Cowboy Builder's Strike Again! | Stylish London Living

I was browsing the web and came across this great Wickes competition, it’s really simple to enter all you have to do is write about a DIY project in your home. I decided to write about my bathroom which is in need of some major redecorating, the story goes something like this…

I thought I had my dream bathroom when about seven years ago I cashed in some old shares and decided to update my old 70’s style retro green bathroom, that I had inherited when I bought my current place.

I thought I had been fortunate when the independent bathroom retailer recommended a ‘reliable’ installer. ‘He’s been in the business for years’ he said ‘I can highly recommend him and he’s prices are reasonable’. I must admit although he was a typical builder and his mate – the ones who belong to the ‘a tea on the hour, every hour brigade’ he appeared to know his stuff and made some helpful suggestions to improve the bathroom’s layout.

It wasn’t too long after they had decorated and refitted the bathroom that I noticed the niggling little imperfections like the gap between the wall and the bath that allowed the water to overflow leaving a puddle every time you bathed; the shower leaked slightly and the wall unit that required a step ladder to reach the contents and the tiling finishing wasn’t great – admittedly a few things that could be fixed and I could live with. The vision of my ideal bathroom quickly faded but it was functional!

Fast forward to 18 months ago when major problems began occurring, I began my usual morning ritual of brushing my teeth and was in the shower. I looked up and noticed that a few tiles near to the ceiling looked loose. Reaching up to gently touch one, it came away from the wall in my hand – it was the start of the end. Each day a few more tiles came away until nearly one side was completely tile-less. I then noticed that the plaster was crumbling away. By now the shower was out of action and I had to remove the rest of the tiles and shower. I no longer had the details for the original installer as he had proved reluctant to rectify any of his mistakes when I had contacted him before. When I had got a second opinion I found out about the poor quality materials he had used and short cuts.

Wickes bathroom

I am now at the stage where I have only managed to strip the bathroom walls to the bare brick and had it plastered. With juggling priorities and shrinking funds the bathroom is looking like a builder’s yard, which I’ve had to live with for the last 16 months.

So what to do with an injection of cash to sort out my sad building site of a bathroom…

I would relay the floor, with some porcelain floor tiles to give it a really rugged look, and then spice up the walls with these gorgeous Napoli Grey Mosaic Effect Wall Tiles to really spice up the walls.

The grouting would then get a refresh throughout and as I love relaxing baths in a heavenly atmosphere, I’ve picked out these Aqua Flush Bathroom Ceiling Lights to give the room a nice ambient glow.

The one good thing that came from our builders from hell is our bath, but the shower is getting replaced. I really like the Kubic Fixed Head shower head as its a bit of a statement.

Kubic Fixed Head