Home Design Guides: Kitchen, Bathroom

Depending on the work you need done, you may need to give a little thought to who's going to do plumbing or gasfitting work in your home. Read our guide on how to choose the right plumber.

Find out more about how waterproofing and tiling are done to ensure that they meet the relevant Australian Standards.

In most plumbing setups, it takes a while for hot water to reach the hot tap when it's turned on. Cold water diverters recycle the cold water which would otherwise pour down the drain in this time.

The position of your hot water system relative to your taps is vital to your system's efficiency. Find out how best to plan your layout, and what to consider when space is limited.

There's nothing worse than a leaky tap - except perhaps a dirty and leaking tap. Find out how to clean and maintain your fittings.

Also called drains and plugholes, wastes are the grills through which water is drained as it leaves your bathroom. Find out what variations exist for wastes.

Taps can come in matching bathroom sets, but can also be mixed and matched to great effect.

Blocked drains in your kitchen are no fun - but thankfully they're not too difficult to deal with. Read our guide on how to unblock a drain and save yourself from a watery disaster.

Kitchens and bathrooms can become very steamy and stuffy, and powered ventilation fans are an excellent way of providing fast, effective ventilation to these areas.

The size and speed of an exhaust fan can have an impact on its performance, but to choose a fan you also need to consider what it's going to be used for.

Water-producing bathroom fittings in Australia need to comply with basic water-efficiency standards. As a part of the WELS scheme, they are rated and given a label that shows how efficient they are.

The WaterMark certification label signifies that a plumbing product complies with certain quality and performance standards.

Regulations in Australia restrict where you're able to position power points in relation to sinks and taps. Find out what the rules say, and how far your power points will need to be from your kitchen sink.

Timber sinks are normally built using techniques borrowed from boat making. These types of basins offer a unique, custom finish, although care needs to be taken to ensure that they remain waterproof.

There are several regulations in Australia that affect how you buy plumbing products, how they need to be positioned in relation to other parts of your kitchen, and how they need to be installed.