The Sunday News
Real Estate issues with Jonathan Thompson
Bathrooms are important to every home. They, generally, are the second most expensive room in a newly constructed home. A bathroom may be attached to a bedroom, this is referred to as an en suite bathroom. In property listings you may see the initials MES, this means “Main en suite”, this is where the main bedroom has a bathroom attached. It has become a popular trend where many or all bedrooms are built with an en suite bathroom. There is also a bathroom that is known as a family bathroom. This is a bathroom in the home that is used by everyone in the house who does not have an en suite.
Bathrooms will vary in their components. A very complete bathroom could contain a sink, cupboard, mirror, toilet, bathtub, shower, and towel rack. Some people prefer to have the toilet in a separate room. A bathroom may contain a bathtub, shower, or both. Sometimes a shower will be a completely separate unit, and in other cases the shower can be part of the bathtub.
Because of the fact that bathrooms use and have water, it is common to have ceramic tiles on the floors and walls. The walls may be tiled part way up, or all the way to the ceiling. It is a good hint to use tiles on the floor that contain “non-slip” features. Because of the water and steam, it is also important to use a water-proof paint on the ceilings of the bathroom. Many homes have neglected this only to find that all of the ceiling paint begins to peel off, or that mould and mildew begins to grow and to stain the ceiling. Special water-proof boards may also be used, but are generally unnecessary if a quality paint is used. The steam that is generated in a bathroom requires good ventilation. This may be accomplished by ventilation blocks and windows. The windows in a bathroom may be installed with glass that obscures the view. This type of glass allows light to come in, but maintains privacy.
The sink is often fitted in a small cupboard, with a counter-top area. The cabinet hides the sink’s plumbing and will provide storage space for your bathroom items. The counter-top is useful for placing your daily bathroom products, such as your toothpaste, tooth brushes, comb, shaving cream, razor, soap, and deodorant. Some sinks will come with attachments to hold these items. A sink, bathtub, and shower will make use of a mixer. You may have individual taps for the hot and cold water, or you can have a mixer. A mixer has a handle or two that allows you to add as much hot and cold water as you want, it mixes it together and the water comes out of one spout. This allows you to control the temperature of the water. A sink will have a mirror on the wall behind it.
It is important that this mirror has adequate light. It is necessary to hang the mirror securely and at the correct height. Some mirrors open like a door and have a medicine cabinet behind it.
Bathrooms can be relatively simple or extremely fancy. Some bathrooms are built with expensive taps, granite counter-tops, heated floors, heated towel racks, bidets, extensive lighting, extractor fans, and other features. All of these items will increase the cost of the bathroom construction. The tiling, plumbing, and components of a bathroom will already cause it to be your home’s second most expensive room.
A bathroom needs to be well constructed, safe, convenient, and useful. Balance these needs with the extras you may want to come up with the perfect bathroom for you.
Jonathan Thompson is a Registered Real Estate Agent who works in Bulawayo. He has 10 years of experience in Real Estate in the USA, and another 14 years experience in Bulawayo. He is the founder and the Managing Director of Thompson Properties (Pvt) Ltd. www.thompsonproperties.co.zw
