Bathrooms punish poor planning more than any other room, because everything is wet, everything is fixed in place, and nothing is cheap to move afterwards. These are the five problems we are most often called in to fix.
1. Under-specified ventilation
An undersized fan, or one vented into a loft rather than outside, will eventually cost more than the whole remodel. Size the extraction to the room volume and vent it properly to the exterior.
2. No storage in the plan
A beautiful floating vanity with nowhere to put anything is a daily irritation. Decide where the everyday items live before the vanity is chosen, not after.
3. One light in the ceiling
A single downlight puts every shadow on your face in exactly the wrong place. Bathrooms need layers: task lighting either side of the mirror at face height, general light, and something soft for the evening.
4. Layout decided by existing plumbing
Keeping fixtures where they are will save money in week one. If it leaves you with a poor room for the next twenty years, it was not a saving.
5. Drainage and waterproofing treated as an afterthought
Falls, membranes and detailing at the thresholds are invisible when done well and catastrophic when done badly. This is not the area to compress the budget.
