Bathroom Renovation Process Explained - This is How You Renovate Your Own Bathroom

What Should I Expect From My Bathroom Renovation?

Before you start ordering tile samples or paint swatches, you’ll need to make a plan. First, you’ll need to decide on a realistic budget for your bathroom renovation project.

Once you have settled on the figure, you can start planning the details. Try to keep things under budget, just in case something unexpected pops up, and you need to spend a bit more money.

Try to put as much detail as possible into your plans, and don’t be afraid to take your time. Spend some time researching and comparing alternative sink options to make sure you get the best value for your money. For example, bathroomstore.ie stock a large variety of affordable bathroom fittings and fixtures. Our collection caters to budgets and bathrooms of every size.

You should also be realistic about your DIY experience and skill set. If you have never used a hammer or drill before, planning a complete bathroom overhaul might not be realistic. Try to keep the plans as simple as possible.

YouTube and blogs are wonderful resources for learning new skills and techniques and with some practice, you’ll be able to master basic DIY skills. There are some great ideas and tips available in the Bathroom Store Ireland blog page. 

You’ll need to be realistic about the time it will take to complete this project. If you’re not an expert, it might take a little bit longer than originally expected.

Take your time and enjoy the process though. If you rush the project you may be unhappy with the outcome and wish you had done it differently. Be patient with yourself and give yourself time to practice your new skills.

Once you have your budget, bathroom measurements, fittings, fixtures, and your bathroom storage planned, you’re good to go!

Installing a New Shower or Bathtub

Once all of your plans are concrete, you can start gutting the bathroom. This simply means removing everything that you plan on replacing.

You don't have to replace everything in your bathroom renovation though. If you have decided to keep some fixtures like your sink or loo, make sure that they’re well covered to keep them from getting damaged during the process.

A shower renovation can be tricky or easy, depending on what you’re hoping to achieve. If you’re simply replacing shower doors, you don’t need a professional.

If you think installing a shower cubicle and tray is beyond your skill set, why not go for a simple, wet room style shower? It’ll cut down on costs too. Alternatively, opting for a pre-fabricated walk-in shower stall might make it a lot easier.

However, if you want to move the shower to the other side of the room, you may need to call in professionals. Moving pipes around can be tricky and the last thing you want is to cause any damage with leaky plumbing.

If you’re a DIY expert, you can try this yourself but if you’re not, it might be more cost-effective to call a plumber. By keeping fittings and fixtures in the same location, you can avoid this and simply fit the shower or tub yourself!

Installing New Sink and Taps

Installing a new sink or set of taps isn’t the most difficult thing to do so you can certainly do it yourself. If you’re keeping the sink in the same location as the previous one, you just have to connect the sink to the existing pipe fittings.

If you want to move the sink to a new location, you might need some help though. As we said earlier, moving or extending pipes is a bit tricky, and if you’re not an expert DIY-er, it might be cheaper (and safer) to hire a plumber.

Keeping fittings and fixtures in the same location as before is a very easy way of keeping the cost and effort of your bathroom renovation to a minimum. It makes it easier for you to swap things in and out, without having to get professional assistance.

But, it doesn’t mean that your bathroom will look the same as before. With updating fittings and fixtures alongside fresh paint and newly laid tiles, your bathroom will be completely transformed.

What About Flooring?

Updating floors and tiles might seem like a major job, but it can be relatively simple (although time-consuming). Vinyl flooring is a wonderful, cost-effective option for bathroom renovations because it’s hard-wearing, waterproof, and has a longer lifespan than other alternatives, like laminate.

Vinyl flooring is available in wood-effect or tile-effect, so you can choose something that suits your bathroom design. This type of flooring is exceptionally easy to install as it clicks together, and it is easily cut to fit.

Alternatively, you can try tiling for yourself. The internet is a wealth of information when it comes to tiling. There are tonnes of tips from experienced DIY-ers and professional tilers to choose from. It won’t take long to master the basics of tiling, so you could certainly cut costs by doing it yourself. If you have a small bathroom, you might even get it tiled in a weekend!

If you take the time to do your research and become confident with the basics, no tile will be off-limits. We would only recommend hiring a professional if you’re opting for particularly complex bathroom designs, or you’re using expensive tiles.

If you’re worried about making mistakes during your bathroom renovation, don't let it stop you. If you're worried about making mistakes whilst cutting the tiles, you could simply order some extras. It’s always handy to have some spare in case a tile or two need to be replaced in the future.

In Conclusion

Bathroom renovations don’t need to be super expensive, and you can cut costs down by doing some or all of the work yourself!

You don’t need to completely overhaul your bathroom to spruce it up, you can always make a few updates here and there. Swapping out old tired taps or old broken tiles for new ones will make all the difference to your en suite bathroom.

Blogs, Pinterest, and YouTube are your best friends when it comes to DIY bathroom ideas. There are plenty of free resources to help you; from experienced fitters to DIY experts, you’re spoiled for choice.

And remember, try not to beat yourself up about mistakes, Even professionals slip up sometimes. It’s all about learning new skills and enjoying the process!