En suite bathrooms can add value to your home

With a little imagination, planning and professional design advice even the smallest spaces can be turned into practical and stylish en-suite bathrooms, often adding value to your home.

Bathrooms have become significant features of modern living and even smaller houses will often have a master bedroom with en-suite and a family bathroom.  Using modern space saving bathroom products, it is now possible to create en-suites in small spaces.  A well planned and properly constructed en-suite bathroom can add value to your home and increase its desirability when offered for sale.  According to the Channel 4 Homes website, a typical four bedroom house with an en-suite can be worth from £10,000 to £20,000 more than an identical house without an en-suite.

En-suite bathrooms in small spaces

An en-suite facility need not occupy a great deal of space and requires only a toilet, small basin and shower enclosure to create an additional bathroom that is both stylish and functional.  Even a window, although preferable, is not essential if the scheme incorporates light colours, reflective surfaces and adequate lighting and ventilation.  If you are considering creating an en-suite bathroom, space will often be a limiting factor and both layout and product selection will need to be considered carefully.

Planning en-suite bathrooms

A professional bathroom designer will be able to offer advice on important planning considerations such as drainage, lighting and ventilation as well as suggesting products, colours and surface finishes that are suitable for a small en-suite.  Using the latest 3D design software, a bathroom specialist can produce floor plans and full colour photographic visualisations of your proposed en-suite.

Some do’s and a don’t for creating a successful en-suite bathroom

• Do use a professional bathroom designer to help you make the most of available space and avoid costly mistakes.
• Do consider lighting at an early stage; simply adding lots of down lighters can produce a harsh light with shadows that can make a small bathroom feel even smaller.
• Do consider either a simple fixed walk-in shower screen or bifold sliding shower door; both will save space and may allow a larger shower to be created.
• Do consider using under floor heating instead of radiators to free up precious wall space.
• Do consider using a macerator if drainage is an issue; there are products specifically designed to handle all of the waste water from a small bathroom.
• Don’t overlook ventilation, which is especially important in small bathrooms and can cause subsequent damp problems if omitted.

If you are planning to add an en suite bathroom to your home or would like some bathroom design advice, please contact the experts at Room H2O or visit our bathroom showrooms at New Malden in Surrey and Wareham in Dorset.