Where to find free bathroom design ideas

Instead of paying through the nose for a designer bathroom why not design it yourself? Designing your bathroom yourself isn't difficult, it could save you a lot of money and it's very satisfying. Here are some ideas that will give you a head start.

Measure your bathroom and draw it to scale

Start by measuring the room and draw a plan of your existing bathroom on squared paper. Be as accurate as you can because you might need every inch of space depending on what you want to put in your new bathroom and how much space you have available to you.

Measure the length of walls at both edges of the room in case it is wider at one end than the other, they often are. Measure floor to ceiling and the position and size of any windows including the depth. Also measure the size, position and shape of any fixed objects in the room such as pipework and radiators.

Draw plans of your bathroom looking down from the ceiling and looking directly at each wall. When you've finished you should have five drawings on squared paper and a set of measurements to go with it. Take these, together with a tape measure, with you wherever you go because you will need to refer to them often.

Leave the magazines and bathroom showrooms until later

Magazines and showrooms are trying to sell you something and they will naturally go out of their way to show things in the most appealing way, which may not always be the most practical or realistic way for you. You will be using these resources of course but leave them until you have a better idea of what it is you want in your new bathroom design.

Make use of a digital camera

Always have a digital camera with you to record anything interesting that you might come across. Make sure that you make notes of where the pictures were taken and what the objects were. Transfer the images to your computer after each outing and file them away in suitably named folders. Most people don't do this but it can be a very effective technique, which ensures that you make full use of all the hard work you've done during the design process.

Make use of your friends

Most people are happy to talk about their bathroom especially to a friend and especially if they have recently remodeled their bathroom. Make a point of visiting all of your friends and start to build a folder full of ideas based on what they have done in their bathrooms.

Ask lots of questions to find out what their ideas were before they remodeled, how their ideas changed while they were doing it, what they like about their bathroom and just as important, what don't they like about it. Make good understandable notes while you are looking around so that you don't forget anything.

Most people will either have remodeled their bathroom in the last few years or know of someone who has. If your friend knows of someone with a new bathroom ask them if they can arrange for you to go and see it. The more you see the better.

Look over some houses for sale.

Visit the real estate agents in your area and ask them to show you properties with new or nearly new bathrooms. They will be only too pleased to do it for you and you will end up getting a lot of ideas from this. Don't mention to the agent why you are doing it, just tell them that you want to live in a property with a great bathroom.

If you don't feel comfortable doing this because you have no intention of buying a new property then I suggest that you try and get over it. It's a great way to get ideas for your own bathroom and who knows what might happen when you start looking. You wouldn't be the first to do this kind of research and end up buying a new property so don't feel bad about doing it.

Use magazines

By now you should be feeling confident about what it is you are looking for. Now is the time to find a few good magazines on remodeling and home improvement to crystallise your ideas.

Visit the bathroom showrooms in your area

When you have a good idea of what it is you want and how you want your bathroom to look you can go visit all the showrooms. Look for items that would fit with your ideas and make a note of them. Don't forget to take digital pictures too; they will all help when you come to make buying decisions.

Take away brochures and price lists from the showrooms

Always pick up as many brochures as you can find when touring the showrooms. Circle the items that you are interested in and make sure you write down prices and thoughts that you have at the time.

Use the Internet

Last but not least, make full use of the Internet to find product specifications, contractors and ideas on web sites all over.

Have fun remodeling your bathroom.