Free standing baths are only suitable for larger rooms where you have the ability to position the bath with free access all the way round, I regularly remove them from smaller bathrooms when doing re-fits, people like the aesthetics of the free standing bath and plough ahead and install them against a wall, the result is a disgusting accumulation of dust, fluff, pubic hair etc, this will happen quite quickly and you will regret having gone down this route. The concept of having the bath with no curtain is interesting though, in a bathroom around 2.1m square, most of the bathroom will be effected by splashing, the room will need a wet room floor former, and will require that the whole room is tanked prior to tiling, have a look at. (http://www.wetroominnovations.com) I usually use their Maxus formers and Purus gully traps. you can indeed get a flexible waste connection, have a look at McAlpine "Flexcon" range, these are available through any reputable merchants, these are quite substantial and would stand up to semi regular movement, if your free standing bath is an acrylic bath it won't be too heavy, so moving it would be quite straight forward, but I would suggest having small felt pads on the feet to protect the tiled surface, also from a drying point of view, Karcher have a very good little gadget for cleaning windows, which vacuums up the water, I often mention it to clients and any who have bought one have been delighted at how easy it is to use, it will leave the floor almost dry once you have used it, one note of caution would be your choice of floor tile, you will need a porcelain tile that has an R rating, this is a slip resistant rating and would be most advised. another note of caution, because the splashing will not be controlled, any vanity or wood based furniture will deteriorate. I hope this is of some help.

I appreciate ideas or products that you would have tried-one that prevents mosquitoes,lizards and snakes coming from ventilator /exhaust fan holes. Thank you

Hi @J Lo no we haven’t bothered (yet). Generally its been fine. There’s no escaping the fact the long feed does create a bit of unavoidable condensation but it’s nothing major and easily manageable with some workaround measures. I got some cooker hood filters and cut them to size to lay on top of the cooker hood to trap the grease and smells more. i also fold a piece of kitchen paper into a square and put that underneath the motor of the fan so if there are any drips through where the motor unit is screwed together (that is the main culprit!) its well absorbed. The filter lasts about 3 months before I change it. The kitchen paper I change every couple of weeks and just to stress its a tiny greasy drip each time that dries up. I just change it for cleanliness when I check it and wipe the side of the fans, as I would anyway even without that issue. The way I see it is it’s still a much better set up than relying on a recirculating hood that doesn’t take the smells or grease outside at all. So the very minor condensation issue is a small price to pay. I was a bit obsessed with it when I posted on here but don’t give it too much thought now… until you posted and reminded me haha! I would suggest though if you have the option you may as well do what you can now while the dirty work is going on for peace of mind. Whatever your builder says there will defnitely be a little condensation whatever the set up, unless you have a really powerful fan or the extra fan on the chimney - its just physics and gravity that can’t be avoided. Either way you want to get it sorted now in my view rather than later as you probably won’t get round to it, as has been the case with us. That said, like I say it’s not a major issue if you have the same results as us. Only thing a few people have said is that over time it will cause the fan to fail but I haven’t noticed any problems yet so all good so far touch wood

Hi Melissa, Jus read through your post and as you said you are getting a new hob (I was pleased you said Induction as this changes the game) you could get a vented Induction Hob. Most of the main brands sell them - Siemens, Neff & Miele so you are in luck. You could then pop some nice lighting under the chimney just so you boost light and look at putting in an external vent/other ventilation somewhere else in the room where an external wall is available. Vented hobs are becoming an extremely popular choice due to lack of space and the minimalist living look. They are also a fantastic option when you are limited on space but still need extraction. Hopefully this gives you a positive less costly (and less messy) option than having to investigate and explore the insides of the chimney. Charlie @The Kitchen Lady UK www.thekitchenladyuk.co.uk