Bathroom Design Ideas

Many providers of home insurance are out there vying for your custom, and cheap house insurance is readily available if you’re willing to take the trouble to look for it. A good start would be to check out some of the numerous home insurance comparison websites, and look for deals and special offers on house contents insurance and house buildings insurance.

These two types of insurance are complementary, and combine to protect the structure itself as well as its contents. Buildings insurance is compulsory when you take out a mortgage, as the lender will insist on it. Contents insurance is optional, but should be taken out to protect your non-fixed possessions against loss or damage.

If you’re looking to keep the premiums at an absolute minimum, indemnity insurance is an option. This costs less because if your possessions are lost or damaged somehow, they’ll be replaced by similar ones of the same age and type. Most popular however, is ‘new for old’ insurance because then you’ll get brand new replacements. There isn’t much difference in the cost, either.

Contents insurance might also covers garden furniture and the contents of your freezer in the event of a power outage that wipes out your year’s supply of fresh meat.

If you’re off on holiday check your home insurance policy to ensure that you are covered whilst you’re away.

Bear in mind also that if you’re away from the insured property for a long time your contents policy may be invalidated.

The holidays are a classic time for housing extra people, but guest beds can be needed at any time of the year. While the prospect of spending time with family or friends can be quite exciting, finding a place for everyone to sleep can heap quite a bit of stress on you. But relax! There are easy ways to accommodate everyone and still keep your space available during the day.

Trundle beds are a great option; with this design there is only a mattress, no box spring. Beneath the mattress is a frame that slides out, and on that frame is yet another mattress. When not in use or when only the top mattress is in use, it takes up no more floor space than a standard bed. When the trundle is pulled out, you have an instant extra sleeping area!

Day beds are another convenient option. A day bed looks very similar to a sofa when not in use. When the space is needed for sleeping, the seat of the day bed can be pulled out to transform the ‘sofa’ into a bed. Some of the designs are very similar to trundle beds; some are almost indistinguishable from a standard sofa. 

Murphy beds are not an instant option, but can be built into your existing space with enough lead time. A Murphy bed folds up into the wall or an armoire when not in use, leaving nearly the entire room with available floor space.

No matter which option you choose for guest beds, remember that the mattress is even more important if you have no box spring beneath it. The mattress must do all the work of supporting your guests’ sleep, and spending the money to purchase decent mattresses for guest beds is never a bad move.

The shower tray is an important component of a standing shower enclosure since it prevents water from escaping and damaging the other items in your bathroom.  It is important that the shower tray you select and install fits well with your choice of shower cubicle. Poor fitting shower trays can lead to leakage and water damage.

Fortunately, shower trays are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, materials, and dimensions.  This shower accessory can also be customized to fit oddly shaped shower enclosures. Many plumbing experts recommend choosing a unit made of acrylic with a heavy weight stone-cast resin for the best performance.

To be sure your shower tray properly fits, and is properly installed, it is recommended that you consult a trained contractor or plumbing professional before installing it yourself.  For this reason, always fit the shower tray before purchasing the shower enclosure.  This might save you money and grief later down the road.

Don’t cut monetary corners in your purchase of a shower tray; quality is an important factor in such a key buying decision.  There are ways to lessen expenses while doing your next bathroom renovation, but purchasing a poor quality shower tray can cause more financial problems down the road. 

Once you’ve made your choice, a proper sealant is needed to secure the shower tray properly.  It should be watertight and extend all around the shower tray.  An improper installation can lead to water damage in the flooring and underneath tiles and other fixtures in your bathroom.

Underfloor heating systems come in two types: electric and water-based, each having their own benefits. For people looking for ease and quickness of installation, electric underfloor heating is often the best choice.

Standard versus high output heating cable

Most electric cable used in underfloor heating systems comes in one of two wattages: 150w and 200w. Standard output (150w) is suited for most projects. However, in instances where the room suffers high heat loss, like in a conservatory, high output (200w) underfloor heating is a better choice.

Loose heated cable versus heated cable mats

Electric underfloor heating comes as a loose cable or in mat form. Determining which is best depends upon the room you are installing the system into. Small areas like bathrooms, or complicated rooms where the shape or size is not conducive to a mat, are better suited to loose heated cable. In the same vein, underfloor heating mat systems are perfect for larger, more straightforward areas.

Heating large areas

For larger rooms, a combination of two or more mats running in parallel generally works well, as long as it does not exceed a maximum of 3,680 watts, or 16 amps. For even larger areas where only one underfloor heating thermostat is required, a contactor can be used to control up to 22,000 watts, or 96 amps.

Underfloor heating insulation

While not always mandatory, using underfloor heating insulation in conjunction with an underfloor electric heating system will improve the system’s performance and speed up warm-up times. The specific type of insulation to install will depend upon the type of flooring.

Your home is not just your castle, but is also an extension of your personality, so everyone’s home is different. It is a great idea to rethink what your home should look and feel like every few years, because we all change over time. If the house is not keeping up with us, we may find ourselves living in a place totally at odds with our personality and outlook.

You can pay someone to come and decorate for you, just as you can pay for someone to do the cleaning, shopping, ironing and looking after the kids, if you can afford it. But DIY is actually great fun, and a skill you can acquire and feel good about mastering. It also produces real results, impresses family and friends, and keeps you fit and healthy. Sportsmen, DIY enthusiasts and gardeners are some of the happiest people on the planet, because they combine passion with physical activity – a recipe for contentment and a sure cure for depression.

You can do many things around the house yourself, either straight off, or with a bit of trial-and-error, but there are obviously a few areas where you may need to get someone in. The lighting and electrics, for example, are potentially hazardous if approached ignorantly, and plastering is a real skill.

Fitting a bathroom or fitting a kitchen can be learnt, but these are probably better done by the experts, unless you have loads of spare time and a very understanding family who do not mind a few months of chaos. 

When considering a new bed for your bedroom, choosing between the materials of its construction can be a major decision. Commonly, beds are made from wood, metal, or other materials such as aluminium or leather. Wooden beds, although very pervasive, can enhance your bedroom by bringing a classical look to it.

Wooden beds come in different colours, whether natural or unvarnished or painted. In some cases, depending on your personal choice, it may be possible to paint the bed a different colour. When deciding on this, carefully consider the overall look of your bedroom so that it functions as a whole without obvious colour clashes.

The days that wooden beds became easily creaky over time have gone, as wooden beds nowadays are constructed very precisely and with longevity in mind. This is as true for children’s beds and baby cots as it is for adult single, double or king size beds.

You can take care of your wooden bed by keeping it out of direct sunlight, which can affect the colour over the long term, and keeping the humidity of the bedroom to a low level. Stains and spills should be wiped quickly to avoid long term marks; this is especially true for unvarnished wood.

One of the major benefits of choosing a wooden bed is that it makes choosing bedroom furniture a great deal easier. Wooden bedroom furniture is very common, enabling you to decorate the bedroom with a range of options.

The latest trend in bathroom designs is walk-in shower cubicles. They are designed to enhance a small space, expand a larger area or provide extra accessibility for the disabled.

A walk-in shower cubicle is not a traditional form of a shower stall, but rather an enclosed area in the bathroom, generally made of tempered glass and customized for small bathrooms. An individual walks in near the shower spray area, and there is no need for anyone to step up over a shower stall sill or step down into a bathtub. This makes it an ideal option for those who have difficulties with a normal shower set-up.

For additional safety, handrails and stools can be utilized while a person is in the “wet” area of the shower. Most walk-in shower cubicles are designed with a drying area away from the shower spray. The walk-in shower cubicle is designed with either a wet floor or a wet tray technique. Both are similar, with drains in strategic places to forestall water accumulation. A wet floor is a more expensive method than a wet tray because of the installation requirements.

Newer models of the walk-in cubicle may feature sliding glass doors on any or all sides. This creates an illusion of deep dimension, offering a shower area that appears wider in proportion.

Walk-in shower cubicles blend appealingly with any décor or design in the bathroom. It is extremely easy to find walk-in shower cubicles, so know your measurements and budget requirements. UK Bathrooms has a great range of walk-in showers and can help you choose the right one to suit your bathrrom.

Installing electric underfloor heating is a great way to upgrade your home and turn a bathroom, kitchen, conservatory, or other room into a warmer, cosier place to be. While there are a number of good DIY underfloor heating kits out there to choose from, installing a mat system is fairly straightforward, whatever kit you go with.

Measure the portion of the room where the underfloor heating is to be installed. This will help determine what size kit you will need. Remove inward opening doors.

Your mat should always start and finish in the same place, so plan out the heating wire position so that the ends meet near a power supply. Mark the floor accordingly. Never place the matting under kitchen units.

Read the manufacturer’s instructions for trimming guidelines. Mesh DIY underfloor heating kits can usually be trimmed. However, you must be careful not to cut the wires themselves. Do not allow any overlapping.

Near the position where the underfloor heating thermostat is to be installed, cut a groove to hold the sensor. Place the sensor into the conduit, and use sealant to prevent any tile adhesive from setting around the sensor itself.

Apply tile adhesive on the mat, spreading it slightly thicker than normal, and fix the floor tiles. Installing DIY underfloor heating under wood or laminate may also require the use of insulation boards.

Have a qualified electrician or underfloor heating installer like Floor Heating Online come round to check the connection before plugging in to the mains.

Trim inward opening doors to accommodate the increased new floor height.

Painted walls don’t have to be boring; and wall paper isn’t the only way to create a unique look. Here are a few ideas using paint, glaze, and some common items for application:

Colour Wash – Colour wash creates a faded, country styled look and is good at hiding uneven walls. Apply a layer of colour wash over a light background and then blend brush strokes by dragging cheesecloth over the surface.

Sponging – Sponging is the art of applying paint or glaze using a sponge in a dabbing motion. A natural or sea sponge provides a coarser surface for a more provincial feel, while using a synthetic sponge results in a finer, more subtle effect.

Ragging – Dab a paint-saturated rag onto the wall or twist the rag and roll it across the freshly painted surface to create a creased fabric effect. For a more subtle look, use a dry rag to remove wet glaze.

Stippling – Use a stippling brush to gently dab on clear or pigmented glaze to create a subtle textured finish.

Dragging – Lightly run a dry paint brush down or across a glazed wall to create a wood grain effect. Control the look of your stripes by changing the angle of your brush to the wall.

Stencilling – Stencils can be used to create a visual at any part of the wall you desire: around the top, the middle, or near the skirting boards to create a border; or in the middle to create a focal point for the eye.

Bedrooms are often used in some ways as storage spaces as well as a sleeping area. Two of the most common types of bedroom furniture are bedside cupboards and large standing or walk in wardrobes. Depending on the amount of material you wish to store, you may also consider the bed itself to be a storage area.

The most pertinent example is a divan bed. Divan beds have compartments or drawers under the mattress, either on the sides or at the end of the bed. The great advantage of this is that it uses the space between the mattress and the floor, which is often considered unusable for any other purpose, for something functional. When choosing a divan bed, do measure the space between any of its drawers and the walls so that they can open without obstruction.

Other than divan beds, under bed, detached drawers can be chosen together with freestanding wooden, metal or leather beds. Under bed drawers are essentially square of rectangular boxes. They can either be sold separately or together with the bed itself. If buying under bed storage drawers separately from the bed itself, do stop to consider the overall look of the bed and drawers so that they do not clash.

Also, leave sufficient space between the drawers and the underside of the bed; when asleep on the bed the mattress may come down so this is to be considered as well.