Profile 22 Optima windows were specified in the development of 26 one and two bedroom apartments in a retirement development in Upper Norwood, London. Lewis House is a development of 26 one and two bedroom retirement apartments in Upper Norwood in London from McCarthy & Stone, the UK’s leading retirement
Over 300 Spectus Elite 70 System windows were used in the construction of a new build retirement village in Chorley town centre. Chorley Council commissioned a 65 apartment retirement village to provide those aged 55 and above with an independent living space with access to care and support. The development,
Manufacturer’s parallel opening window vents feature at the Anna Freud Centre. Parallel opening window vents by leading manufacturer of architectural glazing systems Kawneer were specified for a mental health project that is arguably without parallel. Some 88 of Kawneer’s AA®100 SSG parallel opening vents were used as concealed windows, to
One of the North West’s leading glass partition firms, Altitude Glass based in Blackburn, has completed work on two commercial office schemes in Lancashire. Altitude Glass has supplied and fitted the glass for a new office scheme in Ribchester for design and digital agency, Workhouse Marketing; and completed a stunning
A recent study has found that males are more likely to be victims of household crime. Data uncovered shows that during the first quarter of 2019, males experienced more household crime, with over 20,000 reported cases, as opposed to females, who reported just over 13,000. The research, found by More4Doors,
Built environment specifiers should reconsider approaches to safety flooring when designing for interiors, says global flooring company Tarkett. The traditional look and feel of safety flooring often requires specifiers to compromise on desired aesthetics. But thanks to next generation transparent particles, Tarkett’s Safetred Design collections create limitless options for interiors
The UK is notorious for its rainy weather. For the most part, people just don their waterproof and put up with it. When they get really soaked, however, it’s a miserable experience and getting really soaked can actually make you physically ill. It’s basically the same with buildings, which is
Architects behind the development of a new building at Wolverhampton Girl’s High School have called on Sto’s new rainscreen cladding system. Seymour Harris Architects deployed the StoVentec Glass solution on the project because it matched the firm’s vision. “The design of the school’s new sixth-form building was extremely important given
What is a Fastener Distributer? Distributors buy and sell any product readily available in the market place; it can be any product or even certain services. Fastener distributors typically buy mass-produced small fasteners usually from overseas countries where they are cheaper to make and therefore cheaper to purchase in bulk.
When we’re planning a home makeover, our bathrooms rarely make the top of the to-do list, which is very unfortunate. First, this space is just as frequently used as some other rooms in the house and deserves the same level of attention. Second, investing some money in the bathroom almost
Profile 22 Optima windows were specified in the development of 26 one and two bedroom apartments in a retirement development in Upper Norwood, London. Lewis House is a development of 26 one and two bedroom retirement apartments in Upper Norwood in London from McCarthy & Stone, the UK’s leading retirement housebuilder. As in all McCarthy & Stone developments, high quality was a top priority – it is the only housebuilder of any size to have been awarded the five-star rating for customer satisfaction by the Home Builders Federation every year since the awards began. When it came to the 97 windows and 26 door and sidelight combinations required on the project, McCarthy & Stone approached Epwin Window Systems. The systems house recommended the Optima system from Profile 22 and put the developer in touch with local Profile 22 Approved Window Installer Newview Homes Ltd. The company is one of the largest installation companies in the South East and is the one of the few UK installation companies to hold both ISO 9001 for Quality Management and ISO 14001 for Environmental Management. Profile 22 Optima Chamfered Windows deliver specifications required. The window specification required a U value of 1.4 wm2/k on all windows and Secured by Design accreditation on ground floor and easily accessible first floor windows. Acoustic glazing was also required because Lewis House is situated on a busy road so traffic noise needed to be minimised. Visually, the local authority had requested a grey exterior to give a modern appearance and provide a close match to aluminium. Newview used Profile 22’s Optima 70mm casement windows in smooth slate grey on white with 28mm Low E sealed glass units. Secured by Design accredited windows were fitted where required. Michele Wietscher, Commercial and Finance Director at Newview, said: “The Optima profile is always well-received because of its ability to meet demanding requirements at a competitive price.” The windows were manufactured by Newview’s long term fabrication partner, Emplas Window Systems Ltd, one of the UK’s largest window and door fabricators. Michelle said: “We work with Emplas because they are consistently reliable and offer excellent quality and good customer service.” Newview is an experienced commercial installer used to working on new build developments so was well-placed to ensure installation ran smoothly and coordinated with all other trades on site. It was the first time the company had worked with McCarthy & Stone and Michele said the team appreciated the developer’s meticulous approach. “McCarthy & Stone are well organised on site and their efficiency helped us be more productive. The installation process went well.” Everyone involved is delighted with the finished result. Senjey Sehmi, Senior Technical Manager South East, McCarthy & Stone Retirement Lifestyles, said: “We are very happy with the appearance of the windows, as they give a clean and contemporary look, which is in keeping with the architectural style of the building.” The quality of the Optima profile and Newview’s standard of workmanship have also been well received. Michele commented: “It was the perfect little contract for our first time working with McCarthy & Stone. We have priced two other sites in the South East now and hope to be working with them again soon.”
Over 300 Spectus Elite 70 System windows were used in the construction of a new build retirement village in Chorley town centre. Chorley Council commissioned a 65 apartment retirement village to provide those aged 55 and above with an independent living space with access to care and support. The development, Primrose Gardens, is in the centre of Chorley and is part of the Council’s strategic masterplan for the town centre. The development partner for the build was Eric Wright Construction. The window contract on the build was awarded to Spectus Approved Window contractor JADE Window and Door Specialists, a family run company based in Batley with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. JADE won the contract because it was able to demonstrate its ability to meet the demanding requirements of the window specification and deliver the project in line with the reduced timeframe required. The 65 apartments had over 300 windows in total. Thermal efficiency was a particular focus to keep running costs on the apartments to a minimum. The Elite 70 System from Spectus was able to meet this requirement and within the budget. It is a five-chamber system, which increases thermal performance, meaning it is capable of achieving a Window Energy Rating of A+ and U-values to 0.8W/m2K. The system is Secured by Design accredited where a high level of security is a requirement. Primrose Gardens’ town centre location meant careful programming and logistics planning was required to ensure minimum disruption and safe access. The construction was also on a reduced timeframe to enable Chorley Council to start delivering services as quickly as possible. JADE Window and Door Specialists are an experienced commercial contractor, so the team was able to take these factors into account and still deliver a high-quality installation to the timescale. The construction was completed on schedule in Autumn 2019. Councillor Alistair Bradley of Chorley Council said: “What is important is that the scheme will not only provide much- needed affordable accommodation for older people in the town who may need extra care and support later in life, it will also bring residential areas back into the town centre which is part of our town centre masterplan. And it will also generate much-needed income for the council which is vital with the cuts in central government funding that can be spent on providing services to our residents.”
Manufacturer’s parallel opening window vents feature at the Anna Freud Centre. Parallel opening window vents by leading manufacturer of architectural glazing systems Kawneer were specified for a mental health project that is arguably without parallel. Some 88 of Kawneer’s AA®100 SSG parallel opening vents were used as concealed windows, to maintain the same aesthetic as the façade, within AA®100 mullion-drained curtain walling and AA®720 doors on the new £40 million London headquarters of the world-famous Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. The Kawneer systems were specified by architects Penoyre & Prasad as they were a “cost-effective” solution to their needs and enabled them to use the same systems for all areas of curtain walling and rooflights. Architect Sam Frankland said: “We had an aspiration to create a very clean, paired-down façade that would give clear cohesion to the various buildings. Having scissor-action windows helped emphasise the planar quality when the windows are open.” The project has enabled the relocation of the mental healthcare charity to bring together its global expertise in practice, research and policy under one roof from its residential properties in Hampstead to a purpose-built facility near King’s Cross. This comprises a six-storey new-build and the refurbishment of a century-old former chocolate factory and warehouse. All of the Kawneer glazing systems feature a diagonal frit on the glass, with the Kawneer curtain walling featuring on the ground to top floors and the AA®100 SSG parallel-opening vents on all but the ground floor. The AA®720 doors feature on the main entrance and top floor which also features a roof terrace. Sam Frankland added: “We wanted to create spaces filled with light and views out over London so we opted for fully-glazed panels with a simple frit to give an element of privacy and a degree of visual interest to the façade.” The aluminium Kawneer systems were installed over eight months by a team of six from approved specialist sub-contractor/dealer JPJ Installations for main contractor Willmott Dixon. The charity that today bears the name of Sigmund Freud’s sixth and youngest child was first established almost 70 years ago and its approach, that every child and its family should be at the heart of the care they receive, working in partnership with professionals, has been reflected in Penoyre & Prasad’s design. This needed to be striking to reflect the charity’s aspirations to reflect its status as a world-renowned organisation working with eminent academic institutions as University College London and Yale. This itself presented a challenge, bringing together the multiple needs of the individual users of the building, from children and their families in need of support, to researchers, clinicians and internationally-renowned visiting academics attending symposia. At the front, in the space made vacant by the excavation of a former courtyard, is the new six-storey building housing shared conference facilities and the Pears Family School which is sponsored by the Anna Freud Centre. This caters for up to 48 youngsters who have been excluded from school or alternative education provision and helps them return to mainstream education. Penoyre & Prasad worked from the outset with the diagonal motif on the glazing on both the front and rear facades to inform both the transparent elevation and the precast cheeks of the building which they could do very little with as they were both party walls but which nevertheless replicate the diagonal fritting. The five-storey chocolate factory, parts of which had been used as offices since the 1990s, was converted into a combination of head office facilities and therapy, post-graduate teaching and research (part of which had been based at University College London) and break-out spaces for the Anna Freud Centre. Although not listed, heritage officers at Islington Council had still been anxious about how it would be developed. “The client was very keen to have as environmentally friendly a building as possible so aluminium seemed like the natural choice for the curtain wall system which has been used extensively to the east and west facades and as a large rooflight,” said Sam Frankland. Based on the established Kawneer AA®100 SSG POV system, the parallel opening design benefits from excellent ventilation characteristics combined with thermal performance. Increased air flow around the full perimeter of the window enables highly efficient natural ventilation while greatly reducing draughts as fresh air is drawn in the bottom of the window while warm, stale air is expelled via the top, creating full air circulation within a room. This efficient exchange of air can assist with Approved Document F compliance and can enable the window to meet the ventilation requirements of even the most demanding project.
One of the North West’s leading glass partition firms, Altitude Glass based in Blackburn, has completed work on two commercial office schemes in Lancashire. Altitude Glass has supplied and fitted the glass for a new office scheme in Ribchester for design and digital agency, Workhouse Marketing; and completed a stunning acoustic glass fit-out for the accountancy firm, Towers and Gornall. Workhouse Marketing were extending their existing office floor space into a new barn conversion, creating a large mezzanine floor with a modern, contemporary feel. Altitude Glass were tasked to install more than 14 linear metres of internal glass partition walls and doors, to create separate offices within the building. The new office exudes a fresh and elegant look, which ensures maximum use of natural lighting and effective use of the space. The second project, for accountancy firm Towers and Gornall, involved a significant remodelling of the building to create three separate offices, a reception area, boardroom, kitchen and storeroom. The offices were on the top floor in the loft space, an area where natural light is limited. The solution needed to create a more open plan, modern feel in the area, yet also maintain privacy. To meet the brief, Altitude Glass worked with acoustic glass to create the all-important light-filled space. This type of glass was ideal for the project due to its soundproof qualities. Sharon Snape, managing director of Altitude Glass, said: “Open-plan spaces are losing some favour because of the lack of privacy and the distraction that noise has on employees. Organisations instead want to create a mix of both open and private spaces that are linked together and flooded with natural light. Glass partitions are the perfect solution for this. This trend is driving demand for internal glazing, in particular, acoustic glass, to create private but connected spaces that significantly reduce noise in the workplace.” She added: “The Towers and Gornall project focussed on the sound transference element. For this reason, acoustic glass was selected for the partitions, and framed glass doors were incorporated to ensure minimal sound transference. We also designed the graphics for the glass partitions, which for privacy purposes, were sized to reach halfway up the glass. “The graphics featured a subtle use of colours generated from Towers and Gornall’s logo, to complement their branding and offer consistency throughout. The resulting office, with the acoustic glass, was a great success as the sound rating was around 48db once the door was closed instead of 32db.” Altitude Glass are experts in glass partitions and panels. The team develop and install products including glass partition walls, balustrades, doors and bespoke glass panels. The company has worked on many major glass projects for commercial office buildings, spas and hotels.
A recent study has found that males are more likely to be victims of household crime. Data uncovered shows that during the first quarter of 2019, males experienced more household crime, with over 20,000 reported cases, as opposed to females, who reported just over 13,000. The research, found by More4Doors, also discovered the areas which saw the most crime in Q1 of 2019. The South East of England was the worst, with over 4,400 reported crimes, while the North East only had 2,008 reported household crimes during the same period. When studying victims of household crime, those who were employed experienced the most, with over 21,000 cases reported by those in full or part-time work, while students were the least likely to be burgled, with just 368 reports during the first quarter of the year. When looking at age ranges, those who were aged between 45 to 54 experienced the most crime, with those aged between 16 and 24 experiencing the least. The study has also revealed that those who live in a semi-detached house are the most likely to experience household crime. It was found that over 10,000 semi-detached homes were victims of crime, compared to flats which saw just 5,000 reported crimes in the first three months of 2019. Terraced houses also saw a high number of household crimes, as did detached residential properties. The study also looked at homeowners versus renters and found that those who own their property experienced the most household crime (over 21,000 reports) while renting tenants experienced just over 11,000 cases. These alarming statistics come just weeks before Christmas, the time of year when both homeowners and renters should be a lot more vigilant when it comes to crime. Ensuring your home is properly secure during this time is essential. Burglars are well aware that while you are out enjoying the season’s festivities, there are plenty of expensive Christmas presents nestled under your tree. Leaving doors or windows unlocked are prime opportunities for those who prey on homeowners or renters leaving their home security to chance. More4Doors, a door handle and door locks retailer, has a number of tips on ensuring the security of your home this festive season. Keep doors locked at all times, even when you are in the house. If you are upstairs, burglars can easily sneak in unnoticed, so make sure you keep exterior doors locked at all times. This should also apply to large windows which can be climbed through, especially any which are just above extensions or conservatories. Make sure all your household locks are working properly. Any fault on a door lock can be an opportunity for a burglar. Even if it just needs a small fix, it’s worth sorting. If possible, add more than one lock to your exterior doors for added security. Check all windows are locked shut before leaving the house. It can be easy to miss an open window and leave it open. Don’t leave mail or flyers hanging out the letterbox. This can be a signal to burglars that you aren’t home. Don’t forget to check the locks on your garage are working properly. These are prime targets for burglars as many homeowners generally don’t have good working locks on garage doors or side doors. Try not to leave boxes out near your bins. An empty TV box or games console packaging is a clear indication to burglars that you have items in the home worth stealing, so make sure you dispose of these a little more discreetly.
Built environment specifiers should reconsider approaches to safety flooring when designing for interiors, says global flooring company Tarkett. The traditional look and feel of safety flooring often requires specifiers to compromise on desired aesthetics. But thanks to next generation transparent particles, Tarkett’s Safetred Design collections create limitless options for interiors while ensuring the same safety performance. Developed with architects, designers and end users in mind, the Safetred Design collections offer a wide range of surface visuals and colours to choose from, including beautiful wood grain, a welcoming textile line and the realism of natural stone, making it possible to create an ‘at home’ environment everywhere. Challenging the ‘institutional’ look and feel of safety floors Traditional safety flooring has a ‘speckled’ appearance – these black specks are very hard particles called silicon carbide, which ensure that slip resistance does not diminish over time. From a visual point of view, this is often a source of frustration for architects and designers, as it means placing limits on creativity. To address this, Tarkett’s Safetred Design ranges use a transparent particle called aluminium oxide, which has the same resistance properties but is invisible. This product innovation allows Tarkett to offer a wide selection of designs without neglecting safety: the result is a proven, sustainably slip resistant floor which meets the requirements of the manufacturing standard, EN 13845. Designed for wellbeing The UK has some of the most stringent rules and regulations around safety. Slips and trips may well be the number one risk when it comes to injuries – so the importance of choosing a proven, durable slip resistant floor cannot be underestimated. With a wide range of wood, natural or colourful patterns on offer, Safetred Design allows specifiers to design flooring combinations that create inspiring and beautiful environments while also reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls. This is flooring designed with wellbeing in mind: free from phthalates and with ‘undetectable’ levels of VOC emissions. Closing the loop The products created for the collections are not only beautiful on the outside but beautiful on the inside. Traditionally, safety floors have been problematic in terms of recycling due to the nature of the aluminium oxide or carborundum inherent in them, however the ReStartÒ programme is able to extract these particles for down-cycling so more of the product can be utilised. Safetred is produced using up to 40% of recycled content, and can be recycled via the Tarkett ReStartÒ programme. To download the new Safetred Design brochure or book an appointment to find out more, visit Tarkett’s website.
The UK is notorious for its rainy weather. For the most part, people just don their waterproof and put up with it. When they get really soaked, however, it’s a miserable experience and getting really soaked can actually make you physically ill. It’s basically the same with buildings, which is why you need reliable timber and damp reports on any investment property you’re considering buying. Reliable means undertaken by a CSRT surveyor Timber and damp is such a huge part of the UK’s property-surveying landscape that, regardless of where you live (or where your buy-to-let property investment is located) any internet search on the term “timber and damp surveyor” is practically guaranteed to produce a whole slew of results. There is, however, a big difference between the skills needed to get to the top of the search rankings and the skills needed to undertake an effective timber and damp survey, so before you part with your cash, make sure that the person who will undertake the survey is a Certificated Surveyor in Remedial Treatments and a member of the Property Care Association, (the trade association which governs the timber and damp industry). The practicalities of a timber and damp survey A timber and damp surveyor is probably going to need to have access to the whole of the property. In this case, the term “whole” means exactly that, from the roof to the ground levels outside and all floors inside. This means that any floor-coverings will need to be lifted (so that the surveyor can examine the state of the timbers underneath them) and the surveyor may even wish to lift at least some of the floorboards so that they can check the condition of the subfloor underneath. The surveyor will be looking for any signs of damage to the timber not just damage caused by damp. For example, they may identify wood-rotting fungi and woodworm infestation as well as general signs of timber decay. They will also look for any issues which have the potential to cause trouble at a future date, such as damaged rainwater goods which could lead to water ingress. Once the surveyor has completed their inspection, they will present their findings to their customer in the form of a report, which will list any issues found and what needs to be done to rectify them. The importance of a damp and timber report When you buy a home, the seller is supposed to highlight any potential issues with the property that they know about or could reasonably be expected to know about. If they don’t then you could pursue them through the courts for the cost of putting right the issues you detected. Leaving aside the fact that this is a hassle most people would probably rather avoid, the key point to note is that you have to be able to show either than that the seller knew about the issue or that they could reasonably have known about the issue. At the current time, only the Scottish government requires sellers to provide buyers with a survey of the property. Throughout the rest of the UK, surveys are undertaken at the buyer’s discretion (or at the mortgage-lender’s insistence) and even in Scotland, arguably somewhat ironically given the climate, the seller only has to provide a basic home report, rather than going specifically into the sort of depth and detail you would expect from a proper timber and damp survey. As the old saying goes, forewarned is forearmed and this particularly true when you are looking at investment property because success in property investment is based on having accurate figures. It’s imperative that you find out about any damp issues before you buy, not after you’ve been sued for health-and-safety issues due to your tenants suffering from asthma brought on by condensation mould.
Architects behind the development of a new building at Wolverhampton Girl’s High School have called on Sto’s new rainscreen cladding system. Seymour Harris Architects deployed the StoVentec Glass solution on the project because it matched the firm’s vision. “The design of the school’s new sixth-form building was extremely important given its location and context, and this played a major role in driving the specification of the most appropriate materials,” explained Joe Harris of Seymour Harris Architects. “In contrast to previous pastiche additions to the school, we wanted to use modern materials which would complement the original architecture of the school. The new building is harmonized with its surroundings through the colour and pattern of the high-level cladding and by physically reflecting the attractive landscaping of the site, and the school’s original buildings which date back to 1911.” The original idea of cladding the building with a reflective metallic finish was changed, as the school environment could easily lead to the metal being scratched and dented. “We chose the StoVentec Glass system instead,” added Joe. “It’s tough and scratch-resistant, but it still provided the high degree of reflectivity that we were looking for. Sto worked closely with us, providing many samples and helping us to arrive at the final choice. The StoVentec Glass proved to be an excellent way of translating our design into reality.” The BBA-accredited StoVentec Glass system incorporates an adjustable sub-construction, which is designed bespoke for each project. This can easily be adjusted to suit any uneven substrate and creates a ventilated cavity which keeps the wall dry and allows it to breathe. Tempered safety glass panels are bonded to unique StoVentec carrier boards in the factory, and then fixed to the sub-construction at the project site. The glass panels are manufactured in bespoke shapes and sizes to suit individual requirements. As well as being available in any RAL or custom colour, with reflective, non-reflective or metallic finish, they can also be screen printed with individual logos or designs. The project included perforated Adapta cladding that was supported on a structural frame penetrating the StoVentec Glass. This necessitated close and careful co-ordination between the architect, Craft Interior and Sto to ensure that the cut-outs in the glass mirrored exactly the location of the steel beams. The manufacturing process includes the fusing of colours on to the back of the glass, before the toughening process. The colour melts into the glass providing permanent coloured glass panels that will not wear, scratch, fade, or incur water damage. “We have installed the StoVentec Glass system previously on several projects, but this one was without doubt the trickiest in terms of design and co-ordination. The positioning of the Agraffe fixing rails to the rear of the Glass Panels ensures that the final install is a relatively quick and easy process,” added Graham Chadwick of authorized Sto applicator Craft Interior. “The result on this project is a stunning piece of architecture that all parties should be proud to have been involved with, and that is extremely important on a high-profile project such as this.”
What is a Fastener Distributer? Distributors buy and sell any product readily available in the market place; it can be any product or even certain services. Fastener distributors typically buy mass-produced small fasteners usually from overseas countries where they are cheaper to make and therefore cheaper to purchase in bulk. Fastener Supply Distributors provide both SAE fasteners for uses like in automotive, heavy equipment and OEM type applications, the other is ASTM fastener type which is used in construction trades. They distribute them so frequently that they usually carry a full line of sizes shapes, washers’ nuts and so on. They not only supply a wide range of fasteners but also the tools used with them. The tools usually are wrenches, pliers, buckets, drills, screw guns, and bits, etc. In addition to fasteners, the Fastener supply distributor can also carry such as construction equipment and supplies. They buy from the original manufacturers at a bulk price then resell to end-users, for a profit. These items can include safety boots, hard hats, welding supplies like welding rods, welding leads, etc. The distributor can make large profits if they know where they can buy their product at a low bulk price, then reselling with some type of mark up. Usually, they know that buying from overseas will most likely be their best option, to make some type of profit. While the distributor may by some things overseas, Construction Structural fasteners and supplies are, mainly purchased from American and Canadian established supply chains due to quality standards in manufacturing. When deciding on whether to purchase from a manufacturer or distributor here are some helpful pointers to consider: 1. Not Being Fully Versed in the Product: Because they can have such a wide range of products and may not be trained in the industry non-standard construction supplies and fasteners. It would be near impossible for the distributors to remember every detail of every product that they carry. 2. The Customer Has No Direct Contact with Manufacturer: When dealing with purchasing with a distributor there is little to no contact between who made the product and the customer. This can lead to a huge breakdown in things, especially if the wrong product is ordered. While one will take returns and/or exchanges along with any type warranties, the other may not, so, if there is a mistake in ordering the wrong thing and once received and may just be left on the customer’s doorstep to deal with it. 3.The Variation in Cost: Most of the time if custom fasteners purchased through a distributor the customer will pay a much higher cost for the product than if they just went to the manufacturer, to begin with. This cost difference can be significant depending on the product and how large the order. Just remember you get what you paid for. The only way a manufacturer can make money is to buy in bulk and cheaper than what they are trying to sell. Now here are some advantages to purchase from a Distributor: 1.Choice in Different Fastener Manufacturing Companies & Products in One Place: With a distributor, they can come to you instead of the other way around, possibly with a catalog or a truck with their inventory loaded ready for sale. They could have several of the same product just made by different companies. 2. Being Mobile & Having No Stationary Office: They are free to sell door to door so to speak, and with no fixed office building, their overhead is much lower which means they can pass those savings down the line to their customers. They also have a little more freedom in making the sale and then the delivery if needed. Just be aware that not all distributors have the means to get you the right product because of not knowing how to determine the quality of standards of a product that may be needed or what may be a substitute that will be just as good if the one needed is not available. It is up to the customer to know what they need and how to know the right product that they need beforehand.
When we’re planning a home makeover, our bathrooms rarely make the top of the to-do list, which is very unfortunate. First, this space is just as frequently used as some other rooms in the house and deserves the same level of attention. Second, investing some money in the bathroom almost always makes great returns when you are trying to sell your property. So, whatever your reasons may be, let us take a look at some of the most interesting and useful tips that should help you give your bathroom a stunning makeover it most certainly deserves. Choose timeless tiles Generally speaking, tiles are the bathroom element that probably makes the strongest visual impression and sets the tone for the rest of the items you are going to use. Because of that, it is strongly advised to use neutral colors and unobtrusive patterns that will play along with different styles you may want to try in the future and appeal to a wider variety of buyers. Of course, this decision doesn’t mean you are not allowed to play with more than one color and try out a couple of different materials at once. Use wall-mounted pieces Wall-mounted pieces are a great upgrade for all the small bathrooms where floor space makes one of the most important considerations. Even if square footage is not the issue, hanging up some elements like sinks, shelves and cabinets will create a much more pleasant impression and rid the room of the visual clutter. Furthermore, mounting these elements on the walls will make the maintenance of the room so much easier and give you more space to play with other interesting design elements. Install a vanity What elements, you might ask? Well, why not a full-blown vanity with a huge Hollywood-style LED-powered mirror? Elements like this will transform your bathroom from a utilitarian room where every element serves a specific purpose into an elegant space that’s equally concerned with style as much as with purpose. Also, we shouldn’t forget that vanities offer an incredible amount of storage space and having the ability to sit on a cozy chair makes grooming all that easier. Invest some money in a quality bathtub No matter what some people say, the bathtub is the centerpiece of a bathroom. It lends it its name and by far, is the most enjoyable element this room can offer. So, do your best to rearrange the other elements and make some room for a spacious-enough unit that will allow you to drown yourself in suds and enjoy long, lazy soaks. Also, since we are talking about centerpiece elements, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to install some of the elegant designer baths and use this opportunity to make a visual statement. Expand the windows We all know about the benefits of natural light. Allowing more sunlight into the room will expand the space, shower the elements in the natural glow and lift the mood of the occupants. In terms of bathrooms, filling one of the walls with spacious, stylish windows will turn a room that is usually considered dim, stuffy and damp into a bright and ventilated haven that feels far cozier and inviting. Just add some quality window shades and your old bathroom will quickly turn into an expansive, luxury spa. Give old elements a much-needed facelift You would be surprised just how much mileage and versatility you can squeeze out of your bathroom elements with nothing more than sandpaper and paintbrush. Don’t believe us? Just give it a try and look how your old, shiny cabinets become dark, matte pieces that perfectly fit into the industrial setup you’ve always wanted. The same can be said about the small details like door handles and showerheads that look very menial but make a strong contribution to the look of the room. Bring in plants Much like natural light, indoor plants have a very positive impact on the mood of the occupants. This time, you have the added benefit of purified air most bathrooms so desperately need. Finally, plants also make a quite nice visual element that makes every room livelier and more inviting. So, bring some plants in and don’t worry even if you haven’t managed to bring more sun into the bathroom. You have more than enough options that thrive in somewhat dim environments. We hope these seven tips will show you just how much potential your bathroom packs. Whether you want to increase the market value of your property or simply want to make your home a happier place to live in, this potential should be properly used. Now roll up your sleeves, get to work and give that bathroom the facelift it deserves.
