How to find free bathroom design ideas
Instead of paying through the nose for a designer bathroom why not design it yourself? Designing your bathroom yourself isn’t difficult, it could save you a lot of money and it’s very satisfying. Here are some ideas that will give you a head start.
Measure your bathroom and draw it to scale
The first thing you should do is measure and draw out your existing bathroom on a sheet of squared paper. Try to be as accurate as you can because every inch might count depending on what you want to get in your new bathroom and how much space you have to play with.
Measure the distance between opposite walls on both sides of the room in case the room is wider at one end than the other. Measure floor to ceiling and the position and size of windows including the depth of the window. Also measure the size, position and shape of any irregularities in the room such as pipework.
Draw a floor plan of your bathroom from above and a plan of each wall. When you’ve finished you will have 5 drawings and a set of measurements. Make sure that you take these and a tape measure with you wherever you go because you will need to use them often.
Don’t start by looking in magazines and bathroom showrooms
Showrooms and magazines and are trying to sell you something so they go out of their way to show things to you in the most appealing way to suck you in. This may not always be best way for you. You will be using these resources later of course but leave them until you have done some research and have a better idea of what it is you want in your new bathroom.
A digital camera can be very useful
Take a digital camera with you wherever you go and use it to record everything you see. Make a note of what each image is about and carefully file it away on your computer for later reference. You will be amazed how useful this technique can be and most people don’t think of doing it.
Call your friends
Most people will talk to you about their bathroom especially if you are a friend and especially if they have recently remodeled their own bathroom. Visit all of your friends and start to build an information folder full of ideas based on what they have done in their bathrooms.
Ask lots of questions to find out what their ideas were before they remodeled, how their ideas changed while they were doing it, what they like about their bathroom and just as important, what don’t they like about it. Make good understandable notes while you are looking around so that you don’t forget anything.
Most people will either have remodeled their bathroom in the last few years or know of someone who has. If your friend knows of someone with a new bathroom ask them if they can arrange for you to go and see it. The more you see the better.
Use real estate agents to view bathrooms in houses for sale
Visit the real estate agents in your area and ask them to show you properties with new or nearly new bathrooms. They will be only too pleased to do it for you and you will end up getting a lot of ideas from this. Don’t mention to the agent why you are doing it, just tell them that you want to live in a property with a great bathroom.
If you feel uncomfortable about this because you think that you have no intention of purchasing a new property then I suggest that you get over it. It’s a fantastic way to get ideas for your own bathroom and you never know what might happen when you start looking. You wouldn’t be the first or the last to do this kind of research and then end up buying a new property instead so don’t feel bad about it.
Now get some magazines
Go down to the newsagent and pick up a few magazines on home improvement and bathrooms remodeling. Now that you have an idea of what you are looking for you will be able get most benefit from the articles, adverts and glossy photographs.
Tour the showrooms
Now that you know what it is that you are looking for it’s time to visit the showrooms in your area to see what is available and match your ideas to items that you can buy. Make notes and take lots of pictures with your digital camera of everything interesting that you find.
Pick up brochures on home improvement and bathroom remodeling
Find as many brochures as you can get for free from the showrooms. Make sure that you have the manufactures brochure for everything that you might be interested in. If you don’t see the paperwork them be sure to ask for it.
Research the Internet
Last but not least, make full use of the Internet to find product specifications, contractors and ideas on web sites all over.
Good luck with your bathroom-remodeling project.
Author:
Steve Gee
Permission by goarticles.com
