Insider info
WHO LIVES HERE?
Louise Gibbins, 31, an insurance account manager, lives here with her partner Paul, 29, a design engineer and their dog meg. they’ve lived in their three-bedroom 1930s semi in blaby, Leicester since February 2016.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THE ROOM?
‘the textured tiles by the bath are my favourite part, as I love the way the water runs off them.’
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS?
‘If you have the time, sourcing all the separate components yourself from different suppliers will really keep costs down, rather than getting everything from one place through your plumber.’
WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE OLD ROOM?
It felt cramped with the WC jammed up against the bath and the twin glass basins took up valuable space. the office blinds meant it felt cold and clinical too.
It was a fortuitous twist of fate when Louise Gibbins’ partner Paul booked a viewing at the wrong house in Leicester by mistake. ‘We decided to go anyway as we didn’t want to annoy the seller,’ says Louise. ‘I’m glad we went as we ended up buying it, even though the bathroom was quite small.’
Although Paul wanted to wait, Louise was eager to make changes straight away and set aside £5,000 from the sale of her previous home to revamp the bathroom. ‘the use of the small space was bizarre to say the least,’ she explains. ‘the bath was extra-wide with the WC jammed up against the side of it, all seemingly to make way for the his and hers glass basins, which looked awful when covered in toothpaste. the shower was certainly unique too – almost like the first ever version of a spa/jet shower – and the wall areas without tiles were wallpapered with woodchip.’