Bathrooms: sanctuary style

Experts agree that bathrooms are one area of the house where you should never cut corners.

After installing a new kitchen, remodelling the bathrooms tops the "to do" list for new homeowners. So a sleek new bathroom could set your property apart when it comes to selling.

It's no longer a case of tiling wall to wall and installing a power shower; luxury bathrooms, glamorous en suites and smart guest toilets are what really make a big impression.

Nowadays, buyers in the market for an average or medium-sized house are looking for the "whole package", says Pat Mullery of Douglas Newman Good.

This includes a walk-in shower, Jacuzzi-style bath, high-quality tiling, top-spec fittings, underfloor heating and a heated towel rail, he says.

A similar fit-out is expected in en suites and just the one en suite in a house may not be sufficient, he adds. A medium-sized house could be expected to have two en suites and a large house three or four.

Although a bathroom makeover will generally be worth your while, Simon Ensor from Sherry FitzGerald warns against creating a huge contrast between the bathroom and the rest of the house. A super smart family bathroom which conflicts with 1980s décor in the kitchen and livingroom can be quite "jarring", he says.

"It is not recommended to do it in splendid isolation, but as part of an overall upgrade of a house it is absolutely a good idea.

"A state-of-the-art bathroom with solid stone bath, marble or glass wash-hand basin can look great but may not be everyone's cup of tea, says Ensor. Go for a bathroom update with the "widest possible appeal" by investing in the basics, like showers and baths, he adds. A bathroom makeover needn't cost the earth. Ensor cites the example of a house Sherry FitzGerald sold in Clonskeagh where the bathroom was given a makeover using the existing bathroom suite, which luckily was white.

The vendors splashed out on smart mosaic tiles around the bath, sandstone tiles on the floor, a modern mirror unit and good lighting.

The job wasn't "hugely expensive" but did add significantly to the appeal of the house, he said.

Indeed, the trend for sleek simplicity is as strong in bathrooms as it is in kitchens, and the experts advise home improvers to always, always go for white. Minimal doesn't have to mean meagre and understated luxury is a big winner in the bathroom stakes.

Luxury bathrooms are high on the shopping list of investors doing up older homes with a view to selling them on, says Damien Farell from Ideal Bathrooms in Dublin.

"If you buy a house to do it up you can no longer afford to put in a bog standard bathroom. In the bathroom and the kitchen brand names are really important," he says.

Showers, rather than baths, are being installed in houses before they go on the market, he says.

However, the day of the "Mickey Mouse electric show" is gone in both the main bathroom as well as the en suites, says Farrell. "People are installing power showers that will have you pinned to the wall within seconds." Integrated steam-power showers, such as Hansgrohe's Aquafun which is priced from €6,500, add a touch of luxury. Wall-mounted toilet pans, heated towel rails, underfloor heating, good storage and whirlpool baths are par for the course.

Antica Stone Gallery, which sources its stone tiles, sinks and baths from Italian, French and Iranian quarries, has some dramatic designs for the top end of the market. Check out its splendid half-egg bath for a real taste of luxury.

For those tight on space, Shire has just launched a new space-saving range called Napoli. A simple white four-piece suite costs between €400 and €500. "A funny bathroom colour can be a negative point when selling your house and now everything is in white with chrome accessories," says Martin O'Reilly of Shires.

ContactNumbers

Ideal Bathroom, Walkinstown, D12, 01-4609911; Antica, The Stone Gallery, Churchtown, D14, 01-2960136

Shires, Tallaght, D24, 01-4047600