Our experience so far has been positive, even given complexity of some of the decisions we've been asked to make. So, this post considers out experience to date, including practicalities not covered to this point.
It's crucial to do your research & decide what you want the finished room to look like. Since we were pretty clear on what we wanted, the process has moved fairly rapidly. If you're in any way unsure about what you want, or how you want the finished room to look, the process will stall. Yes, you can change your mind on some minor details, but each of these can throw up more significant issues during installation.
Decisions
Even best laid plans result in some last minute decisions having to be made. Here are the decisions we've been asked to make, during installation:
- where the rubbish is to be placed/stored
- position of the extractor fan
- exact extent of the tiling (including orientation of tiles, and height of the edging).
- location of power points & some cabling
This is where the installer's expertise is crucial, and their advice invaluable.
The Installer
I get the sense that the installer is everything in this process. The team chosen to install each bathroom or kitchen is the most significant factor in terms of success and customer satisfaction. Their competence, initiative & decision-making determine the finished product. (They pretty much live with you for the duration too - personality is an additional factor.) They also appear to manage additional workforce, such as plasterers and tilers. Finally, we've found that they don't do '9 to 5' days - for example, when the plastering had been done, only limited work could continue: Work done for the day at 1:30.
Practicalities
While we're without a bathroom (since the one we're having done is our only one) we've had to live 'flexibly' & put in place some plans for keeping clean, using toilets, etc. We're keeping hand gel & toilet roll (and torches, for night use!) in the bathroom. We're using the kitchen sink for washing and teeth-brushing. We have our own dust sheet to cover the bare bathroom floor, while the workmen are away. We have a dish-washer, so piles of dirty plates don't develop while the water's off. Local friends are kindly letting us shower at their houses. My gym membership also allows for showering & shaving on a regular basis. The area used for storing the parts of the bathroom is reducing gradually, as the installation continues. However, this is still a rather precarious place for any young children or pets.
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