Updating the shower room

Good prices at B&Q.

But make it quick! - I heard on the news that B&Q are about to close lots of branches.

It's down to B and Q then before they close - thanks.

We are very happy with our bathroom from Bathstore, if you have a branch nearby it might be worth a visit. I am lucky though because DP and DS have plumbing experience and did all the hard work including moving a doorway to fit in a shower unit. Kitchen is next year!

NanKate may I suggest that you think of buying a taller than usual loo? I did when I was renovating mine and what a difference it has made. Think of the future when it may be difficult to use a normal loo, especially if you have had a hip or knee replacement.

When we were updating our very small cloakroom, I found an excellent loo etc and basin with cabinet from a company called Island Bathrooms. We have been very pleased with their products, and by the way the soft close seat is much better than the one in our main toilet, which was very expensive. Bristan taps from our local Screwfix.

Our downstairs cloakroom - toilet and small basin set in a vanity unit with cupboard underneath, was from Screwfix years ago and it is fine. The ensuite was an expensive sink, toilet and shower from a specialist bathroom firm and the new bathroom sink B&Q. In fact we are more pleased with the B&Q sink than the expensive one from the specialist shop.

I would advise finding out the capacity of the lavatory cistern. We have a new one from b&q with a low capacity dual flush and it sometimes needs more than one flush to clear the pan of its contents which rather defeats the low capacity function. If I was buying another lavatory I would like a nice powerful flush.

The one in our ensuite is too rubysong; and it has a hidden cistern with a flush set in and the flush is hard to push in.

I used Homebase to update the bathroom in my parents house. Their method of payment was totally baffling, you had to take out a loan from Barclays Bank. They told me I could pay it all back at once so there would be no interest but when it came to it it was not so simple and I had to make a huge fuss in order to get it sorted. Also the contractor charged me extra for something their quote hadn't included. Not good.

We got ours from a local builders merchant, I think the loo and basin made by Vitra. Very good quality and price. We got a shower made by Hans Grohe online , and the shower tray and glass screen for a walk in shower from a posh bathroom shop as we couldn't see any we liked anywhere else. It did take a bit of shopping around but we are pleased with the result. Tiles from Walls and Floors online. Rubber floooring we got online as well. We did look in quite a few showrooms etc, for ideas and did quite a bit of research. Didn't see many good review for B and Q or Bathstore I'm afraid. (If you are over 60 you can get 10% off on Wednesdays at B and Q BTW)

Yes, we are just in the midst of this, and are using Plumb Centre.They have lots of showrooms and brochures and online.

Topps Tiles and Homebase have the best priced tiles and a good choice.

We got our cabinet from B &Q. It wasn't cheap but was exactly what we were looking for. The carcass swelled and after 8 months we got it replaced without difficulty. Six months later the second cabinet has also swelled even though It has a ten year guarantee. We are fed up with the hassle.

They also supplied and fitted our kitchen 8 years ago. It is looking sad. Veneers are lifting. Units next to the oven are showing heat marks. Doors are now not quite level. The fitters arrived with the wrong work top and had to fit it temporarily. We got to keep it when the proper work top was fitted and we used it in our garage.

It was middle range price and not worth it.

We also took the loan and then paid it off in a lump sum without any bother. I think perhaps they got some sort of benefit from us taking the loan.

The B&Q Wednesday discount doesn't (unfortunately) apply to bathroom or kitchen fitments Susied.

We went to B&Q and bought a Cooke & Lewis loo and basin for about £250. Not the cheapest by any means but itvwas the only loo that had a handle for the flush, and not a button. Much easier for GC to flush!

We got one of these little vanity units in our new shower room and it looks lovely. The basin is a very nice design, loo is D shaped and there's ample cupboard space under the sink. Best of all it's very plain.
Easy to look at and easy to clean!

Everything came from Tilemania (Glasgow if not elsewhere too) I think as our contractor seemed to have a deal with them.

Recently we used a local independent supplier. Lots of non-pressurising help and advice. Amazed at the range of toilets and accepted encouragement to sit on them! Good plan as one we purchased some years ago for a shower room was really, really uncomfortable. We went for a higher toilet this time and are so pleased we did. The delivery was changed by us three times to fit with our plumber's availability without a complaint. So very pleased. Lucky maybe. Previously bought a very cheap bathroom from Homebase, I think the cheapest we could find, which was going strong 15 years later but it had been very difficult to fit. Perhaps ask around locally. New to this area we had no local contacts but found Streetlife a useful source of recommendation. If you are using a plumber they may have their own thoughts. Hope it all works out.

Yes, ours is a Cooke and Lewis basin. I wish we had changed the whole lot but the toilet and bath were fine (Shires), we just wanted a larger basin.

I'm suffering from serious bathroom envy, having seen my friends' new bathroom. However, they have done away with the bath and put in a huge walk-in shower which I don't want to do - I like having a bath every so often. I take it from these posts that I would be unwise to heed the emails I keep receiving from BathStore offering 50% reductions?

We chose Villeroy and Boch for all our bathrooms, the quality is superb and we employed a specialist bathroom company to do the work. We have been very pleased with the work.

harrigran that rendered me speechless with until I just looked at their prices - quite reasonable!!

I was going to post that I wished you all lived in Portugal as we are planning a new bathroom later in the year. Then I saw harrigran's post and have to admit that I'm very tempted by a Villeroy and Boche loo and washbasin I've seen in a friend's house but it would probably have to be imported specially.

One thing I would like to know is how difficult is it to maintain a wall hung loo with consealed cistern when any thing goes wrong?

The loo I saw on their website looks the same as ours in the ensuite, but ours is Ideal Standard I think (short of rushing up to check)

That worries me a bit too, dustyangel, ours didn't flush well (too much information?) so we had to have the plumber back to put in different waste pipe instead of the one he had fitted. He didn't charge us thank goodness.