purposeInfants and children Multi purposeInfants and children Multi purposeInfants and children Luxury - A big deep bath to soak in

Number 1 to 2 1 to 2 1 1

Bathtub

Location

Practical in the main bathroom and Luxurious in the Ensuite

Practical in the main bathroom and Luxurious in the Ensuite

Practical in the main bathroom

Luxurious in the Ensuite, none in the main

Vanity

Showers

Ensuite

Large vanity with two basins, two to three cupboards and drawers on each side

Large vanity with two basins, two to three cupboards and drawers on each side

Large vanity with two basins, two to three cupboards and drawers on each side

Large vanity with two basins, two to three cupboards and drawers on each side

Large vanity with two basins, two to three cupboards and drawers on each side

Large vanity with two basins, two to three cupboards and drawers on each side Main Bathroom

Medium vanity with one basin, two cupboards and drawers on one side

Guest Bathroom

Medium vanity with one basin, two cupboards and drawers on one side

Medium vanity with one basin, two cupboards and drawers on one side

Small vanity with one basin, two cupboards

Medium vanity with one basin, two cupboards and drawers on one side

Small vanity with one basin, two cupboards

Tapware Flick Mixer Flick Mixer Flick Mixer Flick Mixer

Number 3 to 4 2 to 3 2 1 - 2

Location Ensuite 1 and Ensuite 2, Main Bathroom, Guest Bathroom Ensuite, Main Bathroom, Guest Bathroom Ensuite, Main Bathroom Ensuite, Main Bathroom