Increase the Value of you Home with a New Bathroom

The Housing market overall is no longer rising by 10 or 15 per cent a year as it has done in the past. This means homeowners are no longer able to benefit from simply owning a home and watching it rise in value.
Since house prices began to fall, many people have found themselves staying in their same home or being forced to sell at a loss. As a result, an increasing number of homeowners have turned to home improvements to make the best of what they have and increase the value of their property.
Findings of an HSBC Home Improvement Survey showed that 52% of the 1369 UK homeowners surveyed intended to make home improvements during the Spring Bank Holiday period this year.

HSBC Study into benefits of Home Improvements

There are key areas of the home in which improvements can result in a property value increase, most notably the Kitchen and Bathroom. In both situations a relatively small outlay may add considerable value. 
A dated, coloured bathroom suite can be replaced with a relatively cheap white one. When coupled with new taps, and neutral coloured tiles/walls it is estimated this can add around 2.5% to the value of the house. To put this into context if you are selling your home for £200,000 you could add £5000 to the price with a new bathroom.


As with all home improvements to increase value, the outlay should be proportional to the value of the property. All properties have a ceiling value determined by size and location, so it is worth working out what your budget should be in order to achieve a property value increase.


Bathrooms tend to have a shorter shelf life than kitchens, so a new suite will be a lure for potential buyers. Many buyers will also recognise that other rooms are fairly easy to DIY, while Kitchens and Bathrooms require proffesional input, therefore a new and ready to use suite could greatly improve the chances of a sale.


The trend in new houses is to have at least one bedroom with an en-suite fitted as standard, so think about how to include one in your home. Nationwide research showed that installing an extra en-suite Bathroom could add around 5% to the price of a similar property with just the one bathroom. Common sense is required when deciding if this is a viable option though. An example would be if you have a five bedroom house with only one bathroom, it would be wise to utilise space in one of the rooms to create an en-suite. However, it would be inadvisable to change a three bedroom house with one bathroom into a two bedroom house with two bathrooms. The same Nationwide study showed that converting the third bedroom of a three bedroom house into a second bathroom actually knocked 1% off the property value. A general rule for the number of bathrooms is 'for every 3 bedrooms their should be one bathroom and possibly a master en-suite'.


Large bedrooms are great for en-suites as you can create a new room within the existing one. In this circumstance space is at a premium so consider options such as a wet room with plenty of natural light. Another way of adding value could be to turn a spacious downstairs cloakroom into a wet room area with WC.


One of the biggest issues with making any home improvements in order to increase property value is you cannot be sure who your buyer will be. If you live in an apartment and your home is likely to appeal to young professionals then an en-suite will likely help you sell. Alternatively if you have a large family home than an extra bedroom or bathroom could be more beneficial to potential buyers.

Simple rules on renovating / adding a bathroom.

• Keep it spacious, well lit, and neutral in colour.
• Keep the budget proportional to the potential value increase
• Choose quality yet simple and practical fittings e.g no wacky colourful taps
• Design your bathroom in keeping with the period of the property
• Make sure at least one bathroom has a shower

Balinea are happy to provide helpful advice and information on making any improvements or adding new bathrooms to your property. For more information feel free to contact Balinea here.

How Not to Do It

We thought we would do something a little different to our previous blogs this month.

While we always like to encourage creative design, after coming across an article on kbbdaily called 'Bathroom Design: how not to do it', we felt we had to share the images for anyone who had not seen them.

Please take a look at some of these rather 'unique' designs and hopefully they will brighten up your day as much as they did ours.

Other Cubicle Suppliers are available

Remember to give correct dimensions when ordering Cubicles

Made to Measure

A creative design is not always a good design

Never underestimate the importance of a professional imstaller

Eyes Up Front

Room with a View

A misunderstanding of the term 'Side Entry'

?

If you are currently looking to change your own bathroom and have seen something here you like then please seek professional advice immediately!

For advice on creative and practical bathroom designs feel free to contact Balinea, or to see some examples of designs that work take a look at our Gallery here.

Water Saving in the Bathroom

We all know the importance of saving water, especially in these times of continued low rainfall, but what can we do as individuals to conserve water in our homes? The average person in England and Wales uses approximately 150 litres of water per day. More than 60% of water used in the home is in the bathroom, with the WC accounting for approximately half of that figure. Reducing this usage through water efficient bathroom products would help control and reduce water and energy bills.

Simple steps such as turning off the tap when brushing your teeth, and addressing any leaks to taps or showers you may have go a long way. In most cases, leaks can be fixed with a replacement washer or cartridge and in extreme cases fixing these problems could save you nearly a bath full of water a day.

It's worth considering water saving devices on your existing taps, showers and WC, all of which can be installed with a very limited knowledge of DIY and generally are very inexpensive. Flow Restrictors can be fitted on basin mixers and can reduce flow down to as much as 2 litres a minute, however this is a bit extreme and normally a 3.5 - 4 litre restrictor gives a good compromise between flow and water saving. Restrictors can also be installed to shower heads reducing flow down to as little as 6 litres, although as with basin restrictors, a slightly higher flow rate will give a better compromise on performance and water saving.
Don't ever consider fitting a flow restrictor to the actual bath filler as this will just result in longer bath filling times, but you could consider filling the bath with slightly less water than usual. Alternatively taking a shower rather than a bath typically saves around 30 litres when used for a five minute period.

Older bathrooms typically use more water than modern day equivalents. If within your bathroom the WC is an older version with a high capacity cistern, it could be worth installing a 'Hippo' type device to reduce the volume of water in the cistern. Many newer models of WC are Dual Flush and typically use much less water and therefore do not require such a device (and if done could actually result in poor performance and may require double flushing) so it is worth checking what system you have before making any decisions to save water.

One consideration would be to replace your existing bathroom with a more water efficient version, which would include many of the benefits mentioned previously, along with other water saving improvements such as a lower capacity bath. Also newer dual flush WCs will flush as low as 4/2.6litres. There are also many grey water recycling products available which can re-use basin and or bath water for flushing WCs.

If you are looking to save water and reduce your bills, you can speak to your local water authority for advice, alternativly  feel free to contact Balinea today to find out how this can be achieved in your bathroom.

Choosing the Right Toilet

There are different factors to consider when deciding what type of toilet to use in your bathroom.

Firstly you need to decide what style of bathroom you want to create. For more traditional styles the focus is often on close coupled, low-level and high-level toilets. For a more contemporary feel, the close coupled, back to wall, or wall-hung toilets might be better suited.
The other consideration required is the location of your waste pipe, which could making choosing a particular type of toilet more practical over another.

Close Coupled Toilets

- The most common type of toilet found in bathrooms in the UK is the close coupled toilet. This consists of an exposed cistern sitting directly on top of the pan. These can be operated by either a lever flush or push button.

Close Coupled toilets are available in a huge range of different styles and designs meaning they lend themselves well to both traditional and contemporary bathrooms.

A consideration to note if choosing a close coupled toilet is whether to have an open back or closed back pan. On an open back setup the sides of the pan go right back to the wall, giving a more contemporary and clean feel, however this does make it more difficult to attach a side entry waste pipe, and would normally require a boxing behind the toilet for this reason. Open back toilets are easier to install in this situation as the sides of the pipe are open, giving a space for a side entry waste pipe to be fitted. This does mean the waste and connection are exposed, which may not be desired in a contemporary bathroom.

Back to Wall Pans

- Back to Wall Pans offer a more modern and modest design. These fit tightly against a false wall or vanity unit, and unlike the close coupled toilets, the cistern is concealed. These are often operated with a flush plate or button of your choice.

When choosing a back to wall pan it is worth considering whether or not you have the room for a boxing/vanity unit to house the cistern. It is also worth thinking about how you can access the cistern once installed, perhaps by putting in an accessible panel when installing.

Wall Hung Pans

- The Wall Hung Pan is certainly the most contemporary in its modern design and is currently the more popular trend in many new modern bathrooms. It follows the same concept of the back to wall pans, however  it is raised off the floor. This offers the practicality of being able to clean your floor without obstruction. These are installed by supporting the pan on a mounting frame concealed within/behind a false wall or vanity unit. Like the Back to Wall Pans these are operated by a flush plate of your choice.

Low & High-Level Toilets

- These types of toilet are ideal for a traditional style bathroom. The toilet consists of a seperate pan and cistern, with the cistern located above the pan on the wall. This is connected by an exposed flush pipe.

On low-level installations the cistern is often situated a short distance above the pan and can be operated by a lever flush. A high-level cistern will be mounted much higher up the wall and is controlled using a chain pull.

While each type of toilet generally lends itself better to certain styles of bathroom, with the vast range of designs on the market today, you do not need to feel restricted in the type you choose. For example many manufacturers of Back to Wall pans now offer a traditionally designed suite which would not look too out of place in a traditional bathroom.

Balinea can help you decide on the right toilet for your bathroom.

Contact Balinea Today

Wet Rooms and Walk-In Showers

A Wet Room can be a fantastic way to help create a stylish, contemporary and practical Bathroom. One of the major advantages of a Wet Room area is the flexibility to change the size, depending on your room. The exclusion of a shower tray allows you to customize your own showering area with the use of fixed glass panels. It also makes it a safer way for lesser able people to shower, while still having a very contemporary look. When creating your Wet Room area, consider Frameless Enclosures. These will give your bathroom a minimalist, open feel, while also having a very modern, stylish appearance.

There are important points to consider if you go for a Wet Room set up. In particular drainage in the room, as well as under floor heating.


If you want to create the contemporary look and style of a Wet Room, but can't accommodate the under-tile tray there are some options. Many Manufacturers produce raised Wet Room Kits, which come in a variety of heights and sizes. You can choose from a small lip around the showering area, up to a large step into the enclosure.

A cheaper alternative to a Wet Room area is a Walk-In Shower with tray. These come with their own low profile shower tray, meaning there is no need to waterproof the rest of the room. These shower trays are often very shallow, meaning like the Wet Room it gives a very stylish, minimalist feel. 


Balinea offer a wide range of Wet Room and Walk-In Solutions. Choose from a variety of styles and sizes and find the perfect solution for your Bathroom today.

Utilizing Space in a Small Bathroom

Balinea Bathrooms


Many average sized homes have what most would consider a small bathroom. This is especially the case in many new homes. Although it certainly limits the options available when designing your new bathroom, it does not mean that it cannot be luxurious and practical at the same time. While the majority of people might assume bespoke bathroom designs are reserved for those with large bathrooms, the fact is that in smaller bathrooms, the design process is more vital. By simply being clever with layout, and making smart choices in terms of products and colours, a small room can become a stylish bathroom.


One of the first areas to look at is the shape of your room. Make the most of any alcoves in the room, if not used properly these can become wasted spaces. More often than not a Bath or Shower is ideal in these areas as it allows more room for door openings etc. 
Although it may seem that fitting both a shower and a bath into a small bathroom may seem impossible, this is not always the case. There are various shaped showers currently on the market, in smaller rooms look at using quadrants or pentagon shaped showers as these fit nicely into a corner of the room, and free up more floor space in the bathroom. One very important area when choosing a shower that is often forgotten is the type of enclosure opening used. In smaller rooms a slider enclosure is often preferable as it does not require any open space outside of the shower area in order to open/close. Baths also come in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as Bath/Shower combinations.


In terms of basins and toilets, again there are various options in terms of size and shape. Short Projection Pans are available which will limit the amount of space taken up. Also consider Back to Wall or Wall Mounted Toilets as well as the standard close coupled. While BTW and Wall Mounted may require boxing to house the cistern, it may be the case that it is already there in the form of a large enough stud wall. With regards to basins again the options are endless. A smaller basin can become the focal point of the room if positioned correctly and accompanied with eye-catching taps. a semi recessed basin is another good option as this offers much needed space under the basin.


Colour choices and accessories also play a large part when designing a bathroom in a small space. Try to keep to lighter colours such as white or cream, as these give a light spacious impression. Brighter and bolder colour tiles can give the wrong effect in a small space so try to avoid these. While Darker, Bolder coloured tiles are not advisable in smaller rooms, that is not to say they cannot feature at all. If used sparingly and cleverly, they can be used to create a feature in the room such as a pattern behind a basin or toilet, or in a shower area.
Be liberal with the use of mirrors and also glass surfaces as these can give further impressions of space in a small room. Coupled with correct lighting, these small changes can drastically improve the look of a small bathroom.


Take the time to think about how you are going to layout and design your bathroom, keep it simple where space is limited and be smart with you choices.


For help creating your new bathroom feel free to contact me here

Balinea Bathrooms