NB "Discovery"

I've had to make the best of some tiny spaces on boats over the years but the bathroom on "Discovery" is as tight as they come.

 This large cupboard isn't really used much for storage, but it gobbles up space in this tiny bathroom making it uncomfortable to use the toilet.

Elbows get banged whilst getting dry after a shower.

The whale pump is boxed inside the shower cubicle reducing space and preventing maintenance

The owner has developed a pathalogical hatred of shower curtains from using this space! (apparently it attacks your legs when the water is on!)

The stained walls make the bathroom very dark and dingy, and the plastic wall fixtures are a bit dated albeit functional.

This bathroom seriously detracts from the owners enjoyment of his much loved boat, and I've been given the task of sorting it out.

The customers' requirements seem uncomplicated... 

1. It must look modern

2. The shower must be bigger

3. It must be brighter

4. It must be done on time

5. It must not break the bank

Oh dear... Those of you who have attempted stuff like this before will know what I'm on about! I haven't even removed the old fixtures yet to work out how long the piece of string is!!!

"Youve got a lot of leeway to do what you want in there, but basically; i want to walk into that room and say..... WOW! "

 The customers parting shot is either very brave or...... OH SHUT UP AND GET ON WITH IT!!

 Having removed the trees the wood dosen't look too bad.. no nasty surprises thank goodness.

The problem with a blank canvas and freedom to experiment is making sure the job turns out right!

The plan is to fit a new stone resin shower tray which is larger that the old fibreglass one, increase the leg room around the toilet by about 4 inches (assuming a suitable sink can be found), paint the ceiling and fit new LED lights, and cover the whole bathroom in light plastic cladding of the customers choice.

The new larger shower means the switch for the whale pump needs to be relocated 5 inches to the left...... that'll be easy then!

 Skipping straight to the finished article is best as this job was a real challenge, you can see immediately that the room is brighter and has the impression of being more spacious.

The sparkly cladding is quite something to behold.. from wearing a head torch on the toilet it is now more advisable to don the welders mask!

The new showering space is much larger and more comfortable complete with a new thermostatic mixer. The whale pump is tucked inside the angled cupboard on the left which removes the elbow whacking risk whilst allowing access to the pump.

The shower awaits a custom made bifolding glass door from Wesley Marine Windows which at the time of writing is yet to be delivered. (Come on boys!) At 790mm wide it will provide easy access, and the owner wont have the shower curtain sticking to their legs anymore!

New LED's in the ceiling throw a veritable riot of photons in all conceivable directions! Its quite grown on me this stuff... but I'm not about to re-do "Bardens" bathroom just yet.

If you're not keen on having to wear sunglasses in the shower, there are many styles of plastic cladding available... some are a bit more subdued. Check out the NB "Quercus" post on this blog.

That's the wow factor the customer was looking for alright!