Crofter Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 So, tempted by a combination of aesthetics, storage, and the ability to hide away all my ugly plumbing, has led me to consider moving away from a basic suite and towards fitted bathroom units. The layout is: basin, WC, and large walk-in shower. Room size 1600x2400. What's really caught my eye so far is this range: http://www.bathroomcity.co.uk/brand/jax/lucido Shame they're at the other end of the country- it would probably cost a fortune to get these fully assembled cabinets and pottery shipped up here. I've had a gander at the main DIY sheds in Inverness, but I've seen nothing insipiring- just plain white boxes. I do have other options such as Howdens and Willie Wilsons, but my experience of these places is that they can be neither customer friendly nor cheap. Wondering if there's any other options out that I might not have considered? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fallingditch Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 Near to me there is a big plumbers merchant. They must have fifty vanity units on display, from well known brand names. IMHO - all crap. Badly put together. Doors slam shut. Drawer runners cheap Chinese rubbish - but the thing which really gets me is the price tag: £300.00 ... £400.00 ... £500.00 The best I've seen is from a well known German manufacturer - but their prices start at £500 and go up to several times that. What I don't understand is that while there is a very big market in self assembly kitchens, and which makes use of quality runners, hinges and handles, I cannot find any supplier of DIY vanity units which use runners etc from Blum, Grass or Hettich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 Found at random, mentions Hettich hinges and runners: http://www.doors-sincerelyonline.co.uk/kitchens/clic-box-flat-packed-kitchen-cabinets/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 For a vanity unit we have Ikea and B&Q for the mirrored cabinet, which has been fine. If I was having flashing lights or other techno features, I might think twice about basic ones. Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 I've bought many cheap vanity units off eBay and can't really complain tbh. My own in my house ( cloakroom ) was change of £60 and included soft close hinges. My 4 young kids have given it a soaking, a beating, slammed the doors and it's still as good now as the day i bought it. Theres only so much lipstick you can apply to chipboard or MDF so I'd not spend huge money on something you'll soon accept as peripheral. Having a complete foil wrap is a good quality, but veneered is fine if you don't plan on soaking it daily ( eg not next to the bath / kids splashing / wetroom ). My WC unit was also pennies and gets soaked by my kids as its next to the bath, and is still looking mint with no signs of swelling or degradation. Dont get caught in the showroom headlights . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crofter Posted May 17, 2017 Author Share Posted May 17, 2017 There's always the inevitable Victorian Plumbing / Victoria Plumb who between them have some nice enough looking stuff- anybody have experience of these? The wife bought a shower from one or the other, can't remember which, and it's a pile of carp. But that doesn't mean that everything they sell is bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 9 minutes ago, Crofter said: There's always the inevitable Victorian Plumbing / Victoria Plumb who between them have some nice enough looking stuff- anybody have experience of these? The wife bought a shower from one or the other, can't remember which, and it's a pile of carp. But that doesn't mean that everything they sell is bad. I can go to a used car dealership and buy a Ford Fiesta with service history. I can also go to the Ford dealership and buy the identical car in identical condition, just I'll end up paying a premium for the showroom, staff and lip service. Go to a showroom and see the make and 'model' you like, making sure NOT to take your cards or cash with you ( so you cannot buy one after being hypnotised by the skilful salesperson ) and jump on the Internet. Type in the one you'd like and enjoy the savings. On eBay etc just check for the description and ensure they've got soft close etc, and I went for doors not drawers for mine as i can change hinges 2 a penny but runners not so easy, plus, in a renter, there's less to go wrong with doors AND more room for DIY plumbing / trap etc . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crofter Posted May 17, 2017 Author Share Posted May 17, 2017 Unfortunately the units I like the best are apparently only available from one place (bathroomcity)- and being ready built, the mind boggles at what it would cost to get them, and the pottery, delivered up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrerahill Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 (edited) 16 hours ago, Crofter said: So, tempted by a combination of aesthetics, storage, and the ability to hide away all my ugly plumbing, has led me to consider moving away from a basic suite and towards fitted bathroom units. The layout is: basin, WC, and large walk-in shower. Room size 1600x2400. What's really caught my eye so far is this range: http://www.bathroomcity.co.uk/brand/jax/lucido Shame they're at the other end of the country- it would probably cost a fortune to get these fully assembled cabinets and pottery shipped up here. I've had a gander at the main DIY sheds in Inverness, but I've seen nothing insipiring- just plain white boxes. I do have other options such as Howdens and Willie Wilsons, but my experience of these places is that they can be neither customer friendly nor cheap. Wondering if there's any other options out that I might not have considered? Cheers I am now a big fan of bathroom units for the sink etc. We currently have a traditional suite with no storage in the bathroom, as a result there is no where to keep any bathroom essentials out of sight, so there is bleach hidden down the back of the toilet, cleaning stuff hidden behind the sink pedestal, whoever installed it also liked boxing lots of things in at lots of different depths and heights which was then tiled over creating some sort of highly slippery climbing wall! I know why he has done various things but to be honest had he just battened out the wall, hid all the services and installed to that he would have only lost 50mm on that wall and then had a much easier life. Anyway, 2 years ago my fiancee and I stayed with family in Vancouver who had just moved into a new house, our en-suite was a decent size but what made it so smart and tidy was the sink unit, it gave lots of decent space for toothpaste and shaving stuff, it was about 600mm deep and 1200mm wide, basically a 1200mm kitchen carcass in terms of size and build, with a big stone top on it. There was loads of space for bathroom stuff and the place looked neat and clean. I think every bathroom in the house, including the powder room had this sort of setup for the basins. The only place I have seen them in real life for sale so far is B&Q and some of them look like an MFI storage unit with a basin bolted to the top, but I know I will find the right one when I come to do our bathroom (after the garage and extension). I am a bit of a stickler for neat work, so I would make the plumbing neat anyway, but the idea that I can have it all sitting there exposed but hidden in the unit with isolation valves etc. seems like a great idea to me. I think North America has a lot to offer in terms of how they build houses, they have been doing bathrooms like this for decades and we only seem to be catching on now, also there laundry rooms, great idea, they think it is plain insane to have a washer or dryer in a kitchen, and thinking about it, it is a bit! Edited May 17, 2017 by Carrerahill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Vanity units / runs have been quite commonplace for at least the last 15 years here, with some REALLY not lasting the test of time. A lot is down to the change to foil wrap / continuous coatings and manufacturers now stating that it's a warranty requirement that any cut edges get sealed / painted etc to protect them from moisture. One customer I look after has a 15-16 year old house with 3 original vanity runs and they're like the day they were put in. A bit more money was spent on those ones I suspect as it was a large ( and expensive ) new build at the time. Avoid edge veneered stuff imo and you'll be fine with even the entry level stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 (edited) 7 hours ago, Carrerahill said: Anyway, 2 years ago my fiancee and I stayed with family in Vancouver who had just moved into a new house, our en-suite was a decent size but what made it so smart and tidy was the sink unit, it gave lots of decent space for toothpaste and shaving stuff, it was about 600mm deep and 1200mm wide, basically a 1200mm kitchen carcass in terms of size and build, with a big stone top on it. There was loads of space for bathroom stuff and the place looked neat and clean. I think every bathroom in the house, including the powder room had this sort of setup for the basins. I do not think this is a Canadian thing. Surely it is just a sensible thing? It is not just shaving and cosmetics and toothbrushes, it is towels and heaven knows what else, including all the stuff that a lot of us put in the modified roof voids of our top half-storey now. Sufficient storage and then double it. I blame estate agents for wanting to make the main bit of rooms bigger. Kitchen units are often better quality than bathroom ones, anyway, and are available in the next bay along in the shop, or for only a few 10s of ukp. And the kitchen wall ones are available at half the depth. What about a larder unit the size of an old airing cupboard? Admittedly I have never lived in a genuinely developer built house, but even those can fit a vanity unit round the whb. Even say a 1940s or 1950s house would have some sort of storage related to the b/room - say 1.2m x 600mm x floor to ceiling. Some of that for us is now in utility rooms with the washers, and bathrooms have become vanity grooming spaces. This was our previous bathroom which was fitted with kitchen units circa 198x. You can just see the corner of the bath, and if you turn around there was a slightly expansive experimental shower cum steam room which has space for two plastic garden chairs inside it, and room to shower at the other side. Then there is the full height double larder cupboard with another cupboard above it, with the washing machine and the dryer and the hot water tank. Admittedly a generous 15x15ft-sh. But it was cold in winter. Now I want a look at some Lutyens or C R Mackintosh or Hampstead Garden Suburb or London County bathrooms to see how they did it. F Edited May 17, 2017 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoctober Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 7 hours ago, Crofter said: the mind boggles at what it would cost to get them, and the pottery, delivered up here. Take a look at this website - https://www.shiply.com/how-it-works never used it but you might find someone willing to transport your items, at a reasonable cost. PW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crofter Posted May 17, 2017 Author Share Posted May 17, 2017 27 minutes ago, Redoctober said: Take a look at this website - https://www.shiply.com/how-it-works never used it but you might find someone willing to transport your items, at a reasonable cost. PW. I have tried Shiply before and didn't get any remotely competitive quotes, but it's probably luck of the draw. Also I expect that if you live closer to a major route you might have more success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Around 8 or 9 years ago I fitted some bathroom units that came from Tesco (I jest not - they were on their online store). They were flat-pack, and damned good quality. Solid oak doors and decent carcasses, with soft close hinges. They made the bathroom a lot neater, hiding all the untidy stuff and giving loads of storage. I fitted a row that's a 300mm base cupboard, 600mm toilet unit, 600mm washbasin unit and another 300mm cupboard. Above that I fitted two, 300mm wall units, with a 600mm mirror between them. The shower mixer is fitted inside the base unit nearest the shower bath, and is a three way one, as the bath has a shower and a combined waste/filler. The advantage of having the mixer fitted in the base unit, with the controls on the side, is that you can turn the shower on without getting wet, plus the shower valve is accessible for replacement or maintenance (this proved to be very useful when the Victoria Plumb crap failed). In the new house I've done the same in both bathrooms and the downstairs WC, but this time used some units that were pre-assembled. They came from here: http://www.bluewaterbathrooms.com/ and seem to be pretty well made. I don't think we could go back to having stand-alone toilets and washbasins after having lived with built-in stuff for so long. Not only do you get loads of storage, it's also a great deal easier to keep a built-in bathroom clean and tidy. We don't even have an exposed loo roll holder; the rolls live in a cupboard by the toilet, out of sight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSS Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 (edited) Funnily enough, I was just about to post suggesting Bluewater as that's where we're ordering ours from. They sell via ebay as 'Bathcabz' and seem far better quality and keener price than the usual b&q, Wickes, etc offerings. Edited May 17, 2017 by NSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrerahill Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 4 hours ago, Ferdinand said: I do not think this is a Canadian thing. Surely it is just a sensible thing? It is not just shaving and cosmetics and toothbrushes, it is towels and heaven knows what else, including all the stuff that a lot of us put in the modified roof voids of our top half-storey now. Sufficient storage and then double it. I blame estate agents for wanting to make the main bit of rooms bigger. Kitchen units are often better quality than bathroom ones, anyway, and are available in the next bay along in the shop, or for only a few 10s of ukp. And the kitchen wall ones are available at half the depth. What about a larder unit the size of an old airing cupboard? Admittedly I have never lived in a genuinely developer built house, but even those can fit a vanity unit round the whb. Even say a 1940s or 1950s house would have some sort of storage related to the b/room - say 1.2m x 600mm x floor to ceiling. Some of that for us is now in utility rooms with the washers, and bathrooms have become vanity grooming spaces. This was our previous bathroom which was fitted with kitchen units circa 198x. You can just see the corner of the bath, and if you turn around there was a slightly expansive experimental shower cum steam room which has space for two plastic garden chairs inside it, and room to shower at the other side. Then there is the full height double larder cupboard with another cupboard above it, with the washing machine and the dryer and the hot water tank. Admittedly a generous 15x15ft-sh. But it was cold in winter. Now I want a look at some Lutyens or C R Mackintosh or Hampstead Garden Suburb or London County bathrooms to see how they did it. F No not a Canadian thing but a North American thing. They have been into fitted bathrooms long before we, i.e. UK, started to include them mainstream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 (edited) Edited. Edited May 18, 2017 by Ferdinand Tangential to thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I have bought three vanity units from Ebay in the last few years. All were cheaper and better quality than the stuff available in the shops. The last one shipped direct from Germany. As ever the issue for @Crofter is can they deliver to him. The price of decent bathroom units at retail is stupefying. In the new place we are using Porcelanosa's range. At the trade price they fall from laughably expensive to still more than I think is reasonable, but I saw it as part of the package of stuff we are buying and it was easier to get everything in one place. My current house was built with the type of stuff shown in the pics from Bathroomcity. I would be very wary of the issues @Nickfromwales mentioned. Eventually the edges started to blow where items had got wet. I vowed to avoid MDF bathroom furniture as much as possible from now on, particularly the worktops. If I was going for something like those I would want one with a solid surface worktop or vanities where the sink covers the entire top of the cabinet. These can be bought relatively inexpensively for bathrooms and won't look knackered in a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 22 minutes ago, AliG said: I would want one with a solid surface worktop or vanities where the sink covers the entire top of the cabinet. These can be bought relatively inexpensively for bathrooms and won't look knackered in a few years. Forgot about that bit . Yes, deffo go for what is referred to as a 'sit-on' sink, where the drips fall to the floor instead of soaking into the cabinetry, and also make sure your units are either sealed to the floor very well or ( as I went for ) have nylon 'feet' at the bottom so the wood is never sar in any water that may be on the floor. My WC unit next to the bath wouldn't have lasted a year if thet went on it. If you get one without I recommend fitting some. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crofter Posted May 18, 2017 Author Share Posted May 18, 2017 @JSHarris @NSS Just been in touch with Bluewater, they can deliver to me but it brings the total to £600. That's a bit over budget TBH so the quality would have to be really pretty special. If I was happy with plain white then I would have so much more choice... guess I'm just fussy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 The sooner you buy it and get it fitted, the sooner you'll be renting it out and generating income to repay these outgoings . If the bathroom is small, then I'd go all white as colours can look busy / overpowering in a small space making it look smaller than it actually is. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 On the B&Q website it appears that there are a few options You could go for a vanity under the sink and a separate toilet like this, this is probably much cheaper and maintenance will be easier. I would also argue it is maybe a more modern look. http://www.diy.com/departments/cooke-lewis-romana-matt-grey-vanity-unit-basin-set/1444755_BQ.prd Or they have this unit that is more like the ones you were looking at and has a sit on sink top. You can buy a package with the toilet or buy it separately as you might want a more modern looking toilet - http://www.diy.com/departments/cooke-lewis-ardesio-woodgrain-effect-bodega-grey-vanity-toilet-unit/1005908_BQ.prd Find yourself a 60 year old on a Wednesday and you can get 10% off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crofter Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 Inching closer to a decision... has anybody used soak.com before? I like the look of some of their stuff and it has a ten year guarantee. I'd love to get an integral moulded worktop/basin, for ease of cleaning, but cannot get the combination to come in at under £600 by the time you add all the bits and delivery costs. If I forgo that requirement I can drop the price to c.£250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Run away ...!!! soak is a rebrand of Bath Empire... used to have the worst rating on Trust pilot so they did a rebrand... caveat emptor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 And try plumbworld who may have what you want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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