Once you had answered these questions, what were the first concrete steps towards your dream bathroom?
First of all, we gathered information and inspiration. The best way is to look at show bathrooms or pictures on the internet (e.g. on Instagram and Pinterest). You quickly get a feel for what you like and what fits your budget. In our view, one of the next steps is to draw a rough sketch: this can be on a sheet of paper or with suitable tools. You should also always ask yourself: what bothers me about my current bathroom, and what do I definitely not want to do without in my bathroom?
So you got your inspiration from the internet?
Yes, we were very much inspired by trends we picked up on Instagram. A subsequent visit to the show house of exactly our type of house showed us how the bathroom looks in terms of size and which elements we liked or did not like.
Did you then design the bathroom in your new house yourselves, or did you have it designed by a professional bathroom supplier?
We planned the bathroom ourselves and had the fittings supplied and delivered by Bauhaus, or more precisely the Bauhaus bathroom department. With Sketchup we found suitable software to build our bathroom to scale and according to our ideas in 3D.
How exactly did you go about looking for a suitable bathroom supplier before finally deciding on fittings from the Bauhaus bathroom department?
We had no clear idea of the budget we would need for planning the bathroom. So we visited various bathroom showrooms (e.g. Bergmann&Franz or Bär&Ollenroth). There we looked at bathrooms that suited our taste and got advice from the specialist staff. However, we only felt really comfortable, both professionally and personally, at the Bauhaus bathroom department in Berlin.
How did you choose bathroom elements such as the toilet, washing area and shower? Does the budget play a big role here?
You should not skimp on the budget for the bathroom, as it is meant to be a feel-good room and you spend time in it every day. Even so, our funds were limited, so we were very much guided by price and tried to find branded products that were affordable.
What makes up the cost of a bathroom and how is it calculated?
The costs are made up of the bathroom elements and the installation costs. The installation costs include, on the one hand, the first-fix installation: laying all drinking water and waste water pipes, the electrics and the heating pipes. In addition, you need to budget for structural changes (if you are building a standard house through a developer), e.g. enlarging the shower, additional partition walls, drywall niches or additional electrics for spotlights. The other installation costs are the electrics, laying the tiles and fitting the sanitary elements and bathroom furnishings. The costs of the bathroom elements depend very much on the manufacturer, the brand and the size of the bathroom.
Looking back, how much time should people building a home allow for building a bathroom?
Sebastian: The first-fix installation as well as the electrical and tiling work were part of the house building contract and were carried out by the developer Town&Country. The subsequent installation and fitting of the elements was carried out by a subcontractor of the Bauhaus bathroom department and took about 3 days.
The construction work on your bathroom is now finished and you have been living in your house for a while. How do you like your bathroom?
Even after 1.5 years, we still enjoy going into our bathroom every day and have not regretted our furnishing decisions so far. In a few years things may look different, as tastes and trends change.
Is there anything you would still change or do differently next time?
From today's perspective, we have little to criticise about our bathroom. The lighting effect, especially of mirror cabinets, is completely different in your own bathroom than in the bathroom showroom. You should pay close attention to the intensity and warmth of the light and whether it is sufficient for everyday use (e.g. putting on make-up, shaving). The mixer taps in our shower are surface-mounted, which in hindsight we would gladly swap for concealed mixer taps. The extra cost is marginal, the effect and the space gained all the more valuable.
Do you have a few final tips for future home builders? What should generally be considered when planning a bathroom?
When planning a bathroom in general, you should consider how many people you are planning it for. If you have children or are planning to have them, the bathroom should also be designed with a lot of foresight. A double vanity unit and a shower in addition to the bathtub would make sense here to avoid a morning rush in the bathroom. Floor plans and sketches never give you a good idea of the result. Using 3D programs and visiting show bathrooms helped us a lot.
Thank you very much for the interview and the helpful tips.
