The challenge
The customer was tackling their own bathroom renovation but wanted the specialist bath plumbing handled professionally before the room was plastered and tiled. The new bath had to be set perfectly level in position, an exposed thermostatic bar shower valve had to be first-fixed into the wall with hot and cold supplies chased neatly into the brickwork, and every measurement had to be planned so the valve, bath taps and finished tiled walls all lined up correctly. The customer also wanted a tiled bath panel rather than a standard plastic panel, which meant building a solid, fully waterproof substrate ready to be tiled directly.
How we solved it
I first-fixed all the pipework for the exposed shower valve — hot and cold supplies chased neatly into the wall, perfectly level, securely clipped and pressure tested before the walls were closed up for tiling. I then installed and accurately levelled the new bath. To create the tiled bath panel, I fitted waterproof tile backer boards in place of a standard bath panel, giving the customer a rigid, moisture-resistant surface ready to tile straight onto. Every dimension was carefully set out so the valve outlet, bath taps and finished tile lines would all align once the renovation was complete.
The customer was left with a fully prepared, watertight first-fix ready for plastering and tiling — exposed thermostatic shower valve pipework set true and level, bath in position, and a tile-ready bath panel that gives the finished bathroom a high-end, bespoke look once the DIY work is complete.
