How to Get the Bathroom You Want - Without Cancelling Christmas!
You’ve finally decided to go for it. The big bathroom remodelling project you’ve been dreaming of. You’ve started planning… talked to a few interior designers, project managers, plumbers and fitters… thought about who you’d like on the project and what your timelines are. You’ve even started window shopping and have pinned a few design inspirations on Pinterest.
But wait. What’s that sound? Can you hear it? Just off in the distance but getting closer, fast. It’s… it’s… wait a second… it’s jingle bells?! Oh, bugger.
It’s not just a question of putting your budget on hold. That’s the least of your worries. You’ve just got so much to do and so many people to see in the run-up to Christmas. The kids will be home from school. You’ve got presents to buy. The in-laws will be around, proffering their ever-so ‘helpful’ design ideas. It’s just terrible timing. Why does there never seem to be a right moment to make these things happen?
Well… as the man Sinatra sang, ‘that’s life!’ And it just so happens to be full of wrong moments. So, let’s figure out a way to create a little Christmas bathroom miracle, just for you.
Remember – tradespeople are quiet over the Christmas period
You know what this means, don’t you? You can have your pick of the best ones, possibly at a little bit of a lower rate than they’d normally charge as they need the work.
It’s not exactly going to be the winter wonderland you’re used to, with eight dust sheets dusting, seven hammers hammering, six saws a-sawing, five brass taps… (etc.) But, it beats putting your plans on hold until January, when you’ve not only spent up, you’ve also started planning a whole load of new projects around the house for 2020.
Nothing makes the years slip away faster than endless procrastinating, so don’t! Push ahead with the speed, efficiency and joviality of the big guy in the red suit with the reindeer.
Take advantage of Black Friday
One of the biggest reasons not to spend money on anything other than presents in the run-up to Christmas is that, a few days after the big day, the January sales will start. But, as well you know, you’ll have nary a sixpence plucked from a plum pudding left to your name by that point. So plan ahead!
Black Friday is on 29th November this year. Mark it on your calendars with a big black heart! The discounts are usually even bigger than the ones you’ll find in the January sales, so you do not want to miss out. Black Friday is, after all, Christmas for grown-ups, isn’t it? So, let the kids have December 25th and make this the day of giving gifts to yourself!
“A stunning, award-nominated, Lofty Black solid surface bathtub by Galfia? For me?! How thoughtful! It’s just what I wanted!”
(Read more about it here)
Lofty Black&White Freestanding Bathtub
Parents – get the kids out of the house
If you’re in a couple, divide your time effectively so that one of you is there with the project team while the other entertains the mini humans. If you’re a single parent, call on your friends, call on your family, call on the babysitter! But, whatever you do, make sure you get those kids as far away from the bathroom as possible.
The great thing about Christmas is, there’s always plenty to be done. Take the kids shopping for presents. If they’re small enough, take them to see Santa at the mall so you can sneakily browse soft furnishing window displays out of the corner of your eye. Even get them involved in choosing between your favourite fixtures and fittings for the new bathroom.
Tell the parents/in-laws, ‘We’d love to come to you, this year!’
You’ve been looking for an excuse not to be the one holding the carving knife for the last few Christmases. Well, what more perfect an excuse than, “the upstairs loo is out-of-bounds”? Lashings of cranberry, horseradish and bread sauce on your goose – fine! But, brick dust? Hmm… Think we’d rather eat Dad’s undercooked, bullet-like sprouts, thanks very much.
If eating at the folks’ place is absolutely a no-go, the other alternative would be to go out for Christmas dinner. So plan ahead and book early. Otherwise, it could end up being a toss-up between a Toby carvery and a packet of turkey flavoured crisps from the Shell garage. You don’t want to find yourself thinking, ‘Hmm… maybe brick dust isn’t so bad.’
Marquina Marble Single Washbasin
Ask people to buy you bathroom bits for Christmas
Make the new bathroom a central part of your Christmas (it’ll be hard not to, TBH, but really make an event of it). There are loads of apps out there that can enable you to do this without getting the same gift twice.
Create a shopping list using the Cozi Family Organizer app, for instance, and you can share it with up to 12 friends and family members so they can tick items off as they pick them up for you. OK, it takes some of the innocence out of Christmas, but it beats yet another pair of comedy socks and another copy of Jeremy Clarkson’s latest LOLathon for you to take straight to the charity shop.
Also, remind everyone about Black Friday. If you’re going to ask for presents, the least you can do it make sure they’re able to get them at a discount.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
This is probably the most important bit. Don’t forget to chill out. Tis the season to be jolly, not to be stressed out of your mind. The world isn’t going to come to an end just because you decided to get your bathroom done before New Year.
In fact, it’s something you should feel full of Christmas cheer about. Because, just imagine what it’s going to look like when it’s finished. Picture that stunning new vanity top as you turn on the luxury taps. Imagine the texture of the new bathtub as you slide down into it to reward yourself for a 2019 finished in style. Ho ho ho, indeed.
Now, let’s get that wish list started. Dear Santa…