Semi pedestal basins are popular when creating a modern uncluttered look.
The purpose of the semi pedestal, or half pedestal, is to hide all the plumbing and pipework and to provide a sleek easy to clean finish to the underside of the basin. As this part is well above floor level, the semi pedestal style leaves more open floor space than a full pedestal, and because of this more floor is visible which helps create a feeling of space. A semi pedestal basin is a very useful design tool which can make a small bathroom seem bigger.
For
The semi (half) pedestal is certainly eye catching and stylish and very much in keeping with a contemporary themed bathroom. The clean, uncluttered lines blend ideally with modern and minimalist styling. The extra visible floor space will create a sense of space and will give the illusion of a larger room. Ensuring that the maximum floor area is visible is a design trick often used to make a smaller bathroom feel more spacious.
Less able-bodied folk will often find that having the floor clear below can make the basin more accessible and easier to use.
Against
The biggest issue with the semi pedestal is the plumbing. It is not necessarily a problem, but where a bathroom has been plumbed for a conventional full pedestal basin, there will need to be plumbing modifications to accommodate a semi (half) pedestal.
Additionally the basin itself needs to be securely fixed to the wall so when fitting onto a stud wall grounds for the basin fixing bolts must be provided. All basins should be firmly and securely mounted on the wall, but in this case as there is no floor fitted pedestal or vanity unit to provide a little additional support, the wall fixings need to be 100%.
Some advice on fitting and location:
To be able to fit this style, all pipework must be located in the wall behind the basin, that is both the feed water pipes and the waste pipe for drainage.
If your pipe work (or even some of it) is rising from the floor, the plumbing will need to be moved to allow a semi pedestal style to be installed. How easy of difficult this replumbing will be depends entirely on the construction of your walls and floor, whether the wall is internal or external and how the drainage from your bathroom is routed.
See: how to fit a semi pedestal basin
Solid Walls (brick or block)
If you are fitting the basin on an internal wall a solid wall can present a challenge. Locating the hot and cold feed pipes might not be too difficult as they will be 15mm diameter pipes and will not require a very deep channel cut into the wall, but the waste pipe is going to be considerably wider (normally around 32mm) and thus needs a much deeper recess in the wall. In a brick wall this might be impossible to achieve without knocking some bricks right out and making a hole through to the adjoining room! In a block wall the job should be possible but great care is advised to avoid the hole in the wall situation.
Stone Walls
This will be a very difficult plumbing job as stone can be very hard to channel into, not impossible but difficult. The stone will also present challenges for fixing the basin to the wall as the mountings need to be secure enough to support the weight of the basin and pedestal plus taps.
Simple Solution.
There's normally a solution to these practical challenges, and in this case its fairly simple. By building a stud wall infront of the existing solid wall, space can be created for your pipework. This stud work doesn't need to be very deep, just enough to conceal the plumbing. Of course if there is enough space available then the stud wall can be made big enough to either provide a shelf above the basin, or storage niches if you want to build it full height. Remember this will need to also provide adequate grounds for the basin fixings, to ensure the installation is secure. See: how to fit a semi pedestal basin
Stud Walls.
The hollow construction of a stud wall makes it an easy job to conceal all the required pipework, The internal gap in the wall will be enough to accommodate the waste pipe and the hot and cold feeds without any issue, but it will likely be necessary to remove a section or the plasterboard or facing board to allow for routing the pipes, and also it's very important again to ensure adequate grounds for mounting the basin.
External walls
Any external wall with the exception of stone, will normally be fine for installing a semi pedestal basin. Where a wall is cavity construction, the pipes are being channeled into the inner wall, and this can normally be achieved without too much fuss. Where possible, the waste pipe can be taken straight out to the exterior. It just needs some connection to the house drainage to be located within reach. External walls also provide good secure fixings for supporting your basin.
If your external walls are stone, a small stud as above will provide a solution.
Some examples of semi pedestal basins:
