ad // When you move house, there’s a lot of things you have to think about when it comes to your potential new home. I should know – my partner and I have just bought our first home!
Before we viewed the house, we made a list of things we want/need, things we could live without and things we didn’t want. This ranged from 3 bedrooms, a garden and a garage as things we definitely wanted, to a big garden, which was something we didn’t necessarily need – but would be nice.
Luckily for us, the house we viewed and bought had EVERYTHING we needed and MORE. And it was within our price-range!
We were incredibly lucky and the whole process has been a dream. We have a lot of work to do in the house now (mostly painting) but knowing we have everything we need and won’t need to up and move again any time soon is a real blessing.
But when it comes to moving home, I think two main rooms a lot of people have a lot of thoughts about are kitchens and bathrooms. Ironically, the two most expensive rooms in the house to renovate if you need to.
It’s easy to make a bathroom look expensive on a budget but the foundations of the bathroom need to be solid first – otherwise a full renovation job will be in order.
So let’s go through a short but important list of things to consider when you’re viewing houses, when it comes to your bathroom:
Is it accessible?
If you have accessibility needs then this should obviously be the first thing on the priorities list when it comes to your new bathroom.
Luckily, neither me or my partner have any accessibly issues but I am grateful that we have a downstairs toilet, in case anyone visits who does struggle with stairs.
You might want to look for somewhere with a downstairs toilet as well or ensure the bathroom is big enough to manoeuvre a wheelchair, a walker or other equipment someone with accessibility needs might require.
Shower or bath? (or both)
Are you a bath person or a shower person?
I mostly have showers but I love having a bath occasionally – especially when I’m stressed. But sadly, our house doesn’t have a bath! Although it wasn’t a necessity, it’s still made me quite sad that I can’t have a bath whenever I like.
If you need a bath or shower specifically, there are plenty of options to choose from, including walk-in showers, accessible baths/showers (for the above point) or a beautiful Insignia Steam Cabin if you really want to push the boat out!
Will it need replacing soon?
Like I said, bathrooms are one of the most expensive rooms in the house to renovation completely. My partner used to work in Wickes as a kitchen and bathroom designer, with some people spending upwards of 10 grand on a bathroom.
Money that, if you’ve just bought a house, most of us won’t have!
If it’s just surface level stuff that needs dealing with (for example, a horrible paint colour!) then that can be fixed pretty swiftly and cheaply. But if the entire bathroom needs renovating, then it might be time to re-think.
Storage space
Your bathroom is going to need to house most of your beauty products, towels and toiletries, so storage space is really important. Thankfully, you can get creative with storage hacks to help you out here!
If there’s more than two of you, you’ll definitely want to keep this in mind. People = stuff. And stuff can accumulate very quickly. Especially if you have someone in the house who’s obsessed with skincare!
You bathroom should be a place you want to be. You spend a fair bit of time in your bathroom, so you’ll need to ensure it’s somewhere that sparks joy, whether that’s beautiful tiling on the floor, a relaxing paint colour or simply a lot of light.
And when it comes to buying a new home as well, the bathroom isn’t something you can overlook or ignore.
You have to take into consideration these points, as well as what sort of state the bathroom is in and whether you’re able to manage it or have the money to renovate it.
For us, our two main bathrooms don’t need much doing to them other than a few tweaks. The downstairs toilet needs a whole revamp (it’s awful!) but thankfully it’s functioning for now, as it’s not a priority.
We redid our two big bathrooms before COVID and it was the best decision ever. We got to enjoy the whole renovation and pick all of our favourites. A must have was marble tiled walls floor to ceiling – easy cleaning!
Rosie
https://www.loverosiee.co.uk
Sounds heavenly!
First of all, congratulations on your new home! Secondly, we’re looking into a new bathroom next year. Our main one mostly, and then maybe sorting out the ensuite with black tiles throughout. Because my home wouldn’t be me if it weren’t black…
I’m a sucker for black tiles! Good choice x
Bathroom storage is so important! I recently got one of those tall thin cabinets for our ensuite and it makes loads of difference!
Corinne x
Oooh I bet! We have really limited storage in our ensuite as well
Indeed these are very important and we need to ensure a good storage space because we struggled with that before.
Really important x
Bathroom plays an important role for a cozy home. I always love a nice cozy bathroom. Thank you for sharing your tips.
Thank you x
Such useful advice! I’m glad you mentioned storage as I think this gets forgotten about so often in bathrooms. Our bathrooms are workable and fine, but the upstairs definitely needs Renovating. I worked in a bathroom and kitchen showroom before we moved to Leeds so I’ve got lots of ideas for things I want to do with the space. We’ve just got a few things we’d like to do first In the house. Good luck with your renovations. X
Ahh really!! My partner is currently a design consultant for Wickes, so same! I’m always getting tons of ideas haha!
This is useful advice. Storage is a big issue and keeping it warm. A heated towel rack works well.
Love a heated towel rail!
Loved this post! Congratulations on becoming a home owner too. I must admit in the past when I view houses I always make sure I have a bath, both me and my little girl love our baths, quite important to me. My Partner used to fit kitchen and bathrooms also, thankfully he is a good guide at noticing if the suites are in good condition or would need replacing. Thanks for sharing x
I’m really going to miss my bath!