Cost of bathroom refurbishment

[Kirstie]

AVOID B&Q stuff. When we bought our house, the previous owners boased they'd fitted a new bathroom. It turned out that it was one of those cheapo B&Q £300 all in jobs and it was LOW quality. The loo flusher broke, as did the loo seat, the taps wouldn't fit in the sink properly and kept coming away, and the bath was made of such godawful cheap material it became almost impossible to clean without a fight. We were so glad to see the back of it. It might look good at first but it isn't built to last. You get what you pay for.

 

[snakehips]

You get what you pay for.

That expression always grates with me. If I had always got what I'd paid for I'd be a happier man than I am ! I think the expression should be You don't get what you don't pay for.

But enough of my problems.
Whether it's bathroom suites or anything else , e.g. bicycles , the absolute cheapest is rarely worth having. Many products appear to be manufactured , not to be sold , but to lure customers in to shops. You see an advert offering Prices From £xyz , you go in to the shop , realise at that price that all you get is cr@p , and pay at leat 50% extra.

 

[Aperitif]

Part 2 - disclaimer: I'm not pushing B&Q stuff ...

Back to the Concept range from Ideal Standard.
As it was a new layout and concealed cistern (Hansgrohe Eau2 - or 'Colnageau' of plastic cisterns ) everything was set up ideally for an easy final 'slide in' of the sleek WC pan.
Great flush action followed by a seeping of water from the pan/floor intersection...lo and behold - a miscast of the pottery, allowing the water to piddle out onto the (non-fluffy rugged yet) floor.
This was on the 22nd of December. Luckily I got another one - not without difficulty at that time. I'm still in the process of collecting my reimbursements from Ideal Substandard. I probably used Kaldewei baths more than any other when I used to do this sort of thing. And Ideal Standard.
It's all water under the bridge nearly...

 

[dellzeqq]

Concealed cisterns are the work of the Devil and should be suppressed by the police.

But, Aperitif mentions Kaldewei baths, and they are good value for money. Again, a heavier steel is more nurturing of the bottom.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

And, finally, does anybody still have one of those bathroom 'sets' which are basically two bits of fluffy rug, one of which is U-shaped, and goes round the 'loo'?

Yes, one in each bathroom. I think we bought them when we bought the house.

 

[dellzeqq]

how very chic! Prepare yourself for visits from Sunday colour supplement editors, extolling the 'nouveau wrinkly' style.

 

[snorri]

A fairly plain bathroom suite seems to be about £650 and there's five square metres of tiling. Would a figure of £1000 in total for materials and the same again for labour be a sensible estimate?

A solicitor having to give careful consideration to his outgoings.
This credit crunch thing is clearly much more serious than I had thought.

 

[Aperitif]

snorri - the bathroom is in the servants quarters...

 

[Mr Pig]

Yes, one in each bathroom.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....

 

[Mr Pig]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ..... :0)

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....

We've got two bathrooms which isn't exactly a huge number by modern standards.

 

[Mr Pig]

Ahhh, sniff, sorry ;0)

I found that the cheapest way to get the stuff was to find a local plumbing supplier that could supply all the bits you want, then hammer them down on price. The normal retail price for the shower cubicle I wanted was about a grand. After haggling I got the whole lot, including the cubicle, tray, bath, sink, ped and wastes for about £900.

You can pay a professional to fit it but do understand that they will almost certainly do a shoot job.

 

[Mr Pig]

We've got two bathrooms which isn't exactly a huge number by modern standards.

I know but let's face it, how many do you need? I mean, what the f*** is the point of having a bog in your bedroom? How lazy is that?

 

[tyred]

I know but let's face it, how many do you need? I mean, what the f*** is the point of having a bog in your bedroom? How lazy is that?

Oh, I don't know. If you have females in the house and only one bathroom, you never get a chance to use the bloody thing.....

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

I know but let's face it, how many do you need? I mean, what the f*** is the point of having a bog in your bedroom? How lazy is that?

Yes, but at times, there are five adults in the house.