Most of us have experienced the joy of a power shower. Plenty of water, great pressure and a sense of luxury. It is what we expect in hotels, but may not have access to in our own homes. Most of us take a shower every day, so why not spend a little more and invest in a shower which will make it easy to get up in the morning?

What is a power shower?

A power shower is designed for homes where the water pressure to the bathroom may not be ideal. If your shower does little more than dribble, then this is you. Often it means that there is not enough of a drop from the water storage tank to where the shower is. The power shower will boost the flow of water from the water tank to your shower. Other than moving either the tank or the shower, getting a shower pump is really your only option if you want a decent shower.

How do they work?

Power showers can work in three different ways. Either the pump can be built in with the mixer unit of the shower and is fitted to the shower wall, a pump is installed between the mixer and the shower head or the pump is fitted between the water tank and the mixer.

The final option is by far the most versatile and can be used with a number of different shower types. The water comes from the water tank and is then boosted before it reaches the shower or the rest of the house. The pump can be used for any part of the house and so it is ideal for homes with more than one bathroom.

What should I bear in mind?

The type of boiler you have when installing a power shower is important. If you have a combination boiler, it will not be possible to use a pump. They require a hot and cold feed from water tanks.

All power showers will need to be installed by a Part P qualified electrician as they require an electrical feed into a bathroom.

Water usage?

Your water usage is likely to increase if you have a power shower and in some cases this can be by as much as three times. This may mean that your tank drains more quickly and a large tank is usually a good idea. It is recommended that your tank is at least 180 litres or more. For this reason you also need to think about your shower tray depth, your drainage and whether you will be standing in a pool of water in the bottom of your bath.

This water issue and the fact that you may need to heat your hot water storage tank more often, does make having a power shower more energy inefficient. This is especially so if you have a water meter.

Buying the best pump you can and combining it with a great shower should mean that you are using the units to the best possible effect, getting more for your money and saving water where possible.

How much?

You can expect to pay anywhere between £200 and £900 for your power shower which will include a pump. However the cheaper models will have the pump as part of the electrical unit which you attach to your wall.

It is possible to use other electric shower types with a separate pump. The combination in price of buying these separately will depend on the shower unit you want to buy. However the pump will cost from around £100 for one which works with a hot and cold feed. The more powerful the pump the more expensive it will be.

Clearly deciding to go for a power shower which is pumped is more complicated that simply getting a normal shower, but the results are worthwhile. You may decide to get the help of a plumber and an electrician, but despite this increase in price, a power shower is definitely worth spending your hard earned money on. Nothing compares to a great shower in the morning.

Just enter voucher code 567605 at the checkout and receive an incredible 25% off the entire Burlington range.

In your main bathroom, you can be a little creative. You’ve got the space to create a bathroom that suits your needs. You can add a bath, a shower, bathroom storage and a little decoration, and you’ll still have room for the bathroom scales and all those little accessories.

What about your en-suites and your cloakroom WCs? Often, they’re only just big enough for a toilet. You’ve got limitations, but you need to know that your bathroom looks great even if it’s not big enough to create an echo when you’re singing by the sink. Cosy rooms don’t have to be cramped, and with the right bathroom fittings you can create a lot out of a little.

Start with toilets for small spaces. Small close-coupled toilets are definitely the way to go, and they come in a range of styles so they fit with any bathroom, modern or traditional. Costing as little as £65, they’re a fantastic option for those cosy cloakrooms and the little en-suite that saves you the effort of fighting for the bathroom at 7am.

If your room’s an unusual shape, or if you’re looking to really make the most of a room that others would only use as a cupboard or a small walk-in wardrobe, a corner toilet is the way to go. As you’ll see from the image below, they’re created to fit those 90-degree corners giving you a little more leg-room and space to enjoy your favourite magazine in peace.

Then, you’ll need to think ‘sink’. Again, corner sinks are available to offer a solution for tight spaces and strange angles. Or, if you want a wash basin that’s completely non-intrusive but entirely functional, you can go for a space-saving sink designed to fit where no other sink dares to go. They include narrow sinks, low sinks and sinks that barely come out past the wall, but the smallest of the lot is the Ideal Standard micro-sink pictured below, which manages to look stylish and do its job perfectly despite barely even existing.
If you’re looking to save space and create an en-suite or cloakroom without any real effort, there’s a solution to your needs. You might not be creative, or you might not care about the style of your sink or the shape of your toilet. If you’re the type of person that seeks simplicity, look to cloakroom suites for ready-made kits for tiny bathrooms of all shapes and sizes. They include modern wall-mounted toilets guaranteed to look great in any modern bathroom, and even sinks with curves to match the contours of your body if you’re really stuck for room. Prices for full cloakroom suites start from £83 with everything you need, so there’ll be no excuse and no reason to put off that cloakroom renovation.

Top bathroom brands make great space-saving sinks and toilets, giving you a guarantee of quality and a bathroom you can treat as a cosy retreat from your busy day-to-day life. Don’t fight for one toilet – fit another!

Have you ever seen a bathroom without a mirror? Didn’t think so. In fact a mirror in a bathroom is about as important as the sink, toilet and bath – you simply can’t get by without having one. However the choosing of the right mirror and getting the lighting just right is probably one of the harder aspects of designing your bathroom.

There are a number of points you will need to consider when you buy a new bathroom mirror:

What size?

Size matters when it comes to a bathroom mirror. We have all been into bathrooms where the only available mirror is so poky and ill-placed that you can hardly see anything of your face, let alone the rest of you.

It is important that your mirror is large enough to get a good view of your head and shoulders, as a minimum. This will allow you to use the mirror as designed, but it won’t overwhelm the room.

If your bathroom is small you may want to choose a larger mirror or even mirrored wall tiles to help reflect the light. One wall made entirely of mirrored tiles can make a room seem twice as large and twice as bright.

Where to hang it?

Most bathrooms will have a mirror conveniently placed either behind or just above the sink. Clearly this is for ease of use when you are brushing your teeth or washing your face. While this is the norm in most bathrooms it can cause issues for close up work as it is difficult to lean over the sink to get a nose to nose view of your face.

So, it is also a good idea to have another mirror elsewhere in the room such as on a wall at head height or perhaps an extension shaving mirror with magnification.

Some bathrooms use mirrors behind the bath to give the illusion of a larger room. It is worth bearing in mind however that the mirror will need regular cleaning due to water splashes.

Lighting a mirror

Having the correct lighting on a mirror is extremely important. Having the wrong lighting can lead to glare coming from the mirror surface or worse still, shadows appearing, which might make it difficult to use the mirror effectively.

It is possible to buy mirrors which have the lighting already integrated into the unit. This may be small LEDs which are placed behind the mirror to offer an overall glow, or it could be more obvious lights around the perimeter.

Otherwise you will need directional lights which shine on your mirror from above. Choose a bright light which points directly down from the wall above the mirror or possible a diffused light which will not add too much glare.

You may also want to add a dimmer switch to your bathroom lighting so you can change the atmosphere when you wish. Always remember that any electrical mirror or associated lighting must be installed by a professional electrician who is Part P qualified.

Mirror De-misters

There is nothing worse than having to wait for several minutes for your mirror to demist before you can use it. Even worse are the streaks left behind when you are forced to wipe the surface clear. A de-mister is the perfect answer to this.

De-mister pads are fitted behind a mirror and gently warm it to allow a fast a efficient de-misting. The pads are usually self adhesive and fit easily to the back of most mirrors. They require an electrical fitting and so, once again require the help of a professional to set up the electricity supply. You should be able to find these in a number of sizes (you can link them together for large mirrors) and shapes.

So, the world of mirrors is a little more complicated that you might have thought. But this essential piece of bathroom hardware is not a choice to be taken lightly.

It is a truism that none of us is getting any younger. Joints get less supple, movement becomes impaired. And for many there is the challenge of living with a disability that makes negotiating their own houses, especially the bathroom, a difficult process.

Hence the various specific Assistive Products, and adaptations to common products, that have been produced to cope with this growing need, as the population ages and as special needs are more widely recognised.

Doc M Requirements

Part M of the British building regulations is now mandatory for public buildings to provide access for all people who have specific needs. Thus a category of equipment known as Doc M has grown up to service these requirements. A typical Doc M suite for a WC will comprise a higher pan at around 490mm height for limited mobility users: a basin with a single dual-function lever tap: and 4 fixed grab rails and a foldaway rail for wheelchair users.

 Walk right in – sit right down

Showers for the home need to be easy-access walk-in types, and must contain a seat. This will be foldable and wall-mounted so a firm fixing is required: manufacturers will not always include the fixings because they vary according to the wall material, and they could be liable if you get it wrong. It is advisable to get these professionally installed. The seats are usually plastic for hygiene and ease of cleaning. Makers include Croydex (100kg weight limit), and Mira’s Premium models in white or grey with chrome-effect mounting and drain holes (150kg). Check also the required width for the person(s) concerned: this is typically 370mm on standard models.

When it comes to baths, it is possible to fit special walk-in baths. For those who can negotiate regular baths, a bath seat or ‘bath bench’ can be provided to avoid the need to lower oneself totally into the bath. One example is the Croydex Easy-Fit Bath Bench. It is in anti-corrosion aluminium with a moulded plastic easy-clean seat. Soft caps on the arms prevent damage to the bath surface and help to prevent the bench from moving when in use. It fits typical 700mm wide parallel-sided baths.

Design for all users

Access to the bathroom or toilet may require a wider door for wheelchairs, and inside, grab rails are needed. These can be discreetly positioned in many cases; in a domestic installation it is important that the person requiring assistance, and all others in the family, do not feel that the room has in any way become institutionalised, so the normal rules of good design still apply when planning the adapted facility.

Grab rails are most commonly 300mm or 600mm long with 100mm depth from the wall, and can be purchased in chrome or white finishes. Metal types tend to be more attractive than plastic. A 100kg loading is normal.

For those with aching joints or other specific ailments then hydrotherapy is an age-old and wonderfully effective treatment, and a good whirlpool bath is an excellent investment. Add the small extra touch of a bath pillow for easier lounging.

Part of the regulations for public buildings now state that there must be thermostatic control to a maximum of 41 degrees C on the hot water in all basins, baths, showers and bidets. This is a wise precaution in households as well.

Another regulation requires there to be contrast between sanitaryware and the colour of the walls and floors. So no more white-on-white in public facilities. If you have people with sight difficulties then this is also a useful guideline when decorating your own home bathroom.

And if you think that none of this applies to you, well consider one simple example. The millions who suffer from some degree of arthritis would welcome a higher WC which requires less strain on their joints to use, or a grab rail to help them get up again. And although you can buy removable toilet seats, do you really want to handle these every time different users go to the toilet: isn’t it better to plan the facility to provide dignified access for all?