November is the month to get your home guest-ready
December in KwaZulu-Natal often means a full house, long lunches and plenty of entertaining. It also means your kitchen and bathrooms are about to work a lot harder than usual.
Now is the ideal time to take care of that dripping tap, refresh a tired guest bathroom or replace the kitchen sink that simply isn’t keeping up. Getting it done in November means you can beat the holiday rush and avoid last-minute pressure when stock and delivery schedules get busy.
This guide will help you decide what to check, what’s worth upgrading and what you can see in person at RichMond Plumbing & Sanware.
Visit our Glenashley or Ballito showroom to explore your options, place your order and get your home ready before the first guests arrive.
Give the guest bathroom a refresh they will remember
The guest bathroom is one of the spaces every visitor is likely to use, so it’s worth giving it a little attention before the festive season begins. And refreshing it doesn’t have to mean a complete renovation. A stylish new basin and mixer, an upgraded shower and a few carefully chosen finishing touches can transform the look and feel of the room in just a weekend.
Basins and toilets from Duravit. Duravit ceramics are known for clean lines and durable glazes that stay bright with daily use. A wall-hung toilet paired with a Grohe or Geberit concealed cistern helps maximise floor space, giving a smaller guest bathroom a more open, streamlined look while making cleaning easier when you are hosting for two weeks straight.
Showers and tapware from GROHE. A GROHE Rainshower transforms an everyday shower into the moment guests talk about at lunch. GROHE showers and mixers are available in finishes beyond classic chrome, including Brushed Cool Sunrise and Hard Graphite, making it easy to coordinate your bathroom fittings with the style of your home. Visit our Glenashley showroom to see the Rainshower and Hand Shower set live, displayed against a striking forest glass splashback.
A bath worth the holiday. Whether it’s for your main bathroom or a holiday home, a freestanding bath can turn an everyday bathroom into a place to truly unwind. Victoria + Albert and Livingstone Baths offer beautiful options across different styles and budgets, giving you the freedom to find the right fit for your space. Better still, you can see and sit in the baths on display before you decide.
Quick wins if time is short:
- Refresh the basin with a new Cobra or GROHE single-lever mixer.
- Upgrade the shower with a new shower head and hose for an instant lift.
- Replace the little things like worn waste fittings, plugs and toilet seats with fresh, matching options.
- Add a touch of comfort with a Jeeves or Bathroom Butler heated towel rail, so guests always have warm, dry towels.
Warm, dry towels for every guest: Bathroom Butler heated towel rails
A heated towel rail is one of those guest bathroom upgrades people really notice. In the KZN summer, the real benefit isn’t warmth, it’s helping towels dry in the humidity. When bath towels are being used all day, a heated rail helps dry them between uses and keeps that damp, musty feeling at bay.
Bathroom Butler heated towel rails are made in South Africa from 304 stainless steel, which stands up to coastal air far better than painted or plated alternatives.
The range includes:
- Straight and curved ladder rails in several bar counts to suit a family bathroom or a compact en-suite
- Single-bar and double-bar rails for a guest cloakroom or a holiday flat where space is tight
- PTSelect timer models that run on a schedule, so the rail is warm when guests shower and off when the house is empty
- Finishes including polished stainless steel, brushed stainless steel, matte black and brushed gold to match your tapware
Most Bathroom Butler rails run on low wattage, roughly the same as a light bulb, so the running cost over the holidays is minimal.
Ask the showroom team to help you size the rail to your towel count and wall space before you order.
A kitchen that can handle Christmas lunch
The festive kitchen deals with more dishes, more prep and more people than any other week of the year. The sink is where the pressure lands. If yours is shallow, scratched or constantly blocked, now is the time to fix it.
Franke sinks built for volume. A Franke double-bowl or one-and-a-half-bowl sink gives you space to soak the roasting pan while someone else rinses glasses. Franke stainless steel sinks are made from 18/10 grade steel, resist staining and are easy to keep hygienic through weeks of entertaining. For a cleaner look, Franke Fragranite sinks come in colours like onyx, oyster and stone grey and are highly resistant to heat and scratches.
Kitchen mixers that make sense. A Franke or GROHE pull-out mixer reaches every corner of a large bowl and makes rinsing a roasting tray far less of a chore. GROHE kitchen mixers are available in finishes that match their bathroom ranges, so an open-plan home can carry one look throughout.
Kitchen waste disposers. A Franke waste disposer fitted under the sink grinds vegetable peelings, plate scrapings and leftovers into particles small enough to wash away, which means fewer bin runs, fewer flies and no festive smells in the kitchen. Franke disposers are quiet, compact and suit most Franke sink outlets. They are a sensible addition for a busy household and an excellent one for a holiday home where the bin may sit for days.
Accessories that earn their place: Franke drainer trays, chopping boards that sit over the bowl, and in-sink colanders turn one sink into a full prep station. These make great gifts for the keen cook in the family too.
Before you lock up and leave: plumbing essentials for the holidays
If you are heading away in December, a small plumbing problem can become a large one with nobody home to notice. A few checks now, and the right spares in the cupboard, will give you peace of mind while you are on the beach.
Fix the drips with Authentic Cobra Spares. A tap that drips once a second wastes thousands of litres over a month. RichMond Plumbing & Sanware is an official Authentic Cobra Spares agent in KZN, so if you have Cobra taps, mixers or cisterns at home, we stock the genuine cartridges, washers, spindles and flush mechanisms that fit first time. Bring the old part in and the team will match it.
Upgrade worn tapware. If the kitchen or bathroom mixer is past saving, the Cobra Tigris range is a smart choice. Slimline single-lever mixers with DZR brass bodies, FeatherTouch cartridges and five PVD finishes, backed by a 10-year functionality warranty. Fitting new mixers before guests arrive is one of the quickest ways to make an older bathroom feel current.
Holiday house checklist:
☐ Replace washers, cartridges and flush mechanisms on anything that drips or runs
☐ Check flexi hoses under basins and behind toilets for bulging or rust
☐ Know where your main stopcock is and that it turns
☐ Keep a spare toilet seat, plug and basin waste on hand for guests
☐ Switch the geyser off at the board if the house will be empty
RichMond Plumbing & Sanware supplies the products and the advice. For installation, always use a qualified, registered plumber.
Your festive preparation checklist at a glance
| Area | What to do | Brands to look at |
| Guest bathroom | New basin, mixer and shower head; wall-hung toilet if space is tight | Duravit, GROHE, Geberit |
| Main bathroom | Freestanding bath for proper downtime | Victoria + Albert, Livingstone Baths |
| Towels | Heated towel rail, timer model for a holiday home | Bathroom Butler, Jeeves |
| Kitchen | Double-bowl sink, pull-out mixer, waste disposer | Franke, GROHE |
| Repairs | Genuine spares for drips and running cisterns | Authentic Cobra Spares |
| Tapware | Replace worn mixers with slimline PVD finishes | Cobra Tigris, Meir |
| Hot water | Geyser check, valves and isolators | Kwikot |
| Finishing touch | Printed glass splashback for kitchen or shower | Parrot Products |
Order Early. A little forward planning goes a long way. Late November gets busy, popular finishes can sell quickly, and most people want their projects wrapped up before schools close.
See it, touch it, plan it: visit our showrooms
Photos only go so far. Our Glenashley and Ballito showrooms let you run your hand over a Franke Fragranite sink, feel the weight of a GROHE mixer, sit in a Victoria + Albert bath and compare Bathroom Butler finishes against your tile samples.
Our knowledgeable team can help you bring everything together, choosing products that complement one another, suit your space and fit your budget, whether you’re refreshing a guest bathroom or completing an entire holiday home.
For beautiful bathrooms & kitchens, plumbing supplies, professional advice, and so much more, visit our showrooms in:
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see GROHE, Duravit and Franke products in Durban?
RichMond Plumbing & Sanware has showrooms in Glenashley (Durban North) and Ballito with live displays of GROHE showers and tapware, Duravit sanitaryware, Franke sinks, Bathroom Butler heated towel rails and freestanding baths from Victoria + Albert and Livingstone Baths.
Where do I buy genuine Cobra spares in KZN?
RichMond Plumbing & Sanware is an official Authentic Cobra Spares agent in KZN and stocks genuine cartridges, washers, spindles and flush mechanisms for Cobra taps, mixers and cisterns.
Is a heated towel rail worth it in a hot climate?
Yes. In humid coastal KZN, a heated towel rail dries towels between uses, prevents musty smells and keeps a busy guest bathroom fresh. Bathroom Butler rails are low wattage and available with timers.
What is a kitchen waste disposer and do I need one?
A waste disposer fits under the sink and grinds food scraps so they wash away with the water. It reduces bin waste, odours and flies, which is especially useful over the festive season or in a holiday home. Franke disposers are available from RichMond Plumbing & Sanware.
Does RichMond do installations?
No. RichMond Plumbing & Sanware is a merchant of plumbing materials, taps and sanitaryware. We supply the products and expert advice; installation should be done by a qualified, registered plumber.
