What are some of the considerations when adding a bathroom to a loft conversion?

A new bathroom either as an added family bathroom or as an en-suite to a new bedroom is one of the most popular choices of internal fittings for a new loft conversion space. Small loft conversions convert well into a family bathroom or if you already have enough bathrooms then you can create a master bedroom with en-suite attached. Here are some of the specific considerations you should think about when adding a new bathroom to your loft conversion:-

• Bath or Shower? – a bathroom doesn’t have to involve either a bath or a shower, it could simply include a basin and a toilet. Many bedrooms in older period properties often had a washbasin and this can be very convenient. Fitting baths and/or showers requires clever use of the space available. A bath will take up much more space than a shower, however, if the loft conversion has a sloping ceiling then this is usually a great place to locate a bath as the limited headroom doesn’t matter and this area would otherwise be redundant. Showers take up less space but you do need a full-height ceiling to accommodate a shower. If the loft conversion is dedicated solely to a new bathroom then most people have both a bath and a shower; a bath is particularly useful if it is a family bathroom and you have young children
• Extending and plumbing – plumbing is always a key consideration when you are planning a new bathroom in your loft conversion as the work will have to accommodate the existing plumbing in the house. It is easiest when locating the bath to put it as close as possible to the existing supply and waste pipes; this will save significant labour costs as you will not need to move or extend any of the current plumbing. These pipes are usually located to the side or rear of the house and this normally dictates the placement of the bath and shower fittings. Waste pipes are larger pipes than supply pipes and these can be challenging to move around or bend around corners. They also require a specific fall or gradient to allow the waste water to drain away properly. It is therefore ideal if possible to avoid moving or relocating waste pipes or keeping any changes to an absolute minimum
• Water supply – householders worry about the water supply to the loft space but it is easy to solve this and avoid the hassle of fitting a water tank to a small area. Most showers fitted will be electric showers and you could also consider upgrading your boiler to a combi boiler as this will really help to heat the water instantaneously as well as making it much easier to provide water to other fittings like a hand basin
• Ventilation – ventilation is a key factor in your new bathroom otherwise the room will suffer from excessive condensation and will eventually become damp and mouldy. An extractor fan is one option but they are noisy and can impact on the peace and quiet of the bedrooms on the floor below. Velux windows or skylights can offer you the ventilation that you need as well as allowing natural light to flood in. Some of the newest designs from Velux feature remote control options which you can open and close at the touch of a button making them quick and easy to operate when you use your new bathroom. These also have a rain sensor so if you forget to close them after you have taken a bath or shower then they will do the job automatically if it starts raining
• Choice of windows – bathrooms whether a family bathroom or en-suite can generate a lot of steam so PVC frames for your roof windows are often a better option than wood. Some PVC options have a ventilation system at the top of the frame so you can allow fresh air in and the steam out without even having to open the window, others have specially designed channels at the bottom of the window which allows condensation and any accumulation of water to drain away
• Lighting – natural light is always the best option over electric light. Theoretically, you don’t need to include windows in your loft conversion project if you are only fitting a bathroom in the space and no other accommodation. However, the whole aspect of the room will be vastly improved if you allow natural light in and you supplement this with artificial light sources on gloomy days and at night. Using LED lighting, you can generate light which is similar to daylight even when it is dark, and spotlights fitted into the new ceiling will sit flush and not abut into the room taking up valuable head height. There are waterproof and water-resistant versions for steamy bathrooms
• Locating a toilet – your new bathroom doesn’t have to feature a toilet but if it does, it is easiest to place it as close as possible to the current waste outlet. When a toilet is flushed, the waste enters the sewer or septic tank via the main drain line so it makes sense to locate the toilet above your existing toilet or as close to it as possible. There are other options if the plan of your bathroom features a toilet sited well away from existing pipework. One of these is a macerating toilet which is a toilet designed to go in any location where there is no easy access to drainage. The other is an up-flush toilet. Standard toilets work by flushing gravitationally downward to your pipes, an Up-flush toilet discharges from the back of the toilet and into a pump that houses a macerator which grinds up the waste and pumps it up PVC piping to your existing soil stack. This can be located metres away allowing you to site an Up-flush toilet wherever you want. Visually, an Up-flush toilet will look the same as a standard toilet just with the addition of a pump which is a small white unit that either sits on the floor behind the toilet or connects to an extension pipe which can hide the pump behind a wall. The latter option will make this type of toilet virtually indistinguishable from a standard toilet