66 homebuilding.co.uk
Design& Materials DesignMasterclass
W
e can’tallbeluckyenough
tohavegargantuan
bathroomstokitoutwith
over-sizedsanitaryware.However,
themorebijoubathroomneed
notbelackinginthestyle
stakesjustbecauseit is spatially
challenged—infactsomeof
thebestdesignsarebornout
ofnecessity,forcinga certain
creativitytobebroughtforth.
Thankfully,bathroom
manufacturershavecaughton
tothefactthatmostofusneed
sanitarywareandfurniture
tailoredtomorecompact
bathrooms,sothereis nolackof
productsouttheretofitintoyour
carefullyplannedspace.1
Howsmall
is toosmall?
AccordingtoCCLWetrooms
(www.ccl-wetrooms.co.uk),the
averagebathroomsizeintheUK
is 2.5mx 2m.That’snottosay
youcan’tgosmallerthanthis,but
forthespacetofeelcomfortable,
andtakingintoaccountthe
standardsizesofitemssuchas
baths(1,700mmx 700mm)and
showertrays(900mmx 900mm
is typical)youwouldn’twantto
gotoomuchsmallerthan4.5m^2 ,
certainlyfora mainbathroom.Wetrooms,cloakroomsand
showerroomscanbea little
smaller,at around1.5mx 1m.
Thisis takingintoaccountthe
minimumrecommendedsize
fora showerareaof700mmx
700mmandtheclearancespace
requiredarounda basinandWC
(about700mmforeach).2
Designinga layout
Beginplanningyourlayout
usinga to-scaledrawingof
thespace.Don’tforgettoinclude
windowsanddoors,sloping
ceilings,chimneybreastsand
ventilationonyourplanasthese
willaffectwhereyoucanplace
sanitaryware.If youhaveexisting
towelwarmersorradiatorsthat
youneedtoworkaround,include
thesetoo.
Usingto-scalecutoutsofyour
bathroomfittings– bath,shower
enclosure,basin,WCandeven
storageunits– playaroundwith
layoutsuntilyoufindonethat
fitsyourspacenicely.When
doingthis,bearinmindthe
recommendedclearancespaces
too—whilethebathmayfit
nicelyalongonewall,if youhave
nospaceinfrontfromwhichto
getinandout,youwillneedto
rethinkthelayout.3
Consider
a wetroom
Wetroomsnegatetheneed
fora separateshowerenclosure
andsooftenmakea lotofsense
insmallspaces.
Therearea fewconsiderations
whendesigninga wetroomin
orderforit toworkwell,however.
Firstis the‘splashradius’.Giving
somethoughttohowfarwateris
likelytoprojectfromtheshower
andhowthiswillaffecttheroom
is vital—placing a towel warmer
right next to the shower, for
example, will result in sopping
wet towels, whereas a basin that
gets splashed is no big deal.
You will also need to
waterproof the space (known as
tanking). The shower area plus
one additional metre surrounding
it, should be tanked (and there are
a number of ways in which this
can be done), while a wetroom
measuring 1.5m x 1m or less
would mean the whole room
would need to be waterproofed,
according to CCL Wetrooms.
In addition, a fall will need to
be created in order to allow water
to channel towards the drain. This
can either be done using a pre-
formed deck and ‘floor formers’
or by screeding to a correct fall.
And, if you have a particularly
high flow rate of water, additional
traps might be required to
accommodate the draining water.
Wetroom kits are available,
including everything you need.
Alternatively, you might want to
leave the job to an experienced
fitter or plumber.
Many people choose to install
a semi-wetroom, fitting a single
glass screen either to the front or
the open side of the showering
space to prevent spray from
escaping, perhaps using a shower
tray sunk into the floor.Small or awkward spaces often result in
some of the most creative solutions —
and with the right layout and planning, a
compact bathroom can be a thing of beauty
by Natasha Brinsmead
Big ideas for
small bathrooms
natasha
brinsMeaD
has worked for
Homebuilding &
Renovatingfor
over 15 years.
she has just
finished her
latest renovationusethosecorners
everyinchofspace
countsin small
bathrooms.corner
sanitarywarecanwork
wellwherespaceis at
a premium.takea look
atidealstandard’s
conceptspace range
(bottom). (www.ideal-
standard.co.uk)illusionofspace
clean lines (think
large-format tiles
rather than small)
canhelpcreatethe
illusionofspaceina
bathroom(top).the
Doblolarge-format
porcelaintilesfrom
tile Mountain cost
£23.99/m^2. (www.
tilemountain.co.uk)