Hi Neryl! I'm pleased to say there is an awful lot you can do for that budget!! My recommendations are: * Paint the vanity white (or even just the etched lines) & replace the handles with little chrome ones OR * keep an eye on gumtree for a small vanity unit (your top is fine you just need the unit) - often you'll get one for free if you check every day! * replace the lace curtain with a plain white roller blind (or leave the window bare) * replace the medicine cabinet with a bigger one (or if you don't need the storage space do away with it & just put up nice mirror that will fit the space better) * paint the top half of the room a lighter whiter colour Personally the medicine cabinet & curtain are the only things that sticks out at me as looking daggy and as they are at eye level its the most noticable thing in the room. Good luck I'm sure you'll have it looking more inviting in no time!

As Eco Building Services has suggested, your going to have to rip the tiles off to get the bath out which will most likely compromise the waterproof seal. This will mean you would need to redo the waterproofing which needs to be applied in all the 'wet areas" in one go. Raising tap ware means your going to have to rip open a section in the wall again breaking the seal in order for the plumber to go in and raise it. If the building was done before the 80's chances are 50/50 you have asbestos. It really isn't cost effective if all you want to do is change a bathtub. If your heart is set on changing the bathtub I would strongly suggest redoing the whole bathroom to make it worth the cost.

We too live in a cold winter climate with our bathrooms all on the southern side and faced similar issues as you do. One smaller bathroom does not have a window so we put in a Velux skylight which provides amazing natural light through the day. This may not be to your liking, especially if you have a period home. We also use heated towel rails and under tile heating (just enough to take the chill off and stop mould) in winter. Although we have a light in the shower recess, a bonus is the large fixed shower head with inbuilt LED, which at night gives the feeling of showering under moonlight. We chose light colours and mirrored recessed cabinets to reflect as much natural light as possible.

it' not the size of the toilet that matters, it's the size of the humans that need to use it ...allowing anything less than 80cm x 80cm for knee and elbow space, plus more for standing room plus extra for any swing doors and more space for a handbasins and with no other toilet on the ground floor the best option is a separate toilet and i would steal some space off the laundry to make a more comfortable powder room..and the different floor levels don't always prevent stealing some space off the laundry but what is the size of the laundry, including ceiling height at the wall closest to the back of the existing toilet and is the laundry ceiling flat or raked and how many steps are there between lowest floor and bathroom floor?