Transcribed word-for-word from our public profiles
“I employed Deyan and Tees Valley Refurbishments to install a new bathroom for me recently and had to leave this positive review following completion. Deyan was from the beginning a great choice, he helped plan with me the design, gave great advice and the attention to detail was excellent.”
Completed in January 2026, this premium bathroom installation was delivered by our experienced bathroom fitters in Norton, Stockton-on-Tees, as a complete bathroom refurbishment. The dated en-suite was transformed into a practical contemporary shower room with a lowered 1200 × 800 mm shower, a bespoke tiled bench, dark fitted vanity furniture and upgraded lighting and ventilation.
The existing en-suite had become dated and included a shower tray raised approximately ten inches above the floor. The customer’s main priority was to replace that awkward arrangement with a large, substantially lower shower that would be easier and more comfortable to enter.
The room was completely stripped back and rebuilt with:
The complete installation was delivered over ten working days and finished on the agreed schedule.
The bathroom was used mainly as the customer’s en-suite, so the new room needed to be practical for regular everyday use rather than designed only for appearance.
The customer wanted:
The general positions of the WC, basin and doorway remained suitable. The principal technical change was therefore lowering the shower and creating a completely new drainage route beneath the floor.
The old shower tray had been installed on a platform approximately ten inches above the finished bathroom floor.
This height was not required by the shower tray itself. The previous installer had taken the easiest available waste route by passing the shower waste through the dividing wall and connecting it to the bath waste serving the adjoining main bathroom.
Because the old pipe had been run between the two rooms rather than beneath the floor, the shower tray had to be raised high enough to create drainage fall above floor level.
That arrangement created:
Correcting this properly required more than simply replacing the shower tray. A new independent 40 mm waste route had to be created beneath the floor and connected directly to the external soil pipe.
The old bathroom suite, raised shower installation, enclosure, wall tiles, flooring and loose ceiling cladding were removed.
The bathroom was stripped back to its underlying plaster, plasterboard, timber floor and wall structure so that the existing backgrounds and services could be inspected properly.
The strip-out exposed:
Removing the previous finishes allowed the new bathroom to be rebuilt from stable, properly prepared backgrounds rather than installing new products over hidden weaknesses.
The customer remained in the property while the refurbishment was completed.
Protective coverings and dust sheets were installed across the access route and surrounding floors before strip-out began.
Particular attention was given to protecting the adjoining bedroom and the customer’s bed. Bathroom demolition, drilling through the floor structure and cutting boards can create fine dust, so the bedroom needed to remain isolated and covered while the work was underway.
The access route and working area were cleaned regularly throughout the project to control dust and disruption inside the occupied home.
Damaged wall sections were removed and rebuilt using CLS timber framing and moisture-resistant green plasterboard.
Moisture-resistant plasterboard provides a more appropriate bathroom background than standard plasterboard because its core and facing are designed to resist the effects of humid conditions. It is not treated as a decorative finish; its purpose is to create a straight, securely fixed and dimensionally stable surface for the tile installation.
The window reveals were also repaired, boarded and straightened before tiling.
Accurate window preparation was important because poorly formed reveals would have produced:
Preparing these backgrounds before tiling allowed the finished window detail to remain balanced and consistent with the surrounding brick-bond layout.
Parts of the property contained straw-based material within the wall construction.
This required more careful service planning than a conventional empty stud wall. Unnecessary chasing or uncontrolled cutting into the wall could have disturbed the existing material and made the final installation more difficult to secure.
The new basin services were therefore routed discreetly behind the fitted furniture.
This allowed the hot, cold and waste connections to be renewed while:
Lowering the shower tray was the most technically demanding part of the refurbishment.
The original waste connection through the adjoining bathroom was removed from use. A new 40 mm waste pipe was then routed beneath the en-suite floor and taken directly towards the external soil pipe.
Appropriately sized circular holes were formed through the timber floor structure using hole cutters. Drilling controlled circular penetrations avoided the broad removal of timber that would have resulted from cutting large open notches.
The new waste route was planned around:
Outside the property, the new shower waste was connected directly into the principal soil pipe using a new boss connection.
This created an independent and considerably more direct discharge route than the previous connection into the adjoining bath waste.
A shower waste must remove water continuously while the shower is operating.
A direct, correctly graded pipe route helps reduce the likelihood of:
The new route also made it possible to position the shower tray close to floor level instead of rebuilding another high platform.
The work beneath the floor is not visible in the completed photographs, but it is the principal technical alteration that transformed how the bathroom functions.
A 1200 × 800 mm rectangular stone-resin shower tray was installed.
Stone-resin trays are substantially rigid and dense compared with lightweight hollow trays. When installed on a properly prepared and continuously supported base, they provide a stable surface with minimal flex under normal use.
Reducing flex is important because movement at tray level can place repeated strain on:
The replacement tray itself was approximately 45 mm thick.
Once the 9 mm plywood preparation and finished LVT flooring were accounted for, the completed step into the shower was approximately 35–40 mm above the surrounding bathroom floor.
This was a considerable improvement over the original platform, which stood approximately ten inches high.
The customer gained a large showering area with a low and comfortable entrance without the room needing to be converted into a full wet room.
The shower tray was completed with a Roman sliding enclosure incorporating 8 mm toughened safety glass.
The sliding configuration was particularly suitable for the available room because the door operates within the enclosure footprint. It does not require the clear floor space that would be needed for a hinged door opening into the bathroom.
The 8 mm glass gives the enclosure a solid, substantial appearance and provides greater rigidity than thinner lightweight panels.
The enclosure also keeps water contained within the stone-resin tray while allowing the customer to enter through a practical opening beside the vanity area.
An exposed Nuie dual shower was installed to suit the property’s combi-boiler hot-water system.
The shower includes:
The rainfall head provides broad overhead water coverage, while the handset is useful for:
New hot and cold supplies were installed for the shower.
The controls were positioned at a practical operating height of approximately 1100–1200 mm. This made them comfortable to reach from both the standing area and the tiled bench without placing them unnecessarily high on the wall.
Isolation valves were installed on the relevant supplies, allowing future maintenance without requiring the entire property’s water supply to remain isolated.
A permanent seating bench was constructed inside the shower enclosure.
The bench was formed from treated timber and covered using 12 mm plywood to create a rigid base for the tiled finish.
Treated timber was selected because it provides improved resistance to moisture-related deterioration compared with untreated internal timber. The plywood covering created a continuous surface rather than attempting to tile directly onto separate timber members.
The top of the bench was constructed with a slight fall towards the shower tray.
That fall is technically important. A completely level or backward-sloping seat would allow water to remain on the tiled surface and collect against the wall junction. Forming a controlled fall directs water back towards the tray after use.
The bench was tiled using the same Verona porcelain tiles as the surrounding walls, making it appear as an integrated architectural feature rather than an added freestanding seat.
Its position was coordinated with:
The customer can therefore sit when required without losing the practical use of the remaining shower space.
The bathroom was tiled from floor to ceiling using Verona 600 × 300 mm light-grey gloss porcelain tiles.
The same tile was installed:
Porcelain is a dense, low-absorption tile material, making it well suited to a regularly used bathroom. Its density also makes it more demanding to cut and drill than standard ceramic tile, so accurate setting-out and the correct cutting equipment are important.
Using one tile throughout creates continuity across the compact room and prevents the walls from becoming visually fragmented.
The light-grey gloss surface reflects the new lighting, while the dark furniture and floor provide contrast.
The 600 × 300 mm tiles were installed in a brick-bond pattern.
Brick bond staggers each horizontal row rather than aligning every vertical joint. This creates more movement across the walls while maintaining a clean and familiar appearance.
The setting-out had to be coordinated around:
Careful setting-out reduced narrow tile cuts and prevented the brick-bond pattern from drifting out of alignment across adjoining walls.
The porcelain tiles were installed using grey BAL slow-setting S1 flexible adhesive.
The S1 classification means the cured adhesive is deformable rather than completely rigid. Under the recognised tile-adhesive classification, S1 products accommodate transverse deformation of approximately 2.5–5 mm.
This does not mean that the tile installation is designed to move freely. It means the adhesive has greater capacity to tolerate limited background movement and vibration without immediately transferring all of that stress into the porcelain tile or bond line.
That flexibility was appropriate because the bathroom included:
A slow or standard-setting adhesive also provides a longer practical working time than a rapid-setting product.
That additional working time helped with:
The adhesive was selected specifically for porcelain tile and correctly prepared bathroom backgrounds rather than using a basic ready-mixed wall-tile adhesive.
The tiled walls were completed using BAL flexible mould-resistant grout in Gunmetal.
The darker Gunmetal tone defines the brick-bond pattern and coordinates with:
A flexible premium grout is better suited to a bathroom than a basic rigid cement grout because it is formulated to tolerate limited background movement and regular wetting.
Its mould-resistant properties are particularly relevant around:
The darker colour also avoids the maintenance difficulties associated with bright white grout in a frequently used shower room.
BAL colour-matched grout-effect sealant was used where movement needed to be accommodated while retaining the appearance of the Gunmetal grout.
Flexible sealant is required at changes of plane and movement-sensitive junctions because two adjoining surfaces can expand or move independently.
Using rigid grout at these locations can lead to cracking.
Flexible sealant was therefore used where appropriate around:
White sanitary silicone was used where white sanitaryware met the tiled surfaces, including around the shower tray, basin and WC.
This produced a cleaner visual junction while maintaining a flexible waterproof seal around the sanitary fittings.
Exposed tiled edges were completed with 10 mm brushed-metal trim.
The trim protects the vulnerable edge of the porcelain tile and creates a straight finished line around external corners and window reveals.
A brushed finish was deliberately selected instead of highly polished trim.
Polished metal can look excellent when newly installed, but it tends to show:
The brushed surface is more forgiving over the longer term while still coordinating with the bathroom’s polished-chrome fittings.
The strongest visual feature of the finished room is the coordinated dark vanity, basin and WC arrangement.
Approximately 1100 mm of Nuie fitted bathroom furniture was installed in a dark-grey matt textured finish.
The furniture includes:
The matt textured surface creates depth without the fingerprints and strong reflections associated with high-gloss furniture.
It also provides a strong contrast against the light-grey gloss porcelain tiles.
Bringing the basin, toilet and storage together as one fitted run creates a more structured installation than separate freestanding items.
A Nuie semi-recessed basin, approximately 600 mm wide, was installed within the worktop and fitted furniture.
A semi-recessed basin projects forward sufficiently for comfortable everyday use while allowing the furniture beneath and beside it to retain useful storage depth.
New hot, cold and waste connections were installed for the basin.
The pipework was routed behind the furniture because of the existing wall construction, leaving the finished services concealed from normal view.
The five-door furniture arrangement retains access to the cistern and internal services while keeping the visible bathroom appearance clean.
A Nuie back-to-wall WC was installed in the original toilet position.
The cistern is concealed inside the fitted furniture, leaving the WC pan and flush control visible.
This arrangement provides several practical and visual benefits:
Keeping the WC in its original position also avoided unnecessary alterations to the principal soil connection.
A 600 mm LED mirror was installed above the semi-recessed basin.
The mirror includes:
The demister pad gently warms the mirror surface, reducing condensation in the central viewing area after the shower has been used.
This is particularly useful in an en-suite where the mirror may be needed immediately after showering.
The integrated touch control keeps the front of the mirror uncluttered, and no shaver socket was included.
The original radiator was positioned on the left-hand side of the bathroom.
During the refurbishment, the radiator and its pipework were moved beside the shower enclosure.
A polished-chrome towel radiator was installed in the new location.
This was a practical layout decision rather than simply a decorative change. The customer can now:
The polished-chrome finish coordinates with the shower, enclosure and other metal fittings.
Floorboards had to be lifted to install the new shower waste and plumbing routes.
Once the services had been completed and tested, the lifted boards were repaired and securely refixed.
Securing the existing boards before overboarding was important because loose floorboards can:
The floor preparation therefore began with stabilising the original timber structure rather than simply covering it.
The repaired timber floor was overboarded using 9 mm plywood.
The plywood created a smoother and more uniform surface for the LVT installation.
It also helped:
The plywood was installed only after the new pipework and shower waste had been completed beneath the floor.
Black slate-effect LVT was installed across the prepared floor.
The dark slate appearance grounds the room visually and connects with the Gunmetal grout and dark-grey furniture.
LVT was suitable for this en-suite because it provides:
The finished floor build-up was also considered when calculating the final shower-tray threshold. Once the LVT and plywood were installed, the shower entrance remained approximately 35–40 mm above the floor.
The original ceiling cladding had become loose because it had been fixed using adhesive or silicone without a consistent supporting background.
The old panels were removed and the ceiling structure was rebuilt.
A timber framework was prepared, followed by 9 mm plasterboard.
The plasterboard was not being used as a plastered decorative ceiling. It was installed to create:
Using 9 mm board kept the ceiling build-up lighter while still providing the necessary continuous background for the panels.
Matt-white ceiling cladding supplied by local manufacturer Ceiling2Floor was installed over the prepared ceiling.
The matt-white finish:
Because the walls were tiled from floor to ceiling and the ceiling was fully clad, no decorative wall painting or ceiling plastering was required.
Three IP65 recessed LED downlights were installed across the ceiling.
An IP65 fitting provides:
Bathroom electrical zones generally require at least splash protection where fittings are exposed to water. Using IP65 downlights provides a more robust level of protection than the minimum IPX4 commonly required within bathroom zones.
The recessed arrangement distributes light more evenly than a single central fitting and reduces heavy shadows around the vanity and shower enclosure.
The previous bathroom lighting had been operated using a traditional pull cord.
This was replaced with a modern wall switch positioned outside the bathroom.
Locating the conventional switch outside the room keeps it away from the wet environment while providing a cleaner and more familiar control arrangement.
All lighting and electrical alterations were completed by a qualified electrician.
A new inline extractor-fan system was installed.
The main fan body was positioned above the bathroom ceiling rather than directly inside the visible ceiling grille.
Ducting connects:
The ceiling inlet includes an additional integrated light, giving the room three recessed downlights plus the illuminated extractor grille.
The inlet was moved slightly to suit the new bathroom layout and to sit more neatly within the ceiling arrangement.
The extractor fan includes both timer and humidistat control.
The humidistat monitors moisture levels and allows the fan to operate automatically when humidity rises.
This is valuable because condensation is not always removed effectively when extraction depends entirely on the customer remembering to operate a separate switch.
The timer allows the fan to continue running after the bathroom has been used, helping remove residual moisture from:
The existing external outlet was reused, so no new outside wall grille was required.
All principal bathroom products were supplied by Tees Valley Refurbishments Ltd through established local bathroom showrooms.
The coordinated supply included:
Managing the product supply alongside the installation allowed the dimensions, finishes and service requirements to be coordinated before second fix.
The complete project was delivered over ten working days:
The programme included:
The bathroom was completed on schedule in January 2026.
The completed Norton bathroom is considerably more practical, comfortable and visually coordinated than the original installation.
The old shower platform, which stood approximately ten inches high, has been replaced with a large 1200 × 800 mm stone-resin tray positioned approximately 35–40 mm above the finished floor.
The new direct waste route beneath the floor and into the external soil pipe made that reduction possible.
The fixed tiled bench provides a practical seating option, while the rainfall head and separate handset support both seated and standing showering.
The dark-grey Nuie fitted furniture forms the principal design feature of the room, combining:
Full-height light-grey porcelain tiling, Gunmetal grout, brushed trim, black slate-effect LVT and polished-chrome fittings complete the contemporary finish.
The repositioned towel radiator is now within easy reach of the shower, while the LED mirror, IP65 lighting and humidity-controlled inline extraction improve everyday use.
The customer’s five-star Google review is displayed directly on the project page as independent confirmation of the completed work and service.
Planning a premium bathroom installation, bathroom refurbishment or en-suite installation in Norton?
View our dedicated Norton bathroom fitting page, explore our work across Stockton-on-Tees, browse our completed bathroom projects, or arrange a free bathroom survey through the contact form.
Book a free bathroom survey — we'll visit, measure up and give you a detailed, fixed-price written quotation clearly setting out the agreed scope of work.
Book a Free Bathroom Survey
