3 ways to improve your bathroom
Is the look of your bathroom not something you should be proud of, and does it need improvement, or are you perhaps planning a completely new bathroom? You'll find inspiration with us regardless of which path you decide on.
1) Renovating a bathroom without demolition
You wouldn't believe the wonders that well-chosen accessories work with a bathroom, such as coordinated towels, a new shower curtain, a soap dispenser, a toilet-paper holder, a new mirror, a towel-drying ladder, or boxes and baskets in which you hide away various small items and cosmetic and cleaning products. If you want to compare the prices of bathroom accessories and get further inspiration, visit the Homago.cz website.
If you have a window in the bathroom, you'll brighten up its look with flowers. Especially suitable are plants that like higher air humidity. You should choose, for example, from ferns or orchids. If there is no window in your bathroom, it's better to choose a vase enlivened with twigs, cut flowers or eucalyptus.
Another small adjustment that, with a bit of skill, will lift the appearance of the bathroom is painting. You can paint over worn tiles including the joints, Umakart and a scratched bathtub. If you're hesitating whether to paint the bathtub or replace it outright, read our article "Replace or refinish your bathtub? It depends on your budget and the extent of damage," where you'll learn more about the various refinishing options.
Advantages: low price; suitable as a temporary solution, e.g. in rented accommodation
Disadvantages: only a compromise; some adjustments may look cheap on closer inspection and the effect doesn't last as long as with a well-executed renovation (e.g. a coating over tiles starts to peel off over time)
2) Minor bathroom adjustments without a building permit
How to conjure up a beautiful bathroom even without a complete renovation, changes to the layout and larger demolition? Sometimes partial adjustments that can be carried out without a building permit are entirely sufficient. These can be, for example, adjusting the plaster, adding a ceiling soffit with lighting, replacing the floor and tiling, or acquiring new fittings such as a bathtub, toilet, shower enclosure or washbasin. The bathroom is changed beyond recognition by replacing old access panels, which are unsightly and protrude distractingly from the wall or tiling.
Examples of toilets and bathrooms BEFORE and AFTER replacing the access panels
Browse the range of ZAVRZ access panels >>
The good news is that a renovation of an Umakart apartment core can also do without a building permit, provided you don't change the layout or interfere with load-bearing partitions during it. You should also keep the weight of the materials corresponding to the original ones. A notification, or possibly consent to such adjustments, may however be required by the housing cooperative or the association of owners.
Advantages: simpler, faster and cheaper than a complete renovation; a marked effect on the appearance of the bathroom
Disadvantages: more costly than a mere 'refresh' of the bathroom; the impossibility of adjusting the layout and size of the bathroom according to your own needs
Tip: Before starting any (even minor) renovation, it always pays to visit the Building Authority at the place of construction and find out what requirements they have in your particular case.
3) Complete renovation, conversion and building a new bathroom
If you're going to interfere with load-bearing partitions, build a completely new bathroom or change the layout, you definitely won't manage without a building permit or at least a notification. The greater demands of this solution, however, are offset by the possibility of planning the bathroom exactly according to your ideas.
To begin with, think about the needs of the whole family, and that includes into the future too. A WC combined with the bathroom may add extra centimetres, but will it suit you even when your household grows by further members? Do you need a bathtub, or will you prefer a "barrier-free" shower? Will a washing machine be placed in the bathroom? Once you've clarified the basic things, it won't hurt to do a little market research and visit various bathroom studios, where you'll find inspiration and at the same time they'll help you with the design of the new bathroom including its visualisation.
If you want an aesthetically perfect result, think ahead about the choice of visible technical elements such as vent grilles and access panels. The panels should ideally be hidden, but at the same time there must be good access to them, so that their function and any servicing are not restricted. A suitable solution to the stated requirements is invisible access panels. Failing to think through these details can spoil the overall aesthetic impression of the result, so don't forget to discuss them in good time with the construction firm or bathroom studio.
Advantages: you can plan everything according to your own ideas and needs; the option of fine-tuning the bathroom down to the smallest detail.
Disadvantages: time and financial demands.
Tip: If you're carrying out a bathroom renovation, focus on various water savers or more eco-friendly fixtures (a toilet or, say, a shower head) that consume far less water. You can find further tips on saving water here.