According to a consumer survey carried out at the beginning of this year, around three quarters of UK adults are unhappy with the bathrooms in their home.

The most common complaint people had with their bathroom is the outdated look. This was closely followed by a lack of space and then problems caused by damp or mould.

Interestingly, the main issues highlighted between men and women differed. While women were more concerned about the style and design of their bathroom, men saw a lack of space as a greater problem.

With so many of us unhappy with our current bathrooms, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise to learn that a separate survey carried out by the price comparison website, GoCompare.com found that a new bathroom tops the list of the UK’s most popular home improvements.

While 39% of us have installed a new bathroom in the last five years, the other top home improvements include:

• Fitting a new kitchen – 38%
• Installing a new boiler or central heating system – 34%
• Having a garden makeover – 26%
• Installing double glazing – 26%
• Building an extension – 17%
• Knocking through rooms – 12%
• Fitting solar panels – 12%
• Loft conversions – 10%
• Adding an extra bedroom – 9%

Aside from creating a relaxing space to take a break from our hectic daily lives, upgrading your bathroom can also increase the value of your property. Research carried out by HSBC found that a new bathroom from reputable bathroom retail shops like Fabulous, can add at least £3,500 to the selling price of a home while Zopa (https://www.zopa.com/) estimates that it can offer an impressive 48% profit on the cost of doing the improvement work.

What’s more, with the housing market being as competitive as it is today, a modern and stylish bathroom could be what it takes to seal the deal as more and more buyers are expecting to get the wow factor from a bathroom than they have in the past.

How to make small changes that will make an impact

If you don’t have a big budget to play with, there are plenty of ways to make changes that will still have an impact.

• Update taps and accessories. Taps and showerheads often look dated before sinks and baths so if you can’t afford to replace the entire unit, opt for some new accessories
• If you struggle with light or space in your bathroom, go for light colours and allow as much natural light to come in as possible because this will help to make the room seem bigger. A bright room is also a lot more appealing to the majority of people compared to a dark room
• Space is something we all want more of and believe it or not, the bathroom is one of the easiest rooms in the house to achieve this. If you have a separate bath and shower you can convert it into an all-in-one bath and shower unit. A wall hung basin takes up much less room that traditional sinks, there’s a huge range of small toilets available that take up minimal space yet still look great and wall cupboards are also a great way of freeing up floor space and making any room look bigger