Armrock Constructions

Gold Coast Bathroom Renovations

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Bathroom Layout

The Design Advantage of a Built-In Shower

One of the design challenges in a bathroom renovation situation is tackling the design challenge of making elements of different shapes and sizes (shower, toilet, vanity, etc) look like they are a family. Accomplished well, a bathroom achieves an integrated look and feel – the ultimate goal of a bathroom renovator! Of all the elements, showers can be one of the more challenging to make ‘at home’ in a bathroom because of the oppositional nature of their tall, vertical structure to other low-set elements in the room.

One sure-fire way our team achieves a connection between showers and bathrooms, that have used with success on a number of our Gold Coast renovations, is to build the shower into the room.

Managing Your Bathroom Renovation Budget

Any bathroom renovation is a careful balance between style and budget. Finding the right balance is the key to a successful renovation. Accordingly, a built-in shower may not be for everyone – it’s going to cost more than a prefabricated shower. But it will solve the design challenge of integrating your shower into your bathroom design, along with a number of other advantages explained below.

Types of Built-In Showers

Building a shower into the bathroom can be done to different degrees and effects.

A shower might be completely screenless (a ‘wet’ shower) in a bathroom designed to accommodate it. Alternatively, it may be built into a partial or complete recess, in the shape and size you need to achieve your ideal bathroom.

From these distinctions follow a wide range of possibilities in style and function, since all aspects of built-in showers can be fully customised to suit the needs of your bathroom.

From the design point of view, the advantage of a built-in approach is that the shower is integrated into the room, rather than added in as a separate element and made to fit as best as possible.

Alternatives to Built-In Showers

The alternative option to a built-in shower is a prefabricated shower. They are purchased as a ready-to-go unit from a plumbing provider and installed by our team. We can help guide you to the right type of choice to suit your project, and then install them in our project. You can achieve a great result with a prefabricated shower. However, a built-in shower has the capability to take your bathroom to the next level.

Built-In Advantages

The principal advantage of a built-in shower is integration. Because the shower is being built as part of the room, choices about the shower can reflect and inform choices in the rest of the room, and vice-versa.

For example:

  • The tiling in your built-in shower can create a relationship with the rest of the room.
  • A built-in shower can also include a tiled niche for storage of items such as shampoo and soap.
  • Built-in showers can use shapes to compliment the flow of the room. They don’t have to be square (a common prefabricated shower shape).

Built-In Showers with Armrock Constructions

In addition to helping your shower to integrate with your bathroom, there are other advantages to having a built-in shower. It can be designed for an optimal fit in dimension, functionality, shape and style. A quality built-in shower will enhance the resale value of your home and enjoyment of the bathroom for many years to come.

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Reconfiguring Your Bathroom

Undertaking a bathroom renovation, you have the ability to completely reimagine how things are going to work. As a starting point, most people evaluate the potential of their new bathroom based on the previous bathroom configuration. While it may be more economical to retain the previous bathroom arrangement, relocating them can open up a range of new possibilities which will create a more ideal room. On this page, we look at some of the important considerations behind reconfiguring your bathroom in a renovation.

The Cost of Reconfiguration

A sensible bathroom renovation is always grounded in a budget, and it should be pointed out early in the piece that moving items such as showers, baths and vanities to different locations in your bathroom will most likely increase the cost of your renovation. This is mainly due to the fact that plumbing and electricity may need to be changed to accommodate the new arrangement. The extent of any reconfiguration will depend on both the extent of your existing infrastructure and the ambition of your upgrade. Just ask our team – we’re here to help and can answer any questions you may have on this topic.

Reinventing the Wheel: Avoid

In older homes, it can be astonishing to see some of the decisions made around critical rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens. Choices and combinations may seem nonsensical when viewed through a modern lens.

On other occasions, and with additional analysis, you may note that your designing predecessors have deftly resolved a multitude of challenges with a solution that won’t be beaten no matter how hard you try. If someone has put the energy into solving the layout once, it’s worthwhile to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their solution before you completely ditch it. It could be the case that a subtle shift is all that you need to turn the old layout into the perfect layout – or perhaps the layout is already as good as it gets. Don’t reinvent the wheel when you’re renovating your bathroom!

Prioritisation

In the quest for the perfect bathroom layout, it is useful to consider the priorities that really matter in any bathroom. In other words, before you decide to move the shower, make sure you can open the shower door in the new location.

Before you start shifting things around, think about:

Privacy

It’s your bathroom and privacy is always the highest priority. Ensuring you can comfortably use your shower and toilet without your neighbours accidentally ‘catching a glimpse’ should always be pretty high on your list of decisions.

Access

Make sure you can access everything in your dream bathroom layout. Opening drawers, opening the shower door, opening and closing the main door.. all of these are imperative in a good design, and all of them need some consideration. Anything that moves – make sure you will be able to operate it easily and without creating a cramped situation.

Logical Placement

Putting everything where it looks great may not make for an optimal configuration. What would you prefer, a great-looking bathroom that is less easy to use, or an easy to use bathroom that looks great? Anyway, give some thought to the practical usage of the room, and especially how it will work if your partner or child decides that they simply have to brush their teeth or shave at the same time as when you’re using the bathroom. Make sure everything is placed to logically accommodate these common scenarios!

Gold Coast Bathroom Design

If you’d really like to know how to make the most of your bathroom on your budget, please contact our team for a free measure and quote. We would be glad to share our years of experience and capability of our integrated bathroom renovation team with you to make your old bathroom into a fantastic new space.