WHAT THEY DO/Jim Bolger, bathroom installer: You can see your future bathroom on screen in 3D, says Bernice Harrison

It's difficult for anyone other than a design professional to truly understand what something will look like in reality from looking at an architectural plan.

Most of us, faced with those neat black lines on paper, simply don't have the spatial skills to picture the end result, particularly when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms where there are many fixed elements. If you don't like the direction of your bed, you can often move it - but try doing that with a badly placed loo.

A friend in the middle of a renovation found that the plumber had installed a large radiator in such close proximity to the loo that a singed knee and toasty calf were inevitable in winter. In his defence the builder pointed to the drawing and indeed, he was right - he was simply following the plans.

Bathroom installer Jim Bolger's company, Bathroom Solutions, has developed three dimensional computer software that takes the guess work out of bathroom installation by providing a realistic image of what a new bathroom is going to look like. The process lets clients take part in the design process and removes the need to trawl around bathroom showrooms.

To start the process, one of his technicians keys the dimensions of your bathroom into the computer. Hundreds of different suites, as well as tiles and accessories, have been installed on the software so at the click of a button you can see what a huge range of fittings would look like in your room. If, for example, you've ever wondered if a corner bath would be a space saver, this software will show you. The same goes for tiles. If you fancy a particular colour and size of tile you can see how it would look in your space. Costings also appear on screen so that you can control every part of the process - if that designer basin pushes the whole project overboard you can choose a more affordable model. Then a 3D photo-realistic image of the room is printed out. After that Bolger and his team of 28 people, who include electricians, plumbers and tilers, take the project from the design stage right through to completion.

Bolger spent 25 years in the bathroom installation business before bringing this design-led solution to the market. The service, which takes a bathroom renovation from the design stage right through to installation, is available only in the Dublin area but he is looking into opening up branches outside the capital. It will depend on getting the right tradespeople on board. "We're C2 insured and offer an after-sales service," he says "and that's a level of service we would want to maintain."

Bathroom Solutions

tel 01 4958400 www.bathroomsolutions.ie

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