How to renovate a prefab apartment bathroom
The more work you do before you first break ground, the fewer complications and the shorter the renovation time you will face afterwards. In addition to wall and floor tiles, you also need to choose the fittings.
Whether we like it or not, a bathroom renovation is always a major intrusion into the everyday running of life for all the flat's occupants. This is especially true in a prefab apartment building, where every centimetre counts. In addition to the ever-present mess and dust that settles on everything, you also need to bear in mind that for several days the bathroom and toilet won't be available at all. It is therefore desirable for the renovation of the bathroom core to take as short a time as possible and to be carried out with maximum expertise. We'll advise you on how to plan and prepare everything so that the critical period is as short as possible.
Carefully think through how your new bathroom should look, including the details
The more work you do before you first break ground, the fewer complications and the shorter renovation time you will face afterwards. In addition to wall and floor tiles, you also need to choose the fittings, such as:
- the washbasin,
- the bathtub,
- the shower enclosure,
- the toilet,
- and to think about the layout of the bathroom furniture.
The ideal thing is to draw everything on paper, including dimensions, or to use one of the online configurators for planning bathrooms. If you don't feel up to such detailed planning, turn to a bathroom studio. The vast majority of them have their own professional tools, thanks to which they will build your dream bathroom on the computer screen in front of you. You can then make changes and adjustments to the layout without major difficulties, even before you set to the physical work.
Call in professionals or take on the work yourself?
Before deciding on the practical arrangement of the renovation, it is good to realise what such work actually involves. It is far from being just about tiling the walls and setting in the bathtub. Under the new tiling you have to hide a whole range of other work that isn't visible but is just as demanding as the work on the surface. Besides a skilled plumber, you will also need a bricklayer and a tiler and, last but not least, an electrician.
Lining up all these trades tends to be a tough nut even for a very capable home handyman. That is why it is always more advantageous to approach a professional firm, with which you have the assurance of a quality result, and you don't have to deal with any later problems on your own but as part of a complaint. When choosing reliable professionals, rely above all on their reputation and the previous experience of clients. Also reckon with the fact that a really good firm is usually swamped with work, so you need to contact it well in advance.
Does your bathroom seem small to you? Play with space and lighting
Let's be honest, most prefab apartment bathrooms don't exactly abound in space. Even so, it is possible to furnish them cosily and in line with modern trends and to enjoy your oasis of calm. How to do it when you count every centimetre?
If you still have a traditional old Umakart core, definitely knock it out. A gap for routing electrical and water installations often hides behind it, which will provide a few precious centimetres extra. The placement of utilities can also be addressed much more efficiently in a new bathroom. It is also often possible to alter the flat's layout and extend the bathroom, for instance into part of the kitchen or hallway space. You will also gain a more airy and larger room by combining the toilet and bathroom, although for larger families this may not be a practical solution.
Space is also added to a bathroom by well-chosen lighting and illumination. Besides a central light source, you definitely need to think about spot lighting, where the direction of the beam can be adjusted by rotating it.
Last but not least, well-chosen fittings also play a role in the feeling of space in your new bathroom. There is no point in installing a corner bathtub at any cost in a small bathroom, or a bathtub together with a shower enclosure, and thereby destroying valuable space for movement. Also think about how you will use the bathroom in old age and how much space you will need, and when designing it follow the motto that less often means more.
What would you do differently in your next prefab apartment bathroom renovation?
Many people who have already renovated a bathroom in a prefab building agree that the second time around they would do some things completely differently. Which are the most common?
1. Choosing quality traps and drain valves
If you carry out the renovation in cooperation with a bathroom studio or a professional firm, they will surely explain to you the difference between a washbasin, bathtub or washing-machine trap and offer you a choice of several variants of drain valves. If you're not familiar with this equipment, it's better to take advice. These bathroom elements may not be visible, but their correct sizing, function and operation are a necessity for trouble-free use of the new bathroom.
2. Don't forget about access panels either
Even if you devote enough care to choosing the fittings of your bathroom, you won't avoid the common operational problems associated with using them. So that you can later make your work easier and not have to demolish half the bathroom when the bathtub trap gets clogged, install access panels in the area of the bathtub's drain valve. Through them you can simply reach the problematic spot and get it working again within a few minutes.
Another place where access panels can also come in handy in the bathroom or toilet is the area of risers, water shut-offs and so on. Trouble-free access to these technical areas is needed, but at the same time they are expected not to be too much on view. This dilemma is reliably solved by concealing these areas with invisible access panels, which hide perfectly under the tiling.
3. By installing effective ventilation you prevent the formation of mould
Problems, especially in a small windowless prefab apartment bathroom, can also be caused by insufficient ventilation. So if you want to prevent moisture condensation and the formation of mould in your bathroom in the future, when renovating it also think about a ventilation system, which is usually placed up high out of the normal line of sight and covered with a plastic or stainless-steel vent grille, so that it doesn't disrupt the overall concept of the space.