Our sinks were built in, but their cabinets were low and bending hurt my back. I determined the cabinets could be raised by adding a horizontal board just above the place at bottom that is indented for your toes. It added about five inches, bringing the counters up to the height of our kitchen counters. The board was stained to match the cabinet and is right under where the cabinet doors open. The line of the board is hidden by a length of wood trim. This raising up did require adding pipe to the water lines under the sinks to fill the pipe gap; moving the very large mirrors (no breaks or chips!) upward and moving the lighting above the mirrors up, as well. Took one day of work by carpenter and helper. Well worth the cost.

I believe that most of the expense in refurbishing a bathroom is in the labour. You can buy a very cheap toilet and sink, but it will cost you a lot to fit it in. To spend as little as possible, I would suggest painting the room a darker colour and see what you think. This will make a big difference. Perhaps a darker grey in the same tone as one of the colours in the tiles. The best thing about paint is that it is easy to change if you don't like it. You can replace the sink taps cheaply and if you can find a towel radiator that fits in the same plumbing spot that will save you plastering. You can replace the shower hose with a shiny new one and get a new clip to hold a new shower head on the wall. You can put a long, silver towel rail on the wall above the radiator and hang a nice, fluffy towel there! If you get a bigger, more modern (plain) mirror on the wall and move all of your personal items out of there the room will look less cluttered. Give it a mega good scrubbing as well and you will enjoy using your new room. Let me know when you want to refurbish the whole thing but for now that will make a low cost alternative. Please show me a photo when you're done. www.saralevydesigns.com

Hello, I'd tile it for sure with a porcelain. This tile http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/918/vermont-light-grey-porcelain/?cid=#.VtLxZJOLT-Y if you want to go lighter than the floor or This is tile http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/917/vermont-dark-grey-porcelain/?cid=#.VtLx7JOLT-Y if you want to darker. The Vermont mimics slate and has a beautiful texture to it. It is also VERY strong as my bafoonish builders will attest to in their efforts to stress test it after I had the Vermont Sand laid throughout my flat. There's also this http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/279/maranello-grey-porcelain-tile/?cid=#.VtLzlJOLT-Y if you're after a FLAT finish. It's quite a commitment so I'd take my time and get samples. I think they do up to 3 samples for free and maybe dozen for a few quid. This Grout http://www.mandarinstone.com/product/_/683/norcros-4-in-1-wall-and-floor-grout/?cid=#.VtLykpOLT-Y comes in a variety of colours. They're very good at advising what colour grout will best compliment a particular tile colour. Good luck and pictures please when you are finished

Thanks all. 1. A carpenter/fitter is coming around on Sat for the kitchen - I'll ask him for a quote for this too. In the meantime, I've been googling/thinking, and saw this from IKEA: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/washstands-taps/wash-stands/fullen-wash-basin-cabinet-white-art-70189041/ (& pale green countertop: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/washstands-taps/wash-stands/viskan-countertop-pale-green-art-70354804) I just need to remove a slice of the base at the rear for it to be level with the top of the basin. Hope that doesn't look weird. 2. Will paint the door frame - satinwood or similar. Easy one, that. :) 3./4. Will look at the navy/teal/dark grey wallpapers and paint. I think a combination of them may look really good. Have requested some samples - just waiting for them to arrive now! Great. Can't wait to get going now.