Bathrooms – how much could you spend?

You could get a new bathroom suite for just a few hundred pounds, but bathrooms can and do cost a lot more. More and more people are purchasing extravagant and luxury bathroom items like hot tubs for sale that can be used indoors or out.

The amount you want to spend on re-doing your bathroom or bathrooms is up to you. If you want something particularly complicated, or you just want the very best suite and furniture available, your bathrooms can cost a lot of money, so let’s look at where those pounds go.

Renovating bathrooms the expensive way

Showers – most people who are fitting showers in bathrooms today want a powerful shower and as much room as possible. The bigger the shower enclosure, the more luxurious it feels. You can buy your shower tray and enclosure separately, or you can go for a shower package – which may also include the shower itself and the controls. You should check this out though, because many packages will have shower controls as extra features, so that you can choose a style that will match your taps and other fittings. A large shower enclosure could cost as much as £3,000.

Baths – free-standing roll-top baths are the most popular baths for those who have big enough bathrooms. They give an immediate feeling of space and luxury and you can get a wide range of taps, from ceiling taps to wall-fitted taps to help make your bath the focus of the bathroom. Free-standing baths are often cast-iron and come with ornate legs, or resting on wooden plinths. Many come with unpainted exteriors so that you can paint the outside of your bath to match your colour scheme. Prices can go as high as over £3,000 for baths with polished exteriors or of a particular design.

Basins – basins are less expensive because they are smaller, but if you are designing a “his and hers” area, you’ll need to double up on basins and stands or shelves if you’re going for a contemporary look. Expect to pay around £300 for basins by well-known designers such as Philippe Starck.

Toilets – again, toilets are in the region of hundreds of pounds rather than thousands, and if you’re getting a toilet to match your basin, you can expect to pay a little more for it. Toilets where workings have to be boxed in, such as wall-hung toilets may cost you a little extra in labour than traditional styles.

Taps and fittings – taps and shower fittings often give your bathroom a really stylish look, so you need to choose carefully. You can pay out for antique taps if you’re planning a period bathroom, or you can go for ultra-modern designs. Mixer taps are particularly popular, with wall-mounted spouts and level-operated taps. Expect to pay around £200 for the best, and remember that you’ll need to buy taps for your basin, your bath and controls for your shower.

Of course, you can refit your bathrooms for well under £1,000 if you shop smartly and take advantage of online discounts, but for those with a lot of spare cash, expensive bathrooms aren’t hard to find.

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Bathrooms – The Best Seat in the House

For some bathrooms feature the best seat in the house – a place to sit, reflect and read! To find out more visit http://www.freshdesignblog.com/tag/bathroom/

Bathrooms are essential in every home, and every bathroom needs a toilet. So if you're going to love your loo, make sure you turn it into the best seat in the house by investing in a luxurious bathroom. In fact, anybody will know the importance of bathrooms if they've travelled abroad. Those who have experienced a hole in the ground loo on holiday, or who have been stuck on a tiny toilet on a train, or god forbid, had a stomach bug abroad with nothing but a smelly toilet in a tin shack to contend with, might very well make sure the toilets in their own bathrooms are more throne-like.

Bathrooms: Toilets fit for a King

Toilets in bathrooms are becoming more minimalist as part of a trend that includes wall-hung loos that hide all the plumbing behind the wall's surface. This is particularly good for bathrooms that have been converted into wet rooms. There are basic wall-hanging loos at affordable prices and designer lavs too. But if you prefer the stability of your loo being hinged to the floor, it doesn't mean you have to opt for an uncomfortable or unstylish toilet. If you want lovely loos in your bathrooms, make sure you opt for high quality materials, a wide toilet seat (wood rather than plastic) and why not funk up your toilet seat with one of the quirky designs? Toilets don't have to be ugly, plastic, white monstrosities.

Bathrooms: Style and Comfort

And remember when it comes to decking out bathrooms, trendy doesn't always equal comfort. Square toilet seats are now fashionable and may look nice but can be the most uncomfortable thing to sit on. You don't have to spend a fortune on turning your toilet into a statement piece, although one toilet designer has done everything from bright pink bathroom suites, carved out of marble costing an astronomical £10,500. But you can get classic design and classic comfort into bathrooms without spending a fortune when you spend a penny.

If you've invested in a new bathroom, toilet or toilet seat, there are some cool accessories you can add to make bathrooms even nicer places to be – designer black loo paper for example is trendy in New York, toilet paper that's scented or has designer logos on is also a trend for 'urban' clientèle.

Janitorial Supplies UK – Making the Grade

Do your washroom facilities make the grade? If not, you need a company that specialises in janitorial supplies.

Like all walks of life, technology has made the washroom a much more pleasant place to visit. Unfortunately, not all companies have taken advantage of the improvement in janitorial supplies, and some UK firms may be providing washroom facilities that are way below the desired standard. This is something that’s easy to change, however, as long as you talk to a professional, experienced janitorial supplies company.

How to improve your janitorial supplies

UK businesses should be aware of their responsibilities towards their staff. Regulations state what facilities should be available in a washroom, and employers should make sure that their washrooms make the grade and their equipment is up to scratch. Vacuums need Vax spares on hand and there should be alternative equipment available at all times should cleaning items break down. In many cases, companies go beyond the statutory requirements and ensure that these communal areas are well provided for, offering a range of facilities including:

• Automatic air freshening
• Discreet vending machines
• Automatic sanitising equipment
• Baby care facilities
• Dust control mats

These are in addition to state-of-the-art toilet roll dispensers, top quality soap dispensers and a range of hand-drying equipment. With companies like Chiltern Hygiene offering janitorial supplies across UK, including maintenance contracts so that you can be sure that your washrooms are always in top condition, there’s no excuse for running a second-rate facility. You’ll be surprised at how little it costs to sort out this particular area of your business – and at how much difference it makes to the people who work for you and those who visit your offices. Poor washroom facilities can have a negative impact on your staff and upgrading and improving them will help to make your employees more comfortable and happier at work.

BMW car parts – avoiding costly repairs

As with all makes of car, new BMWs aren’t the only type on the roads. Older models still have appeal, and drivers of both old and new BMWs need car parts if they are to avoid costly garage repairs. Of course, the technology involved in the design and manufacture of new BMWs means that there may be less that the owner-maintainer can do, but you could still save money in key areas. Drivers of older models may be able to repair and service their cars without ever taking them to a garage if they know where to get the best BMW car parts.

Seeking out BMW car parts

Whether you’re an owner of a new BMW looking for a wheel trim or wing mirror, or the driver of an old-style BMW looking for a clutch or gearbox, you need to find dealers who can supply the parts you need. New BMW car parts are expensive, so the best place to go is breakers and dealers who have good quality pre-owned car parts for sale at a more reasonable price. This is especially true for older BMW models, where parts are likely to be out of production. How do you keep your car on the road if you can’t repair it? Where once your weekend would be spent travelling to specialist yards or particular dealers in order to hunt down a specific BMW car part, today’s owners can sit in their homes and search online.

BMW car parts for cars 15 years old and more

BMWs that are driven by corporate managers are unlikely to be serviced by their drivers. They will be lease or contract hire vehicles, with a service agreement that ensures that every BMW car part is sourced new and fitted by a professional. Many BMWs, however, are bought and driven by individuals who love the style, build quality and performance of these cars – and these are often the drivers who save money by maintaining the car themselves. By having access to parts dealers across the country, these owners can get hold of the BMW car parts they are looking for and have them delivered to the door – often saving time and money. Parts sourced this way, through broker sites like 1^st Choice, are good quality, reliable parts and carry a guarantee, so that you can be certain you’re making the right choice. www.bmw.com

Security label makes eBay hard for fences

People selling stolen goods are wary of handling items with a security label – making them less attractive to thieves

The internet offers excellent chances for people selling stolen goods to get rid of their wares to an unsuspecting public in a way that could never be done at a car boot sale or in the back of a seedy pub. But the fences are still wary of handling items with a security label – making the labels an excellent deterrent to thieves.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Laurence King, managing director of anti-theft consultants Oris Group, believes that tens of thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods were sold on the internet auction site eBay every day. Most of this property will not have had a security label put on it by its owners.

Security label important in fight against thieves

In the same article in the newspaper Michael Gallagher, head of crime policy at the British Retail Consortium, claimed that criminals are selling stolen goods from the comfort of their own home, rather than at the car boot sale or in the pub, calling eBay "a virtual fence." Yet it is eBay’s unique customer feedback system that makes security labelling such an important weapon in the fight against thieves.

eBay works because buyers can see every seller’s history – a cumulation of feedback from everybody who has bought something from them previously. Sellers with higher feedback scores will find it easier to sell their goods, meaning the website rewards people who provide honest, quality service. Anyone who receives an item that doesn’t match the description given – bearing a security label marking the item as someone else but the seller’s property, for example – is able to provide enough poor feedback about the seller to stop them trading under their current eBay ID.

Because the best feedback scores take so long to acquire, it is not in a seller’s interest to risk losing their hard-earned feedback over one secondhand item. Consequently, security labelled property is less likely to find its way onto the site.

Security label helps identify fences

Of course, there has always been an element of complicity between some of a fence’s customers and the seller of stolen goods, whether in the pub, the car boot sale or a more legitimate-looking venue (in 2000 the Sun claimed that one in three secondhand computer dealers were involved in fencing stolen goods). But on eBay, one individual can hit a fence’s profits far more effectively than they could in those traditional markets (at least without involving the police) – and the security label undoubtedly makes it easier to identify the seller of stolen goods.

As a more apt and accurate alternative find fences and fencing panels at edecks.

Furniture for Conservatories Tips

Interested in furniture for conservatories? If so then why not first cast an eye over some of our very best conservatory furniture tips below?

Conservatories are being used more and more frequently as an extra room within the house and as such there has been an increase in the demand for conservatory furniture. As a result there is now an extensive range of conservatory furniture available for you to choose from. However, before you rush out buying furniture for your new conservatory you need to consider that conservatories are not like other rooms in the house, they are lighter and sunnier. This means that a different type of furniture is called for and this is why we have devised a list of some of our favourite conservatory furniture tips for your benefit.

Material - Consider opting for rattan, cane or wicker furniture as it will not only look good in a light and airy room but it is also relatively easy to carry out into the garden on a sunny day whilst withstanding a considerable amount of wear and tear. You will also be able to benefit from an extensive range of furniture to choose from, available at an affordable price, as this type of furniture is the most popular in conservatories.

Fabric - Washable, removable furniture covers which are hard-wearing are a must because conservatories are often used as a point of entry to the house from the garden. This inevitably means that dirt, leaves and garden debris will be brought in via the conservatory. If you are able to remove and wash the covers on the furniture you will be able to extend the furniture’s lifespan. Fabric should also be resistant to the effect of the sun’s rays.

Colour – Think about the direction the conservatory is facing. South-facing conservatories will often best suit cool colours such as blues and greens whilst North or East-facing conservatories will look their best when surrounded by warm and vibrant shades.

Ambiance – Consider the ambience you are wanting to create. Conservatories often attract the natural look as they have such a wonderful view of the garden and that is why using natural products within conservatories is so popular. Think about wooden flooring, plants and wooden blinds.

Space – Conservatories are light and airy rooms and best benefit from the feeling of space. Try to avoid going for furniture which is too large or makes the room feel over-crowded.