Resene Olive Green, disappearing walls and a lowered ceiling add wow to this bathroom. Photo / Juliet Nicholas
How to conquer the
trickiest room in the house
Interior designer Liz Kerby, of LizzieKandCo, says people often underestimate bathroom renovations. “It’s the trickiest room in the house. They might be small, but they’re high-use areas and a lot happens behind the scenes. The process of creating bathrooms involves many different trades which all have to be in there one at a time,” she says. The list of tradies that have the potential to get involved is extensive – builders, plumbers, waterproofers, electricians, tilers, painters, shower installers, cabinetmakers and stone installers – and each needs to be managed to minimise delays. OneRoof spoke to Kerby and other renovation and interior design experts to find out how to pull off a successful bathroom renovation.
Good help is important to find
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THE BLACK BOOK.
With a lot of unseen elements like pipework and waterproofing that cost a lot of money – and can cost even more if they’re not done properly – you don’t want to make mistakes. Set realistic expectations about what you can and cannot afford, says Shane, and be very clear about that number before you start. “Some people are enlightened enough to realise they can’t necessarily do a renovation themselves,” Kerby says. “It might be tempting to have a go at the plumbing or tiling, but save yourself a lot of heartache and call in the experts from the start. Remember, they work better as a team.” Essential to a smooth process is a really good plan with scale drawings and elevations. It needs to show everything from the positioning of the electrical plugs to the shower door width, especially if you’re going to reconfigure the layout. A good designer can provide one for you.
