What do you see when you're in the bath? Do you have a great view in one direction a vista, or none at all? Personally I'd orientate a single slipper bath toward the view, and if possible have the plumbing at the side (if the bath is sitting in the open) so as not to interfere with the views. If the bath is against a wall I'd have the plumbing at the lower end so I wouldn't have to lean over it to turn the taps on.

Bathroom renos can be daunting as there are many things to consider and usually the space can be limiting. Free standing baths are stunning and come in many shapes and sizes. You have mentioned that you and the boys will use the bath, ensure you factor in the "users" height as this will determine the bath size and depth. Firstly is the plumbing remaining in the same position? Floor mounted bath mixers can be installed with a concealed under floor box or the above floor connection method. The concealed box method is advisable before the flooring is installed, and has the benefit of a lower profile floor plate, which is preferred. The above floor method may be done where the first approach is not possible. Free standing bath mixers visually create an impact when paired with the freestanding tub, ensure you have enough room around the tub as it will be difficult to clean if it sits too close to walls and or vanities etc..many freestanding bath mixers offer functional hand showers as well as the spout, ideal for washing soap out of kids hair. Would love to see a lay out of your bathroom to assist with tap ware placement. Good luck with your bathroom renovations, always happy to assist you. Carmen Collaborative Interiors

Hi, unless you take a bath at least once a week I'd skip the tub. I'd rather enjoy a bigger walk in shower, which is also a lot safer than climbing into a tub to shower. If you have the space instead of a tub and shower I'd consider a double vanity to give you extra storage space. It's a little luxury you will come to enjoy when everyone is getting ready on the morning.

Hi oklouise The sad part is the existing bathroom is beautifully finished! This whole house was well finished and really well built. It was sad to have to demolish things that were so well done, but the design problems made changes necessary. The bathroom has porcelain wall tiles floor to ceiling on all walls and a white polished porcelain floor (slippery as all hell, and a mongrel to keep the grout lines clean!) is laid over a full 300mm+ of solid concrete, under which are all the drains. Outer walls are 200mm of reinforced solid concrete. Tiles on internal walls are over cypress timber frame with generally two layers of lining glued, screwed and nailed on - and there is way more timber in the frame than necessary. I think the builder (who built it for himself) thought the house would last forever and would never need to be changed in any way. Exact distance from external door to wall is 1.1m on both vanity and shower side. The door combination is 1200 wide and placed dead center. It's worth noting that 300m on the vanity side of the door is full-length frosted glass panel and it's possible to infringe a bit on that area if absolutely necessary, provided there's enough room for the door to swing safely (as it swings toward the vanity. I will take some photos now and share.