Our Complete Dream Bathroom Renovation: The Cost and Floor Plan

a bathroom with pink bath, patterned tiles and grey walls

What are the first rooms you look at when you are viewing a property? I always make a beeline for the kitchen and love a small bathroom renovation, so if I’m happy with them, the rest will do.

I feel that we (me) were a little blindsided by the size of our kitchen when we viewed the house we currently live in and didn’t really take into consideration the size of the other rooms and in particular the bathroom. It is a small bathroom at only 2.3m x 1.8m and I wanted it all in there. A bath, stand-alone shower and sink vanity unit, which in hindsight was probably a bit ambitious!

If you have a similar challenge, I’d recommend hiring a local bathroom design and installation contractor, like Ability Bathe Devon Ltd.

the bathroom before the bathroom renovation
Our previous bathroom – photo taken by Estate Agents

I actually quite liked our previous bathroom. It had a white bathroom suite, with white and blue Moroccan-style tiles halfway up the wall and dark blue square mosaic-style tiles on the floor. There was also a large airing cupboard at the end of the bath which was perfect for storing all our towels and bathroom paraphernalia.

The problem was, as we found with most things in our house when renovating, I don’t think it was a professional who put the bathroom in. There was a huge hole behind the toilet where, if you crouched down, could see right through to the outside (and no matter how long we had the heating on in the winter, it probably would have been just as warm to bath in the paddling pool outside).

a stripped bathroom ready for a renovation
Our bathroom complete with holes to the outside

The bath leaked and the plastic shower screen wasn’t fitted properly. All the water seeped out onto the floor and even the window blind was poorly fitted and didn’t shut properly and was a bit pointless, so it was desperate for a bathroom renovation.

But we had to make do with it for at least a year whilst we concentrated on the kitchen. Thankfully, we had a shower room downstairs with a large shower enclosure which was a godsend!

downstairs shower room with gallery wall
Our downstairs shower room probably gets used more than our actual bathroom!

The first decision we had to make regarding our small bathroom renovation was the floor plan. We currently had a bath running along the left-hand wall with an airing cupboard at the foot of the bath, and a sink under the window with the toilet to the right.

We needed to decide whether we wanted to keep this set up with the storage space or find a different layout for our bathroom renovation, so I started researching bathroom renovation blogs.

marble tiles and bathroom storage
Bathroom storage is so important! Image credit: Maison Valentina

I liked the idea of having some sort of shelving unit at the end of the bath, but in the end, we decided to put the bath under the window and replace the airing cupboard with a shower enclosure.

So, whilst the kitchen renovation was in full flow, I started visiting Pinterest obsessively and planning our next room overhaul. I knew I didn’t have a lot of space to play with but the top of the list was to have a separate shower and bath.

bright neon pink bath in the bathroom
I really wanted a free-standing bath in our bathroom. Bright pink bath optional! Image credit: Waters Baths of Ashbourne

I wanted a rainfall showerhead as I really dislike shower curtains. I lived in military Married Quarters for several years and had to put up with nasty, dirty, and mildewed shower curtains (and once falling out of the bath when I tried to pull the shower curtain away from me a little too violently), I no longer wanted to touch cloth whilst showering. Ha.

This was at the top of my list for our impending bathroom renovation. I also contemplated having a wet room to give us more space, but I knew I needed a bath for our small children.

marble tiles, shower enclosure and monochrome floor tiles
A stand-alone shower enclosure was high on the list. Image credit: Bathroom Mountain

I also knew my new bathroom renovation was definitely going to have patterned tiles! I wanted to keep them simple, either monochrome or with a bit of grey or blue in them because, at this point in our renovation journey, I was a little scared of color!

yellow bath and metro tiles
A fabulously bright yellow bath with patterned tiles – Instagram – @the_idle_hands

The next decision was the bathroom suite. Again, I knew I wanted a roll-top bath but did we keep the bathroom suite all white or mix it up a bit? Maybe a different colored bath like the ones below and a vanity-style sink unit.

pink bath, grey tiles and dark navy panelling
The most stunning bathroom by @comedowntothewoods

The Bathroom Renovation

First of all, we had to rip the old bathroom out, including the airing cupboard that was in the corner and the tiles from the walls and floors. This is when we realized how bad the previous bathroom installation had been.

There were huge damp patches on the floor and walls and the whole room had to be made secure, watertight and completely re-plastered before we could continue. It was in desperate need of a bathroom renovation.

a stripped bathroom ready for renovation
The bathroom renovation begins. There were holes and damage everywhere in the room. And just look at those previous, previous “tiles” 🙂
airing cupboard removed
The mess made when the airing cupboard came out. I often wondered how our house was still standing
pipework in the bathroom
Starting the pipework for our shower enclosure

Bathroom Renovation Costs

What costs the most in a bathroom remodel? The main expense was the bathroom suite and the builders, plumbers and electricians to put it in.

As always, make sure you get at least 3 quotes when looking at putting in a new bathroom. Our builders charged us £4000 to put the bathroom in. 

The Tiles and Walls

I originally found some beautiful Victorian-style blue, black, white and grey patterned tiles, but in true Melanie style, I went to order them the day they ripped out the bathroom and was told they were quite bespoke so would take at least 8 weeks to be delivered.

With a 3-year-old and 2-year-old in the house, I didn’t think we could wait that long without a bath so I paid a visit to Topps Tiles and was pleasantly surprised with the range and price.

We went for –

Originally, we were looking at using the metro tiles from the floor to ceiling but decided to tile the bathroom halfway up the wall to keep the cost down. We then had the top half of the bathroom painted in Dulux Pure Brilliant White.

However, after a week or so of living with it, we decided to paint it in Dulux Warm Pewter instead as I felt it gave the bathroom more depth and it stopped looking so sterile.

grey, black and white patterened tiles in the bathroom
It was a happy day when I saw these going in 🙂
shower enclosure
The metro tiles and coveted rainfall shower head

Bathroom Suite

We visited The Bath Store in a local shopping center to discuss our bathroom renovation and the service was fantastic. I had a one-to-one consultation which lasted about 1 and a half hours where we went through all the sizing and available suites to us.

In the end, we decided to go with –

We mainly went for practicality with the bathroom renovation, with a few design features like the marble-topped sink thrown in. The sink vanity unit was also important as it gave us a bit of storage space after ripping out the airing cupboard.

The bathroom was delivered the following week, along with a large skip on our driveway and we had a team of builders (including an electrician, plumber and tiler) put it in for us which took around 2 weeks.

stand alone bath and monochrome tiles on the floor
Metro tiles are up and a new Winchester bath going in
bath taps
The bath taps are connected
metro tiles in the shower enclosure
Shower enclosure and tray are being fitted
grey bathroom vanity unit
Absolutely loved the sink vanity unit when it turned up!
grey bathroom vanity unit with marble top. Grey walls, ikea mirror and white radiator
Sink in its place with the new white radiator
monochrome tiles on the floor, stand along bath and metro tiles
A newly fitted bathroom, still with white walls
monochrome tiles, stand alone bath and metro tiles
A week later, walls painted in Dulux Warm Pewter

Lighting and Accessories

Once the bathroom suite was put in, tiles laid and made watertight, I began to look at lighting which I actually found really difficult! I wanted something that was a little bit different, but not overbearing as it is such a small space.

We ended up going with the Capri 3 Light Flush Fitting from Next as I liked the chrome base and frosted lights which would make the bathroom bright. It was also a bargain at £25. We put a shelf up over the bath to display plants and toiletries and I hung a small gallery wall over the bath and toilet.

The last thing we added to the bathroom was a large mirror as it gave the impression the bathroom was bigger.

bathroom lighting
Light fitting from Next
bathroom lighting
Close up!
bathroom shelf with plants
Shelf from B & Q , faux string of pearls by Heavenly Home & Gardens, Basket from HomeSense
bath taps
The shower arm attached to the taps has been invaluable with small children!
bathroom metro tiles and gallerywall
A plant and water inspired gallery wall to complete our bathroom renovation
shower taps
I love this vintage-style shower valve from the Bath Store
bathroom vanity unit and mirror
Every bathroom needs one! Mirror from Dunelm

What Have I Learned From This Bathroom Renovation?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, or so they say!

I think my biggest regret with this bathroom renovation is getting a separate shower cubicle and bath. The space in the bathroom is now very limited and can feel like the Tube at rush hour when we’re all in there trying to brush our teeth and get the kids washed.

The shower enclosure is also quite small and it can feel a little claustrophobic, so I only use the shower downstairs which is about twice the size. I’m also not sure I’d go for a rainfall-type shower again as I think I’ve only used this a handful of times.

I love the vanity unit-style sink, but again, this is quite large and takes up a lot of space. We would probably have been better off with a wall-mounted sink.

bathroom looking out into the hallway
I do love our bathroom but feel the sink is too large and the shower too small!

Another thing I regret is not shopping around more for a bathroom suite and spending so much money. We had a budget set aside for the bathroom renovation and because the Bath Store suite came under what we had set aside, we decided to go for it.

But sitting here writing this blog post and seeing the figures on metaphorical paper, I realize we could have spent far less for the same results. I mean, £67 for a glorified shampoo and conditioner holder!!!

Bathroom Renovation Before and After

bathroom being ripped out
It’s definitely a small bathroom renovation
metro tiles, monochrome floor tiles, grey walls, gallery wall and stand alone bath in the bathroom
My bathroom is really difficult to take photos of, but here’s a shot with the bath, toilet and shower enclosure!
metro tiles, monochrome floor tiles, grey walls, gallery wall and stand alone bath in the bathroom
Slowly adding a bit of colour to the room. I love the bright splashes of pink against the grey
bath filled with flower petals
Bath Time 🙂
bathroom with fairy lights and plants
The best bits about our bathroom renovation have to be the tiles

That being said, I do love our small bathroom renovation and we always get lovely comments about it. The showstopper has to be the tiled floor and this is something I would do time and time again. I have also painted the bath pink and it has added some much-needed colour to the bathroom.

painted pink bath in the bathroom with monochrome and metro tiles
I loved our pink bath and it was so easy to do! Check out the blog post here

I love planning and designing a bathroom renovation and can’t wait to get on with our downstairs bathroom!

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a very small commission if you click through and make a purchase. These links help to pay the editorial costs of writing a blog. For more information, read my full affiliate disclosure here.

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our dream bathroom renovation, design and costs Pinterest Pin

 

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22 Comments

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  2. Thanks for this blog you post. It is very helpful to me I hope you post more help from us. So that we can learn more about how to manage this kind of plumbing plan. Choosing the best for your home is the best you must do.

  3. Hey there Blogger! I always love the way you write content on your website. I appreciate the effort you made to share the Tips for Hiring a Bathroom Remodeling Contractor. Thank you for this informative post because it is amazing to read, I love reading your post materials. Thanks for sharing this with us.

  4. Awesome stuff. Please keep writing more things like this. I really like the fact you went so in depth on this and really explored the topic as much as you did. I read a lot of blogs but usually, it’s pretty shallow content. Thanks for upping the game here!

  5. I absolutely love this bathroom Did you use the same colour grout on the floor tiles as the wall? x

  6. I honestly love every single thing you did to your bathroom. It looks really really nice. The floor, grey walls and cabinets, the shower room it all looks really really good. I am going to start working on renovating my bathroom and i really hope it turned out looking as good as yours.

    1. Hi Blake

      Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I’m really pleased with how our bathroom turned out! Mel 🙂

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  9. Hi, thank you for your brilliant and honest post. I am having a very similar bathroom done at the moment. Differnt furniture but black and grey floor tiles and white metro tiles. And yes pink accessories. I love the combination. And with the basis neutral i can change colours easily. I have one questions if you don’t mind what colour grout are using with the metro tiles. I want to stay away from white but cant quite figure out if yours is black or grey. It looks great. Many thanks inge

    1. Hello! We went with the Smoke (grey) grout from Topps Tiles and it’s perfect. This floor can get quite messy so it is imperative that you use darker grout or you will forever be scrubbing it! 🙂

  10. Hello I love your bathroom! Please can you let me know if you used a gloss or matt metro tile for the walls.

    1. Hi Bryan

      Social media all the way! Get creating 20s – 60s short videos for Reels and TikTok and be completely consistent at it. 🙂

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