Small Bath Tubs For Small Bathrooms

Most home owners are faced with the dilemma of how to install bath tubs in a small bathroom. You have two options to solve this dilemma. Either you do away with bath tub installation or you can use small bath tubs that will fit in your bathroom.

Small bath tubs can offer numerous benefits for you. That is why you have to make sure that a bath tub can be installed in your bathroom. Here are the advantages you can get from them and some tips on bath tub installation.

Health Benefits

Bath tubs have dual functions. You can use them to take a bath but they can also provide many healthy benefits. By soaking in a warm bath, you can effectively solve muscle pain problems and muscle soreness.

Muscle pains are common problems of most working people like you. It is not always advisable to take pain relievers because you can develop dependence on these medicines.

A warm bath every night is an effective alternative for taking pain relievers. And you can only achieve full body muscle relaxation if you have a bath tub at home. This way, you will feel reinvigorated and your pains can go away.

Warm bath is also very helpful for those with arthritis, rheumatism, and other types of joint pain problems. Soaking in a warm bath therefore can improve the quality of your life.

Use Small Bath Tubs to Save Bathroom Space

Using small bath tubs is a practical alternative to big and bulky tubs. You can save a lot of bathroom space if you use them. In fact you can install an overhead shower above the bath tub so you can take a bath immediately after soaking in the tub.

Most small tubs are short so you can easily install them in the corner area of your bathroom. This way, your tub will not hamper your movements in the bathroom.

How to Choose the Perfect Small Bath Tub

When buying one, always choose a deep soaking tub. A deep soaking bath tub will allow you to fully soak your body in it. Remember, these are shorter so if they are not the deep soaking types, they would be very difficult to use.

You must also find a small bath tub that has a built-in seat. This seat will allow you to comfortably recline inside the tub for a full body soaking. Without a built-in seat, it would be very uncomfortable to lie down inside the tub.

It is also best if you can find a walk-in small bath tub. A walk-in tub has a specially designed swing-in water tight door. This swing-in door will allow you to easily enter and get out of the tub.

A walk-in tub will be very useful for the elderly who have difficulty climbing in and out of the tub.

When you have a small bathroom, then there is no reason why you cannot install a tub. Just utilize small bath tubs that can fit perfectly into a corner. Because of its many benefits and advantages, you will not regret your decision to install one in your bathroom.

By George Edmondson

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Remodeling Small Bathrooms How To Find A Bathroom Contractor

Selecting a bathroom makeover contractor

It's important to spend a lot of time designing your dream bathroom makeover before you start your project even when remodeling small bathrooms. It's just as important to find the right set of contractors but the process of finding and selecting the bathroom contractors that are right for you is often overlooked. Is it any wonder then that so many people have problems with their bathroom renovation?

Selecting your bathroom remodeling contractor team is a two-step process. First you need to find and contact a number of contractors and ask them to give you a quote for the job. Then you need to select the right contractor from the list of those that provided an acceptable quotation.

To find out whether a contractor is right for your project you will need to research the reputation of the contractor. You can do this by asking staff in bathroom showrooms; someone will have some information if the contractor is active in the area. Better still, you can ask the contractor for references of clients that they have worked for. Make sure that you follow up the references before hiring any contractors.

How to find bathroom contractors that you can invite to give you a quotation.

There are a number of ways to find contacts for bathroom contractors that might be suitable for your project. There is a selection of methods listed below and you should use them all to produce a comprehensive list of home improvement specialists that you might want to use.

Be prepared for a lot of rejections. When I was looking for suitable contractors to remodel my small bathroom I found it difficult to find even a small number that were prepared to look at the job and some of those never got in contact after they had seen my requirements. Don't give up though, you will find one eventually even if you have to go on their waiting list.

Bathroom remodeling contractors in the telephone book

This is a good place to start. Call all the Home Improvement and Bathroom remodeling contractors and ask them for a free quotation.

Use the Internet search engines

Get online and use the search engines to find bathroom-remodeling contractors in your area. You could then try sending them an email but it's probably best to give them a call.

Friends and family

Personal recommendations are often the best. If you can find someone who has had similar work done and can recommend the contractor that did the work for them then you have found a very good candidate for your project. Make sure that you follow up any recommendations made personally.

Friends of friends

Some of your friends might know of others that have had their bathrooms remodelled recently. Make sure that you ask everyone you can think of and do your best to talk to anyone you can find who might have some information.

Neighbours

You may not be friendly with your neighbours but that shouldn't stop you asking them about any small bathroom remodeling projects that they might know about. Most people are happy to give you this kind of information freely if they can.

Bathroom showroom pin-boards

Many bathroom showrooms have pin boards where contractors leave their business cards. This can be an invaluable resource for finding good contractors. Be sure that you ask the showroom staff if they can give you any information before you leave with the cards.

Real estate agents

Real estate agents and especially letting agents can often suggest names of bathroom remodeling contractors because they have to deal with them on a regular basis. It helps if you give them a hint that you might be looking to purchase new property soon too.

By Steve Gee

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Making the Most of a Small Bathroom

In bathroom terms at least, bigger doesn't have to be better – It’s all just a case of making the most of the modest proportions you’re presented with! And what's more, designing a bathroom that’s small on space usage but big on style and functionality should be a lot more fun.

The Click Bathrooms guide to maximising a modest bathroom follows three simple principles…

1 - Make it seem bigger

A great way of tackling a bathroom with limited dimensions is by creating the illusion of space. First and foremost, aim to colour your walls in lighter shades such as whites, creams and pastels, thereby avoiding the darker colours that dramatically reduce the sense of space inside a small room.

Good lighting is also a vital tool in expanding the look of your bathroom. By illuminating areas that are prone to shadows with strong directional lights you’ll find that the room opens up even further.

Finally, attempt to generate a feeling of space through the clever use of mirrors, which positioned correctly can literally make a room appear to double in size. For maximum effect, adorn the back wall of the room with one or more large mirrors, or a number of smaller mirrored tiles.

2 - Utilise hidden or difficult spaces

Time to get creative and think outside the box; can you utilise space that isn’t immediately visible? Start at the bottom by identifying any available low-level spaces - under bath storage is a great way to keep towels and toiletries out of sight for a start. If you’re struggling to free up low-level space, wall hung ceramic ware can provide vital extra ground room.

Then it’s time to target the high-level spaces – stylish hooks and hangers can effectively replace the need for bulky closets, whilst a large ladder style heated towel rail can happily accommodate all necessary towels and dressing gowns.

Don’t just give up on the difficult or unusual spaces your bathroom may present to you. Corner fitting WCs and basins can squeeze in to the tightest of spots, whilst short projection bathroom furniture and ceramic ware options should also prove equally economic with space.

3 - Get multifunctional

If space is really at a premium, try selecting bathroom fittings and fixtures that serve more than one purpose. Choosing a combined shower bath will allow you the option of relaxed bathing or rapid and refreshing showering without occupying the amount of space otherwise needed. Then there’s the dual functionality of the heated towel rail, working as both a radiator and a storage feature, or bathroom cabinets that provide shelf space, lighting and mirrors.

Finally, look to combine individual bathroom items to create harmonious multifunctional bathroom features. An inset ceramic basin can be housed on top of a short projection vanity unit to create a stylish washstand with ample low-level storage.

By Steven Cooper

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Pamper Yourself, Pamper Your Bathroom

Pampering yourself in the bathroom is about lifting your mood. Locking the door and concentrating on you. Spending time with all the bathroom has to offer so that when you emerge your skin, hair, muscles, feet, eyes and even mind are invigorated, lifted, better. So is it possible to pamper your bathroom in return? To spend time and thought on it, re-invigorating and lifting the entire room? Of course it is with the added bonus that small changes in the bathroom can be amazingly cost effective.

The pampering can be as little or as much as you like. Taking a couple of durable bath pillows and placing them at either end of the bath can turn the plainest of baths into the height of double ended pleasure. Add in a couple of wall mounted candleholders and an over-bath book rest and you'll never want to leave.

Swapping existing fixtures and fittings will make even the most dated bathroom feel brand new. Tarnished gold taps, wastes and showers can easily be replaced with modern strong chrome brassware. Even accessories play a part in the overall feel of the room, a co-ordinated set of toilet roll holders, soap dishes, towel rails and shower tidies will immediately tie the bathroom together in an eye catching display.

The innovations in designer bathroom lighting over the past few years now means that boring dull ceiling lights can be a thing of the past. Setting and changing the mood in your bathroom has never been easier than with Chromotherapy lighting. L.E.D's, spotlights and down lighters, all fully waterproof can now be fitted in the ceiling, walls, floor and anywhere else in between to elevate your bathroom to a whole new level of luxury. The remote colour changing options allow you to bathe your room in any combination of colours to reflect or reshape your mood.

Every makeover show around can tell you that sticking a mirror somewhere in a room will make it feel bigger and in most British bathrooms we all know space is of a premium, but mirrors don't need to be afterthoughts or thrown in to give the illusion of space. There are some truly fantastic bathroom mirrors currently on the market that incorporate strong design, long term guarantees and the best ones come with demista technology and lighting. The heated demista pads behind the glass make sure that no matter how steamy your room gets the glass remains pristine and clean, no wet finger marks when you are trying to see yourself. With the striking illuminated sections of the mirrors you can feel like you're in one of the world's most luxury bathrooms in your own home.

Perhaps the most gorgeous and yet one of the simplest ways put some of the wow factor into your bathroom is to swap your existing radiator with a stunning towel warmer. Running off the exact same pipe-work as your current radiator, towel warmers come in a huge range of styles, colours and prices to suit everyone. Serving the dual purpose of heating the room and warming your towels they provide any bathroom with a real feeling of decadence.

Pampering your bathroom is easy, in-expensive and good fun. The stress and cost of a full refit are eliminated and little by little you can achieve your dream look. So pamper your bathroom and benefit from the changes the every time you decide to pamper yourself.

By Robert Muhl

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Types of Showers - Enclosures and Doors

If you’re redesigning your bathroom, you have a lot of choices when it comes to your new shower. Sure, you can go with the common shower-and-bath combination with a shower curtain. But your shower can be more than just a practical place to wash up: it can also be a showpiece.

Here’s a breakdown of your options: the types of shower doors and enclosures available, and the spaces in which they work best.

Shower Enclosures: Shapes and Sizes

Showers often dominate the bathroom space. Even with a small bathroom, you can make a dramatic statement with a unique-looking shower enclosure. Here are the most typical types you’ll find on the market.

Square showers. A square shower is a great space-saver in a small bathroom. It will fit in a niche with only one side exposed, a corner with two sides exposed, or it can be exposed on three sides. The corner and niche positions are the most common, however; most people with enough space to leave a square shower exposed on three or four sides usually opt for a bigger enclosure.

A glass door is an excellent choice for a square shower. In a small space, the glass makes the bathroom look larger than it would with an opaque shower enclosure. Glass showers also look stylish and luxurious, giving a smaller bathroom a more exclusive feel.

Rectangular showers. The rectangular shower is often paired with a bath to make a shower-bath combination. Many people don’t have room for a separate shower and bath, so they opt for the shower-bath combination instead. If you prefer showers to baths, however, a rectangular enclosure can still be a great choice. It gives you enough space for a shower for two—try doing that in a square shower.

Quadrant showers. Quadrant showers have two squared ends that fit perfectly into a square corner. The part of the shower that faces the room is rounded instead of square. This design gives you a more efficient use of space than a square enclosure in the same corner position, as you don’t have a corner that juts into the room. The curved surface of the glass looks dramatic, and you save space in a small bathroom as well.

D-shaped showers. The shape of this enclosure resembles a capital D, with the curved part of the letter facing the room and the straight part against the wall. You’ll need a bit more room with a D-shaped shower than you would with a quadrant, as you’ll need to allow three sides of the enclosure to be exposed and uncluttered by sinks and toilets.

A D-shaped shower is dramatic and stylish, but it’s not a common choice. That’s because these are usually smaller, one-person showers. Most people who have the space opt for a larger rectangular design. Those with a smaller bathroom usually choose a square or quadrant shower to make better use of their space.

Types of Shower Doors

Glass shower doors come in several different designs, and each suits a different type of space. Here are the most common options on the market.

Pivot doors. These doors swing outward into the room. They’re often used in recessed showers, but they can also be used in combination with stationary side panels in rectangular enclosures, or in other combinations. They give a wide door opening, but they do need some clearance in the room to swing open.

In-fold doors. These consist of two panels hinged in the middle that fold into the shower space to provide an opening. They’re a good choice in bathrooms where space is an issue and you don’t want a door that swings out into the room.

Frameless doors. Frameless shower doors are a bit more solid than pivot doors; they also swing out into a room, and require some space to do it. They provide a wide opening and are usually made of a single pane of glass.

Sliding doors. These are usually installed on rectangular, D-shaped or quadrant enclosures. They’re preferred because they make a wide opening without swinging out into the bathroom or into the shower enclosure. You don’t need a lot of space to accommodate them, but they aren’t effective on small square enclosures.

There are plenty of shower enclosures and doors to suit every bathroom layout. No matter your plans for your redesign project, you’re sure to find a shower that complements it perfectly.

By Ray Dobson

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