It was going to be one of the last rooms on our list to renovate, but last week our shower started playing up and it looks like we’re going to need to rip out our wet room bathroom sooner than we thought!

When we first moved in, the bathroom was very clearly the most recently fitted and decorated room in the house. I wasn’t a huge fan of the wet room bathroom design and as time has gone on the room just look shabbier and dirtier. The floor that has been fitted has a very rough texture, presumably to avoid any slips on the floor, but it makes the room so hard to clean and stains really easily as well – so now the floor is kind of pink from my hair dye – oops!

Having said that, I can definitely see the appeal of having a wet room – even though I’m only 30 years old I struggle a lot around the house due to an ongoing issue with a weak muscle in my back. I have to avoid bending and leaning over as my back isn’t strong enough to maintain that position – causing problems if I ever drop something on the floor… which is a lot!!
With a wet room I never have to worry about stepping over a shower tray or getting laid down in a bath and not being able to get out… but I do miss having a bath so much!

Image courtesy of Premier Bathrooms

When Premier Bathrooms asked me to share their walk in baths and shower prices with you I spotted an answer to all my problems – a mini walk in bath! I was always a shower person until recently, but I discovered the amazing healing powers of a bath through a series of Lush bath product reviews and now I’m distraught without one. Not only do they help you relax your mind, but the heat and relaxation is great for my back muscles too.

Unfortunately our bathroom is too small to accommodate a full size bath, but these walk in baths come in all different shapes and sizes which is perfect for tiny bathrooms and the little door means I don’t have to struggle to get in and out on my own – there’s little more embarrassing than being 30 years old and needing help to get out of the bath when you’re wet and naked!!

So suddenly I’m excited about the idea of renovating our bathroom sooner than expected and maybe I will consider another wet room bathroom after all – as long as I can choose the style of floor myself! Here are some ideas I’ve got floating around my head for our new bathroom renovation:

1. Walk In Bath | Premier Bathrooms  //  2. Palm Leaf Shower Curtain | H&M
3. Jakarta Bath Towel | Bedeck Home  //  4. Macrame Hanging Planter | Knotty Knotty Macrame
5. Accessories | H&M

We’ve been doing tonnes of work behind the scenes transforming our old lounge/dining area into our dream kitchen diner/bar and I’m almost at a point where I can start sharing progress with you guys. I’ve learned a whole lot, mostly that things take so much longer than you think and that what seems like an easy job is actually bloody hard work!

There’s a lot of everyday sexism in renovation and DIY and even though I make a joke of it, I’m sick of hearing about how much our Dad’s “can teach Stu” about working on the house, despite being clearly more interested in learning stuff than he is.
At the moment Stu is limited somewhat due to some medical issues, but my Dad was adamant that Stu should be climbing some steps to put some filler around the ceiling, despite medically not being allowed, rather than me do it. Even the guys at the local tip treated me like some sort of lesser being when I was taking an old lawn mower to throw in the skip. “Oh I’m sorry love, I though you’d have someone with you.” It’s frustrating for sure!

Slater Gordon asked me to share their infographic about the dangers of DIY with you guys and it’s actually so interesting and useful (so many aren’t!) if you’re a DIYer or about to embark on a project at home, even if it is really simple! Thanks for doing the research for us Slater Gordon, I’ll definitely be more careful with MDF as I had no idea it was a health risk!

I wasn’t at all surprised to hear that only 5% of women would tackle the electrics or plumbing. There’s not enough encouragement or education for women to learn to do these kind of jobs in their own homes and I think fear of the dangers of DIY has a lot to do with it.

I was shocked that only 4% of people think it’s extremely risky to replace an old shed or garage. When we had our home buyers report done before we bought the house we were told there was a high risk that the garage roof was made of asbestos and you honestly can’t tell by looking at it that it could be incredibly dangerous!

If you are working on a project at home, always make sure you know exactly what materials you are cutting into, what’s behind the walls and turn the electric off before going anywhere near sockets, switches and cables. Wear gloves for almost all jobs and invest in a couple of goggles and face masks to be extra safe – a few times I have been so thankful for my glasses when something has flicked off the wall towards my eye!

The risks of DIY definitely don’t put me off, but as a woman I do wish there were more chances to learn about the art of renovating your home.

Have you got plans to do any projects at home this year? Make sure you double check the dangers of DIY and if you’re unsure, always give it a quick Google!

Loves x xx