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A well-designed bathroom can be a huge selling point for your home, so what should you consider when renovating?

When designing a good all-purpose bathroom, the most important thing to consider is space. “A bathroom that has enough space to move around without feeling cramped is going to be much more appealing to prospective buyers,” says Wayne Ryan of Miracle Bathrooms.

There are many ways to maximise the feeling of space in a smaller bathroom without major changes to the layout or fittings. Floating vanities or toilets off the wall can give the impression that the bathroom is larger than it is, as it creates more visible floor space.

Frameless or semi-frameless shower screens also give the illusion of more space, as they don’t create any visual barriers or block the light. According to Wayne, these have become almost standard in any new bathroom, so many people would expect them.

As for colour schemes, Wayne says it’s safer to stick to white or neutral tones. Even though you may really like that aqua feature wall, a potential buyer may not, so it’s a better idea to personalise your bathroom in non-permanent ways, such as with accessories or towels.

It’s important to make the bathroom as appealing as possible to a broad range of people, which means catering to all needs. So while you may not have any need for a bath, including one is a safe bet. “If it’s the only bathroom in the house, you might want to put a bath in there, to cater for families with young children,” says Wayne.

Storage is another key to creating a good bathroom, and can make or break a design, so be sure to include plenty of space for towels, cosmetics and cleaning products. If you want to go that extra mile, a few luxurious touches can’t hurt either. Think in-floor heating, heated towel rails, or double basins in an ensuite.

And with today’s focus on sustainability and conserving our natural resources, some environmentally friendly features could also help. A cheap way to reduce power consumption is adding dimmers to light switches, and introducing as much natural light as possible, with either windows or skylights.

Bathroom Warehouse’s new Vanity Builder software allows you to design your own Caesarstone Vanity. Select your cabinet, basin, tapware and bench top from many different styles and sizes to build a complete picture of your dream vanity.

Vanity Builder is quick and easy to use, and allows you to browse and design hundreds of different vanities. It’s ideal for comparing prices on different styles of vanity units and configurations. Prices start from as little as $820
The Bathroom Warehouse Vanity Builder offers almost unlimited vanity designs to create a modern vanity that will match your space, style and functionability. Personalise your console vanity design with Vanity Builder.

Select from many styles of

• Cabinets
• Basins
• Tapware
• Cabinet Surfaces

Design your vanity now

It’s easy to save water around the home - you just need to pay attention to what you’re doing. Simple behavioural changes are just as important in the fight against water shortages as fixing leaking taps and buying water-smart appliances.

Here’s a list of handy tips to help you save water around the home.

In general

• Make sure you don’t have leaks. Find a two-hour period when no-one in your house will be using water. Check the water meter at the beginning and end of the two-hour period. If your meter has changed at all, something is leaking.

• If you have a leaky tap, replace the washer. A tap leaking at the rate of one drop per second can waste around 10,000L of water every year.
• Hot water will reach taps much faster if the pipes that carry it are properly insulated. This shortens the time you have to leave the tap running before you get hot water.
• Retrofit existing taps with aerators or flow restrictors.
• New taps installed in any part of the home should be WELS-rated with an aerator or flow restrictor built in.

In the bathroom

• WELS-rated showerhead use only 7L of water per minute. Old-style showerheads use up to 20L per minute.
• Don’t leave the water running while cleaning your teeth or shaving. Use the plug to reserve a little water for rinsing instead.
• Don’t let cold water run down the drain while you’re waiting for your shower to heat up. Instead, capture the water in a bucket and use it to water your plants.
• If you have an older toilet with a large capacity, try putting a bottle filled with water or a brick in the cistern to reduce the amount of water used with each flush.
• If you’re installing a new toilet, buy one with a WELS-rating. These use just 3-6L of water with each flush,
• Even if your toilet is only leaking slightly it can waste many thousands of litres of water every year. An old trick is to put food dye in the cistern and check the basin 30 minutes later. If the water is coloured, you need to check for worn or corroded parts.
• Try to restrict your shower time - five minutes is plenty of time to get clean. Put a timer in the shower if it’s hard to keep track.
• Save baths for special occasions and don’t use more water than you need.

Original article from renovate.realestate.com

When renovating a small bathroom you want to try and give the illusion of space. Consider the following:

The illusion of height

Vertical lines add height to a room by drawing the eye upwards. Tiles that are extended to the ceiling can make a small bathroom feel larger. Painting a vertical stripe or using a similar wallpaper pattern is also a good idea.

Another way to draw the eye upwards is by lining the edge, or ‘crown’ of the ceiling with a border; perhaps a cornice, or a patterned tile around the top of the walls.

Bathroom Warehouse in association with Reno Card would like to offer members a 10% discount on all Designer Vanities purchased through our internet sales team with presentation of your voucher. For more information please visit www.renocard.com.au.

Listing from innovative household:

At Bathroom Warehouse we provide the largest online range of vanities, mixer taps, basins, frameless glass showers, toilet suites, baths and spa’s, bathroom accessories, plus much more. 

With a full online catalogue of bathroom ware, a personalised service, great prices and nationwide delivery we can provide the complete bathroom solution or an individual item for your home or business. 

The benefits we provide our community 

Bathroom Warehouse stocks the latest trends in water saving devices for your home from local manufacturers and international designers. We have two showrooms located in Brisbane for locals to pop-in and talk to our qualified* staff. Alternatively if you are outside Brisbane call us on our free call 1300 number (1300 788 653) to discuss anything Bathroom related with our phone support team. 

*All our staff have tertiary education in interior design. 

What makes our products and services unique? 

Our staff aren’t just salespeople, all our staff are tertiary educated in interior design and have strong knowledge of the latest design trends. We know everything about our products and can advise you on specifications and technical requirements. 

Bathroom Warehouse specialises in vanity design and construction, able to custom-make a vanity to your specifications with a wide range of ready-made vanities also available. So give us you’re the floor plan of your bathroom and we can custom design a solution to suite you.  

Our concerns about innovation, responsibility and sustainability 

All our products are WELS rated and tested for water efficiency. New government rules for business and the home are being implemented and we’ve made sure that all our products are compliant with the new rules. Ask us about our water saving devices and we’ll give you the best solution for your home. 

Full details available at South East Queensland Water

Are you planning to upgrade your motel rooms to water efficient fixtures? Did you know that the Queensland Water Commission has specified that all businesses in South East Queensland using more than 1 megalitre of water per year must have water efficient fixtures in place by 31 March 2008. View Queensland Water Commission Website

Rebates are available under the Business Water Efficiency Plan from South East Queensland Water and include:

• Up to $150 for each new dual flush toilet
• 50% of the purchase price (up to $30) for each tap
• 50% of the purchase price (up to $30) for each showerhead
• Bathroom Warehouse would be delighted to help you select competitively priced, water efficient bathroom fittings.

At Bathroom Warehouse we offer the following:

• A range of economical porcelain toilets including wall facing (easy to clean) with dual flush (6/3 litres or better) ad renowned Gerberit valves.
• An extensive range of tapware with 3 star or better WELS (Water Efficiency Labeling and Standards Scheme) rating – maximum flow rate 9 litres per minute.
• Water efficient showerheads with 3 star or better WELS rating.
• A range of shower bases, baths and vanity units (including custom-made).
• Extensive range of accessories (toilet roll holders, heated and standard towel rails, shelves, soap dispensers etc.).

Bathroom Warehouse would like to introduce it’s new toll-free nationwide phone number - 1300 788 653

Due to overwhelming demand, we are now proud to report our services are available to customers Australia Wide.

HIA’s Annual Kitchens and Bathrooms report is the most comprehensive overview of opportunities, attitudes, and forecasts for this all important $10bn sector. Drawing on HIA’s forecasts of industry activity and from a comprehensive survey among designers, manufacturers, retailers and installers, the report is a true industry barometer.

Among many key points the report highlights that:

• An estimated 450,500 kitchens are forecast to be installed over the 2006/07 financial year, down only 0.7 per cent on 2005/06. In value terms, activity is expected to largely hold steady, easing by a bare 0.1 per cent to $5.54 billion.
• For bathrooms, an estimated 673,900 installations are expected in 2006/07, a slight 0.8 per cent decline on last financial year. The value of these installations is expected to ease by 1.6 per cent to $3.88 billion

Find out more