Property Renovation

The need for a separate utility room is often neglected when redesigning a property or doing a renovation. Yet this is one of the most useful, if least frequented, rooms in the house. Much more than just somewhere to put the washing machine, a well thought out utility room will prove invaluable.

What goes in a utility room / wetroom / mudroom

Every house has lots of things that take up lots of room, are messy or dirty, but need to be part of the house rather than stuck in a shed in the garden. Read more

‘Kitchen renovation’ is a misleading term because usually a property renovation will involve installing a new kitchen, rather than simply trying to improve an existing one.

The primary concern with kitchens is their placement within the property. You need to decide this early on in the design process, so that your plumbing and electrics can be included as necessary.

You don’t need to follow the existing property layout unless it is the best one for you. When there is an existing kitchen in a house it is natural to begin by planning a new kitchen in the same room. But first you need to take a step back. If you were designing the layout of the property from new, is that really the room where you would want the kitchen to be?

You might like to check out these two useful guides (especially the first, since IKEA kitchens are perfect in renovation!)
Good Advice on how to fit an IKEA kitchen: Click Here

General Advice on best practice in kitchen design: Click Here

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Like the term ‘kitchen renovation’, ‘bathroom renovation’ is generally a misleading description, because almost all property renovation projects will require the addition of new bathroom(s), rather than an effort to improve one that is already in place. If the ones I have seen are anything to go by, you are more likely to find a faded 1960’s avocado suite than a fine 19th century bathtub.
The intention here isn’t to discuss styles of bathrooms, because there are too many to consider, and plenty of glossy magazines that will help you anyway. Rather, I will focus on the practicalities that you need to consider at an earlier stage in the planning process.
The first thing to consider with bathrooms is where to put them. The farmhouse we renovated had a toilet and a shower in a 1950’s ground floor extension, and no bathroom or toilet facilities anywhere else. This is not consistent with best modern practice.
En-suite bathrooms are often required, and usually somewhere upstairs…What we did, and may often be the best solution, is to lose a bedroom somewhere centrally placed and to convert it into one or two bathrooms. This enabled us to have a family bathroom and an en-suite shower-room in what had been previously been a bedroom. It also has the significant benefit of keeping the plumbing work restricted to one section of the house, reducing costs and minimising disruption.
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