The bathroom may not be the largest room in the house, but that doesn't mean it will be easy to renovate. To the contrary, a bathroom can often be one of the trickiest spaces to get right.
From tiling to sanitaryware to plumbing, there is a lot to consider when renovating a bathroom. And if you want to design a space that actually lasts, you need to ensure you place equal importance on function as well as form.
It's not a cheap endeavour, nor is it one that you'll want to do more than once, so you're going to want to get it right the first time round. To help you with this, I asked the experts for the biggest mistakes they always notice so that you can avoid making them at all costs.
1. Buying Before Planning
"One of the most costly mistakes in a bathroom renovation is selecting key pieces before the bathroom layout has been properly resolved," says Keeley Sutcliffe, design manager at BC Designs.
It's an understandable slip-up; we've all had moments where we've fallen head over heels in love with an item before really considering how it will slot into our lives and homes. And while you can get away with designing around a slightly too out-there chair in your living room, designing a bathroom around that rolltop freestanding tub you decided you couldn't live without is decidedly more difficult.
The functional necessities of a bathroom are what will make this desire-led approach a problem for you. "Bathrooms are compact, technical rooms, and every fitting requires clear circulation space to avoid the room feeling tight or awkward," explains Keeley.
"Baths in particular need breathing room on all sides for both visual balance and practical access, while showers require sufficient clearance to prevent splash-back and make daily use comfortable. When these allowances are ignored, even a beautifully specified bathroom can feel compromised from the moment it is finished."
2. Putting Form Over Function
While functionality should be a consideration in every room of your house, in your bathroom, it should be a top priority. However simple this may seem, it still seems to be something that people continuously neglect.
"One of the most common mistakes in bathroom renovations is selecting bathroom tiles and finishes based purely on appearance, without fully considering how they will perform in a space that is exposed to constant moisture, temperature changes, and regular cleaning," says Grazzie Wilson, head of creative at Ca’ Pietra.
When decorating your bathroom, measurements like slip ratings are among the most important things to consider, as if you don't, not only will your bathroom be less durable, but it will actually be less safe, too.
"Highly polished surfaces can be slippery underfoot, poorly specified tiles may stain or mark, and finishes that are difficult to maintain can start to detract from the overall look far sooner than expected," says Grazzie.
3. Being Too Spendthrift
Renovating a bathroom is an undeniably expensive undertaking, so the desire to cut costs when possible is perfectly understandable. However, compromising on your budget bathroom can quickly make it an unusable space.
"I see it time and time again, the biggest issue in bathroom renovations is choosing the cheapest materials to keep costs down, without considering how intensively a bathroom is used," shares Damla Turgut from Otto Tiles.
While there are certainly aspects on which you can choose a cheaper option without issue, "Lower-quality finishes can chip, fade, or fail under constant moisture and temperature changes, often leading to costly repairs or replacements far sooner than anticipated."
4. Scrimping on the Small Luxuries
Not unlike the previous point, many people will try to cut costs by opting out of small, seemingly unnecessary luxuries, such as a demister mirror or underfloor heating.
As Joel Fry, designer and showroom manager at West One, says, "Small luxuries such as underfloor heating, heated mirror pads, and hand showers on the bath may seem small and non-needed, but think daily."
It's the little luxuries that make day-to-day life that little bit nicer. "Underfloor heating in the winter makes a huge difference to take the edge off in the morning, as well as when having a wet floor shower tray; then after use, it helps dry the floor and reduce slipping hazards around the space."
These add-ons don't need to cost a fortune, either. For example, Joel suggests, "The whole floor doesn’t need to be heated; where you stand is where you need it. Plus, don’t put it under a freestanding bath; most manufacturers advise against it, as it can potentially crack the bath," says Joel.
5. Rushing the Process
You want a new bathroom, and you want it now. We get it. But while rushing through the process may get you to the end quicker, you'll be losing quality along the way, along with those bathroom finishing touches that make a space feel special.
"This is a mistake, as it can result in unnecessary compromises and costly amendments," explains Sophie Rawlinson from West One. "Such as not enough space for the wanted products, like fitting a bath and shower in the same room, and you may have to compromise on one or the other."
Designing a bathroom is not as simple as just choosing where everything would look best; it also has to work logistically with the plumbing, so mapping this out at the very beginning is always a smart idea.
Setting yourself a strict time limit can carry more consequences than you may initially expect. "Also, small design changes that we like to avoid, such as having a toilet in front of the door, can be costly if you decide to move it in the middle of the build," warns Sophie. "You also limit product options if you require items quickly, as a lot of products are made to order and therefore incur long lead times."
A heated towel rail is one of those little luxuries that can completely upgrade your everyday bathroom experience, and I particularly love this cool, modern design.
Not only do these tiles have a gorgeous, almost ethereal finish, but they also have an impressive R11 slip rating, making them ideal for use within bathrooms.
This gorgeous double-ended bath would be the centerpiece of any bathroom; not into the black finish? The Verona Freestanding Modern Bath in white might be the one for you.
Bathroom renovation mistakes can happen to the best of us — take the story of our executive editor, Pip Rich, as an example. Here, he explains how he got his bathroom remodel wrong and still lives to regret it.
