Bathroom Design Decisions to Make Early

A bathroom is the smallest room in most renovations and the least forgiving. Once the waste pipes are set and the waterproofing is down, most choices are fixed. This guide covers the decisions that need settling first, in the order they get locked in.

SCOPE — DECISION | FIXED BY

01 Layout and plumbing — rough-in

02 Shower or bath — waterproofing

03 Tiles — screed and set-out

04 Vanity — wall framing

05 Ventilation and light — ceiling

SECTION B–B | LEVEL: BENCH | VANITY AND MIRROR | REFERENCE IMAGE

LEVEL — FLOOR

Layout and plumbing come first

Start with where the toilet, shower waste and vanity waste sit today. Keeping them in place usually keeps the job simpler. Moving them can mean new falls in the floor, work beneath timber or slab floors and, in apartments, strata approval. It’s worth checking before you fall for a plan that depends on a toilet on the opposite wall.

Then think about how the room is used. A family bathroom needs clear floor space in front of the fixtures. An ensuite may suit a longer, narrower shower. A powder room needs little more than a well-placed basin.

Shower, bath or both

Decide this before anything is drawn. A walk-in shower with a single screen reads larger and cleans easily, but it needs a floor that falls to the waste. A freestanding bath needs clearance on every side, and a built-in bath uses less floor. If there’s room for both, consider whether they share a wet zone or sit apart.

LEVEL: FLOOR TO BENCH | TILE AND STONE SAMPLES | REFERENCE IMAGE

Settle surfaces alongside the set-out, not after it. Floor tile, wall tile and benchtop stone decide where falls, cuts and edges land, so choose them before trades price the job. Design Documentation records the set-out and selections so the plumber and tiler work from the same drawing.

LEVEL — BENCH

Tiles and vanity, chosen together

Tiles

Choose floor tiles for slip resistance first and looks second. Large formats mean fewer grout lines, but they’re harder to fall towards a waste. Smaller tiles or a linear drain can solve that. Plan the set-out so cuts land in corners rather than at eye level, and decide early where tiling stops on each wall.

Vanity

A wall-hung vanity opens up the floor and makes cleaning easier, but the wall needs framing to carry it before the sheeting goes on. Settle the basin type, tap position and drawer depth together. Where standard sizes don’t fit, Custom Joinery Design can fit the storage to the room.

LEVEL — CEILING

Ventilation and light

Humid Sydney summers make ventilation a design decision, not an afterthought. Plan an exhaust fan that is ducted outside, placed near the shower, with an openable window where the room allows. Your builder will confirm what the building requirements call for.

Layer the lighting as well. Light the face evenly at the mirror, add general light overhead and consider a soft night light at low level. Lighting & Finishes covers fittings and tapware finishes in one set of selections.

Settle it before demolition

Fixture positions marked on a plan

Shower, bath or both decided

Floor tile chosen for slip and falls

Vanity type and wall framing agreed

Exhaust and lighting positions set

Take the bathroom through Bathroom Design, or as part of a wider Renovation Interior Design project. For more reading, see Planning a Kitchen That Works. If you have a question, use the contact form.