Each decision below says what you are choosing, what it changes in daily use, what you can compare here and what to settle with ELS. The layout sets the pipe runs, so it comes before anything is selected. A preference you note here is not a confirmed specification until it is measured and agreed. Next: compare the options, note your preference, then ask ELS to check it against your bathroom.
5 of these 10 decisions have their options set out on this site. 5 require consultation with ELS.
You are choosing how the fixtures are arranged: all three along one wall, two walls in an L, the WC in its own compartment, or twin basins. The arrangement sets the pipe runs, so it comes before anything is selected. Each arrangement is compared by what it changes in use, which way it moves the cost and how the room then reads. Next: compare the four arrangements, then ask ELS to test your choice against your bathroom's measurements.
You are choosing how the shower's water is contained: a kerb or tray, a single fixed screen, a fully enclosed cubicle, or an open curbless wet zone. Each asks something different of your upkeep, and a curbless floor asks more of the waterproofing underneath it. How a glass screen is built (framed, semi-frameless or frameless) is settled with ELS in consultation. Next: compare the four approaches, then ask ELS about the screen.
You are choosing how the bathroom floor meets the rest of the home: stepped down, kerbed, or level with no threshold. The floor level follows from the waterproofing: a basic wet-floor coat, a full membrane with upstands, or a fully tanked wet room, which is what allows a curbless shower and a level threshold. Drainage is chosen with it: a single trap, graded falls, or a linear channel with a secondary drain. Which combination suits your floor is settled with ELS in consultation. Next: note whether you want a level threshold, and plan the room in the Room Scope Builder.
You are choosing between shower only, a bathtub with a shower over it, a freestanding tub, or a separate tub and shower. Each takes a different amount of floor area and changes the rest of the layout. The brand of shower or bath is a later, separate conversation. Next: compare the four arrangements against your floor area, then tell ELS which one you prefer.
You are choosing the WC type: floor-mounted close-coupled, back-to-wall with a concealed cistern, or wall-hung on a carrier frame, with a washlet seat that can be added to any of them. A wall-hung pan needs its frame fixed before the wall is built, so this decision has a deadline; it is not a fitting chosen at the end. Next: compare the types, and tell ELS before the walls are built if you want a wall-hung pan.
You are choosing the vanity's form, how the basin meets the drawers, and the level of the whole vanity. Forms are compared by floor clearance: wall-hung with a clear floor, floor-standing on a full base, or furniture-style on legs. Basin and drawers are compared as a vessel with a small cut-out, drop-in with a deep bowl, undermount with a U-drawer, or an integrated top with an offset trap. Essential, Signature and Bespoke levels are compared for the whole vanity. A comparison of vanity materials by wet-zone exposure is coming soon; until then, the material and a double basin are settled with ELS in consultation. Next: compare the forms and basin formats, then ask ELS about material and a second basin.
You are choosing the mirror's shape, how it is lit, and how the things you use each day are stored around the basin. Together they decide how well you see at the mirror and what stays off the vanity top. Comparisons of all three are coming soon; until then, they are settled with ELS in consultation. Next: list what you keep at the basin each day, and bring the list to ELS.
You are choosing how moisture leaves the bathroom: natural or passive vents, louvred vents, a mechanical exhaust fan, or a fresh-air or heat-recovery system. A bathroom without a window is the case an exhaust fan answers. These options are compared for the whole home rather than for the bathroom alone, so how they apply to yours is settled with ELS in consultation; ask ELS too about a humidity-sensor switch. Next: tell ELS whether your bathroom has a window, and plan the room in the Room Scope Builder.
Bathroom niche lining
You are choosing the bathroom's floor and wall surfaces: small tile, large tile, stone or microcement. The surface is what you see and clean every day. The shower niche's lining is compared here: mosaic tile against a single-piece slab. The floor and wall surfaces are compared as general materials rather than for bathrooms, so which suits your wet zone is settled with ELS in consultation. Next: compare the niche linings, and bring a sample of the surface you like to ELS.
You are choosing the bathroom's light, its power points and how they are protected. Light at the mirror should be bright and shadow-free, and fittings in the shower zone need the IP rating set for wet areas; the Lighting Designer covers both. Socket and switch positions, dedicated circuits, night lighting and protected bathroom sockets are settled with ELS in consultation. Next: plan the light in the Lighting Designer, then ask ELS to place the points against your layout.
These are four questions to settle with ELS before a specification is written for this room. Each example below is for this room, and each link opens the decision it belongs to. They are prompts, not an inspection.
Where does heat or stale air collect, and how does it leave?
A bathroom with no window depends on an exhaust fan to move damp air out, so ask whether the room has a window before a fan and its duct route are chosen.
Room Scope BuilderWhere can water or damp reach, and what protects what is behind it?
A curbless wet zone asks more of the waterproofing under it, and the floor level follows the waterproofing level chosen.
Waterproofing choicesWhat will it carry, and what holds it up?
A wall-hung WC or vanity needs its frame or fixing settled before the wall is built, and a hung mirror cabinet needs a wall that can hold it.
Vanity forms by floor clearanceHow is it reached to clean, service or replace?
A concealed cistern or valve is reached only through an opening left for it, so decide where that opening goes before the wall is closed.
WC system and plumbing arrangementsA preference is not an approval. This is a decision aid for this room, not a promise: it lists what is still open and who checks it within the scope you commission. Nothing here is a condition for asking ELS about your room.
| What to decide | Why it matters | What is still needed | By when | Who verifies it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How the room is ventilated. | A bathroom with no window relies on an exhaust fan to move damp air out. | Whether the room has a window, and where a fan and its duct could run. | Before the walls are closed |
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| The waterproofing level and the floor level of the wet zone. | A curbless wet zone asks more of the waterproofing, and the floor level follows the level chosen. | The waterproofing level chosen, the drainage, and where the floor falls to it. | Before the walls are closed |
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| Whether the WC, vanity and mirror cabinet are wall-hung. | A wall-hung pan needs its frame fixed before the wall is built, and a hung vanity or cabinet needs a wall that can hold it. | The fixtures chosen, and what the wall behind each is made of. | Before the walls are closed |
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| Where a concealed cistern or valve can be reached. | Anything closed in behind a wall is reached only through an opening left for it. | The place of each concealed part, and the opening for it. | Before the walls are closed |
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ELS verifies these against the information you supply, within the scope you commission.