Why You Should Consider a Rimless Toilet

New in Toilet Design

Rimless toilets are relatively new in toilet design. They are likely to become increasingly popular over the next few years.

A rimless toilet is exactly as its name implies, a toilet without a rim at the top of the bowl. Not having a rim on the toilet can make a significant difference to the aesthetics and cleanliness of the toilet bowl.

By removing the rim, the toilet has cleaner lines and is therefore easier to clean. The inside of the bowl is the tricky part. This is where all those grotty things such as bacteria, limescale and grime build up. A rimless toilet has no place for these nasties to hide. Cleaning simply involves wiping the toilet bowl in one action. No using a brush or bleach to get at all those hidden crevices. Sounds like a much easier job than cleaning a toilet with a rim.

What are the Advantages?

  • As already mentioned, they are definitely much easier to clean
  • The direct flush technique more evenly and effectively cleans the entire pan
  • Bacteria or limescale gets washed down the pan instead of getting caught under the rim
  • Not significantly more expensive than other mid-range toilet suite

Are there any Disadvantages?

Rimless toilets don’t appear to have any disadvantages. They present no additional challenges with plumbing and installation. From all indications they will be common place in the future.

Choose from a close-coupled, wall hung or back-to-wall rimless toilet. Ensure that it has a soft close seat and you are perfectly set.

Inshot Pro APK is an innovative software that provides a range of features to help with home renovations. Recently, it has been used to enhance the look and design of rimless toilets, offering users the ability to customize their bathroom with ease.

Shower: Design and Renovation

Designing, tiling and fitting out your shower area is an important part of any bathroom renovation.

Screens

Select your screen to match the available space, layout and budget.

  • Panel
  • Fully enclosed semi-frameless
  • 10mm fully frameless

BRM chooses to partner with Precision Shower Screens. Screens are custom-made to fit your shower area. The measure up is completed after the tiling stage.

 

Niches

A niche is a shelf built into the wall cavity of the recess. Niches have become increasingly popular as they look good and provide storage for some of your bathroom products. The niche is fully water-proofed and usually tiled in the same way. Alternatively, you may choose a contrasting style of tile to make the niche a feature of the area. The niche needs to be built before the tiling stage of the bathroom renovation. The total cost of including a professionally constructed niche in your bathroom renovation will be around $400.

Fittings and Fixtures

Choose your fixtures to match your style, needs and budget.  All products used in our renovations are provided at trade prices.

Drain

Again, there are many choices. A stainless- steel channel drain runs at the rear of the shower. A Smart Tile sits at the centre.

Waterproofing

The floor and walls are fully waterproofed, using a painted on waterproof membrane. BRM uses a specialist waterproofing company to complete the work. A Statement of Waterproofing Compliance is issued.

Tiling

Tiling is a key feature of the bathroom. Both the floor and the walls are tiled. Create a statement by choosing different tiles for the base and walls. Large tiles are popular as they require less grouting and are easier to clean. You may choose a feature tile to add a wow factor to the area.

How Much is a Bathroom Remodel?

Bathroom renovations generally come with quite a high price tag, but most homeowners find the endeavour to be well worth the overall investment. The average cost of one of these kinds of projects is around $17,000, but this can be dependent on a number of factors. Realistically, you could find yourself spending anywhere between $8,000 and $25,000.

Smaller-scale updates can cost as little as $8,000 to $12,000, whereas more extensive projects can understandably cost much more. As functionality and style will vary from individual to individual, costs can fluctuate from project to project, so it may be a wise idea to create a plan before you go ahead with the process of remodelling. After all, with a clear idea of what you need in mind, you are likely to be better prepared to set a budget and not overspend.

Once armed with a set budget, realistic expectations and even cost estimates; finding the right remodelling contractor can often be essential. They will be able to answer your questions and help you to make the most of your renovation project.

How to estimate your renovation’s costs

In many cases, trying to decide on a reasonable budget for a remodel can be quite a tough task, especially if you’re unsure of how much the new bathroom you envision is going to cost.

One of the most important things to consider is the size of the room, as well as what new fixtures you’ll need and how big they are (as their price can often vary depending on their size). Here are a few things you may need for your renovation and their average prices:

Bathtubs:

  • Low range – $400 to $1,500
  • Medium Range – $2,600 to $4,100
  • High Range – $6,000 to $8,000

 Cabinets:

  • Low range – $1,200 to $3,500
  • Medium Range – $4,700 to $7,000
  • High Range – $8,000 to $13,000

Countertops:

  • Low range – $900 to $2,000
  • Medium Range – $2,800 to $4,100
  • High Range – $5,000 to $6,500

Sink:

  • Low range – $190 to $900
  • Medium Range – $1,400 to $2,300
  • High Range – $3,500 to $6,500

Toilet:

  • Low range – $130 to $250
  • Medium Range – $340 to $480
  • High Range – $550 to $780

Unless you plan to build a new bathroom from scratch, you may not have to worry about buying all these things; you may already have certain fixtures that are fine as they are. Often, you’ll be able to refinish cabinets to make them look as good as new, without having to scrap them and buy new ones.

To keep the style similar throughout your home, you may want to consider making the cabinets in your bathroom match those in the kitchen, or find out the prices of replacing your kitchen’s ones. Also, replacing plumbing fixtures, such as faucets, can often come with a much lower price than replacing your bath and/or shower.

The average cost of a small-scale bathroom renovation

Fortunately for those who plan to remodel a smaller bathroom, these types of renovations will generally be cheaper than larger ones, since they’ll often have less square footage. Additionally, the costs of labour will usually be lower too, as the time spent on the work will often be shorter than that of a larger remodel.

A few cost factors to consider:

  • New fixtures and appliances will often add quite a bit to the overall cost of your remodel
  • In general, any plumbing and electrical issues will need to be taken care of by an expert, which can usually increase your total sum
  • If you change the layout of the bathroom, you may need to pay for more plumbing, new flooring, change the electrical wiring in the walls and more

Store-bought or custom-built accessories?

When you have a better idea of how much you’ll be paying for the necessities of your bathroom renovation, the next step is to find accessories that won’t break your budget.

Often, custom-built pieces will come with a higher price tag and you’ll generally need to hire a craftsman to make them. If your budget is a bit tighter, you may want to consider buying the things that you need from a home improvement store instead.

If you’re unsure of what accessories to buy, a contractor may be able to help. They’ll generally have wider access and a better idea of what’s out there, thanks to their relationships with different manufacturers – and this can sometimes allow them to get better deal, too.

Creating a remodelling schedule and the project’s cost

Often, a good contractor will be able to create a schedule and a list of tasks that they’re going to handle, and this will typically include when they expect to be finished with these jobs.

Note that some (but not all) may want money in advance, as well as after milestones have been completed throughout the renovation, so setting up a payment schedule and agreeing on a final price before signing anything is often a wise idea.

Do you need a contractor?

If you’re not experienced or knowledgeable in the things that are usually required for a bathroom remodel (such a construction, electrical work, plumbing and lighting), you may want to hire someone with the expertise to get the job done.

When trying to find the right contractor for you, be sure to query how they will deal with any issues that could occur, like damages or repairs. Additionally, having a warranty or guarantee can often be a good idea, too.

How to Choose Bathroom Tiles

They’re designed to repel water, they should last for years and they can make a shocking amount of difference to the appearance of your home; so when it comes to choosing the right tiles for your bathroom, you’ll undoubtedly want to make sure that you pick the ideal ones for your needs. Although most are made from similar materials their shape, size and appearance can differ – giving you plenty of options to choose from.

How to choose bathroom tiles in 5 helpful steps 

Simple, elegant, engaging – whatever your choice of style might be, we’ve put together 5 useful tips to ensure that you pick the perfect tile (or tiles) for your needs.

First of all – Choose your style 

If you like the idea of a single tone being featured throughout, you’ll likely be spoilt for choice. Plenty of people enjoy picking multiple colours instead however, as this can create a captivating aesthetic that oozes modern appeal.

Whatever you decide on, be sure that your main tile (whether it’s one, or one of three tile types) is exactly what you are looking for. Consider it your focal point, with any other tile styles and colours acting to complement it.

Secondly – Limit your colour options

You might have noticed that we said three above, and that’s for good reason.

If you want to achieve a stylised appearance in your bathroom, your tiles could set the tone to create a matching part of your home. For example, if your toilet, bathtub and sink are all going to boast a brilliant white hue, why not use the same tone for your main tile?

You could then pick a couple of other colours in different sizes or shapes to match the décor of your bathroom (such as that of your chosen towels). Your main tile will define the colour scheme, while your secondary and tertiary tiles should help to accent the overall theme, so be sure to check out colours that work well together before deciding.

Next – Think about your material options

Marble, granite, ceramic; depending on your budget, you might want to go for a particular type of tile that reflects your spending limits. One of the most appealing things about bathroom tiles is that they can truly reflect your style, whilst bringing a brand new level of functionality to the room itself.

Most bathrooms won’t be gigantic, which means that you could splash out on a particular material and colour guaranteed to have your guests talking (positively).

Or if you’d like an approach to save money, why not opt for a traditional, elegant white tile around the main body of your bathroom, and then introduce a stunning marble-effect (or other eye-catching pattern) to frame the white tiles instead? Your options will be almost endless and searching online for inspiration should be exactly what you do after reading this post.

Fourth – Think about the long term when it comes to cleaning and maintaining your tiles

A good type of tile should be easy to clean, but a great one? Well, they’ll repel dirt and stains as well. Some materials are especially good at all of the above and they include ceramic and porcelain.

When finished with a satin or glossy surface, both types could potentially retain their colour for years if not decades – and with frequent maintenance, they could boast an incredible shine with minimal fuss.

So, what about those of you that might want to go for a more unique type of tile, such as natural stone, or glass?

Well in these cases, the stone will need to be sealed to avoid discolouration, but you’ll also be pretty limited when it comes to choosing which types of cleaning products can be used on the surface of natural tiles.

That being said, there are dedicated products that could negate this concern and still protect these types of tiles in the process.

It goes without saying that glass tiles aren’t for floors do to them becoming slippery when wet.

Lastly – know your scale

If you have a small bathroom, huge tiles could actually detract from the perceived size of the room itself. This is why many experts recommend using smaller (palm-sized and below) tiles to increase the perceived size of a bathroom. There’s also no reason why you couldn’t have the tiles cut down in size to be used on the floor of a shower; whilst their original size is utilised on the wall instead.

Scale is important, so generally speaking those of you that want a quick, fresh looking fix for your bathroom could opt for larger tiles, while anyone wanting a more detailed aesthetic could invest in a smaller alternative instead.

How to Keep Bathroom Renovation Costs Down

If there’s one thing a bathroom in need of renovation will be; it’s obvious. From mould and decaying silicone, right through to crumbling grout and even leaks – if now’s the time for a bathroom reno project, you’ll likely have a particular aspect on your mind and that’s the cost. As a home owner, you’ve undoubtedly realised that your worst enemy is also the most important resource to sustain life; water.

Anywhere where water is consistent, damage, loss of functionality and poor aesthetics could soon follow. For anyone keen to learn how to keep bathroom renovation costs down, you’re in the right place – in fact, that’s exactly what this article is intended to help you with.

So, where should you start?

How tempting can it be to jump in at the deep end and overhaul absolutely everything in the bathroom? If you’ve spotted an issue with damp, surely it makes sense to re-tile everything, right? No, not even slightly. This is a common mistake that could add hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to your renovation bill.

Instead, why not hone in on the specific features and functions that might need addressing? Other elements in the bathroom could be touched up with a fresh coat of paint, or given a new line of silicone to restore a gleaming white – but if you’re not careful, you could end up revamping everything to the detriment of your wallet.

Functionality is key

Do you have a particular tap fitting that might be old and worn, but still functions as well as it did from day one? Maybe your chrome shower head looks a little worse for wear? Have you spotted creeping damp in the corner of your bathroom? The bottom line is this – if you can restore functionality, you could save yourself money.

For instance, chrome cleaning products can remove even the most stubborn appearance of rust, or alternatively a cheap aluminium coloured spray could be all that it takes to recoat those fittings and get them looking brand new. Mould on the other hand might need to be addressed at the source, but did you know that you can KILL the bacteria and STOP it from spreading by using something with chlorine? Any amount of chlorine will fight the mould and can be sprayed and wiped for the best results.

And things don’t just have to stop at fittings either; your bath could be touched up with a relatively cheap re-enamelling kit which could be painted on or sprayed using an airbrush (for smoother results). Many home owners have found themselves throwing out their old tubs when they could have continued to use them for years, so don’t be afraid to repair instead of replace when looking to save money.

Bonus tip – you could even consider selling any second hand items online to get some cash back, as many businesses and DIY’ers will be willing to buy these types of products, restore their functionality and then sell them back on. 

Work with what you have 

When your home was constructed, the chances are that the plumbing fixtures were aligned and installed in the most convenient of places. Trying to move them can be costly; especially if your contractors need to lift, remove and refit pipes, tiles and flooring. Instead, try to work with what you have and leave these ‘permanent’ fixtures where they are to save cash.

Materials can be cheaper if you know where to look

If you’ve found some workable materials, the chances are that the supplier won’t be the only one able to help. By getting to know what other providers in the area have, you could compare your options and hone in on a more appealing alternative. Although many renovation companies will source their own materials; the majority won’t have any issue if you get hold of them yourself and allow their experts to take care of the assembly/installation on your behalf.

Online websites like eBay can boast some of the lowest prices for materials, or you could visit a wholesaler instead as these premises will often stock their products in larger quantities; allowing you to save money by buying directly from their range.

Don’t be afraid of getting your hands dirty

Sure, hiring a team of specialists can certainly be the most advisable way to go – but you could save yourself some extra cash by taking care of the lesser tasks involved in your renovation. For instance, if your toilet bowl has suffered with stains over the years, why not buy an industrial grade cleaning agent to lift those marks and avoid having a brand new toilet installed?

As long as you leave the obligatory work to the licensed experts (such as waterproofing, electrical systems and so on), you’ll be free to clean, paint and generally modify to your heart’s content.

When trying to save money on your bathroom renovation, the most important rule of thumb is to see what you can live with, what can be worked with and what needs replacing entirely. Combine those considerations with a helpful team of renovation specialists and you could save yourself a small fortune.

How Much is a High End Bathroom Remodel?

In most cases, a high-end bathroom renovation in Australia is likely to come with quite a large cost; typically reaching a sum of at least $50,000.

Determine your brief

In most cases, spending as little as possible and getting the best results will be your key goal when renovating your bathroom. In some cases, one of the best ways to do this is to decide what you want before getting on with the project.

For example, do you want your bathroom to feel more like a premium spa, or a luxury hotel? In most cases, figuring out what style and mood you want will help you to make the right choices. When you know what you’re after, it’s often a good idea to start finding pictures and ideas that could help you to achieve the desired aesthetic. It can also be wise to share these references with your renovation consultant, too.

With a big enough budget, you may also be able to change the layout of your bathroom, too. Often, if you rearrange fixtures like bathtubs, toilets, or vanities, you’ll need to take care of some replumbing and rewiring. While hiring an expert to take care of these tasks can often add quite a bit more to the overall cost of your remodel, it’s often worth it to create your dream bathroom.

You could even add more space from a cupboard or adjoining room too, if you’d rather have a bigger bathroom space to work with. In most cases, these types of remodels include new toilets, baths, vanities, showers, tiles, paint and flooring – but there’s much more that you can add or change as the work gets underway.

What are the average costs of freestanding baths?

Freestanding baths can often add a luxurious feel to a bathroom and this, coupled with the fact that you can position them anywhere, can often make it quite tempting to purchase one. Fortunately, you’ll often have a wide range of colours, materials and designs to choose from – so in most cases, you’ll have the opportunity to find one that fits in with the new bathroom you plan to create.

While polished stone baths can often be the most elegant, they can often be incredibly heavy, so you may want to make sure that your floor can support this kind of weight before buying one.

Other high-end features you may want to consider purchasing include two-person showers, overhead shower-heads, or showers with massage spray jets built into the wall.

When considering what fixtures to get, from tap-ware to toilets, it’s often a good idea to consider water efficiency.

Costs of bathroom vanities

These days, vanities are the centrepiece of a bathroom and fortunately for those planning a renovation, there are numerous options available. While there’s often a broad range to choose from on the high street, you could instead opt to design your own or have an expert craftsman build one for you.

How to upgrade your bathroom walls

In most cases, one of the best things you can do if you want to make your bathroom more high-end is to add tiling to the walls. Fortunately, there are countless different types of tiles available, from New York subway tiles to glass mosaics, allowing you to pick one that’s perfect for the feel you’re going for. However, you may want to keep in mind that it’s often a good idea to only choose one tile and compliment it with one to two other neutral options.

How much do entertainment systems cost?

You could even add entertainment in your bathroom too; from waterproof TVs from Liquifi, to smart bathroom mirrors. There are even shower-heads with wireless speakers and sound systems specially made for bathrooms available, too.

You could even use automation to warm up your bathroom floor, ready for when you go in there. On the other hand, you could install lighting sensors if you’d rather have the lights on as soon as you enter the room.

High-end bathroom lighting options

While maximising the amount of natural light you get in your bathroom is generally a good idea, investing in high-end lighting fixtures for when the sun goes down is often essential for those who want the very best from their bathroom’s remodel.

Light could even become a feature of the room; for example, baths and showers that make use of chromo therapy (coloured light) can help you to feel more relaxed, whilst looking great at the same time.

How to keep your new bathroom warm

In most cases, you may want to choose a flooring material like engineered wood, polished concrete, porcelain tiles, or stone – as these tend to be more durable, as well as waterproof, non-slip and can generally help to keep your bathroom warmer.

Additionally, you could consider investing in underfloor heating, as this can often be great during the colder days of the year, too.