If you're planning a bathroom renovation you'll be heading out to check out the bathroom showrooms to have a wander. Before you head out gather this information to take with you and it will make the experience for you AND your future bathroom sales consultant a lot smoother. For a printable page you can put all the information on click here.
In no particular order...
#1 What type of water pressure do you have?
If you don't know whether you are on Mains or Low/Unequal Pressure then you'll need to check your hot water cylinder. Hopefully it will have a sticker on it which will tell you. If it's pretty old, it's a safe bet that it's low or unequal. If you're on gas it should be mains pressure.
Why is this important to know?
You'll need to know what water pressure you are on in order to choose you're tapware. If you have mains then the world's your oyster. If you have low/unequal then you're options are a bit more limited although these days there is a pretty great selection available.
#2 What is your current toilet set up?
If you're not replacing your toilet as part of your renovation just skip this section. If you're wanting to get a new toilet then you'll need to get to know your current one.
You'll need to take note of whether the pipe goes out through the wall ('P' pan) or through the floor ('S' pan). If it goes through the floor then you need to get the measurement from the wall to the approximate centre of the pipe going through the floor. This is the 'set-out' when your bathroom showroom consultant asks for this information.
It also pays to check which side your inlet tap is currently (the little tap that lets the water into your cistern). Top left or right, bottom left or right. If you're taking off the gib then you've got a bit more flexibilty for the new toilet suite but the closer the replacement is to the existing set up then the less time the plumber has to spend installing it.
Why is this important to know?
Unless you're wanting to change a lot of plumbing to replace your toilet (and to be honest it's probably not worth it in most cases) then the more information you have the better match you can get for your new toilet suite.
#3 Measurements!
Grab a tape measure and at least get the overall measurements of your room. To make things even easier when looking at new bathroomware add in things like door and window placements (including height off the floor for windows).
Why is this important to know?
It will save you time when looking for the big items for your bathroom - shower, bath & vanity. There's no point in looking at 1200mm vanities if the biggest you can fit is 900mm.
Need a guide on how to measure your room? Click here
#4 How much you have allowed to spend on product.
I know you think that if you tell your showroom consultant a figure you have in mind that they'll do you out of a special deal or something. Please don't think this! They don't want to be wasting their time and yours quoting 5 different showers/baths/vanities that are way out of your budget. In fact all the showroom consultants I worked with (including me when I was in that role) loved the challenge of putting together options that looked fantastic and were within budget.
Why is this important to know?
It will save time. If you don't have a clue about what things actually cost and therefore haven't put together a budget yet no worries, tell your bathroom showroom consultant that! My recommendation in that case is to flick through the showroom catalogue or latest brochure. The Mico Bathroom Book is a great resource to start with it shows products in a range of price points.
If that still doesn't help start with your dream bathroom choices and then scale back as required.
#5 Please don't expect to pick up that vanity/shower/bath the same day
There are thousands of products on the market and it's unreasonable to expect that a bathroomware supplier would hold even one of everything in stock "just in case". That's just not good business sense. Most places will keep some basic ranges in stock, they probably even have good stock levels if they supply a building company but it will most likely be just that...the basics. A basic timeline of ordering products (provided they're in stock at the manufacturer/importer;
- Tapware/Accessories - overnight in some cases, 1-3 working days to be safe
- Baths/Acrylic Showers - 2-5 working days if it's a standard range is probably safe, some of the higher end acrylic showers may take longer
- Tiled Shower Enclosures - 3-20 working days
- Vanities/Cabinetry - overnight in some cases, up to 8 weeks for timber veneer or painted, longer if it's a dark gloss paint finish
There are always exceptions to the rule but planning and pre-ordering will save you a lot of stress.
Why is this important to know?
It will save a tonne of stress if you start the process early. Sort out your products so they are there ready for your tradies when they need them. It is also handy to know what products you are looking at when you get quotes for labour and installation. It costs more to install a wall-hung toilet for example than it would for a standard suite, better to give them that information at the beginning.
