I did have one further question on choosing the glass for upstairs bathroom windows: does anyone know if Satin glass (or Pilkington Opal?) is any good compared to regular patterns?
Short answer - Satin glass is brilliant. Give Pilkington a ring and ask for a sample.
Longer answer - It blurs everything more than about six inches away into obscurity.
I've got upstairs road facing windows using it and I cannot make out there is a house on the other side of the road, it all blurs into a sheen.
Downstairs I've got front windows with upper clear panes and satin lower frames. The hedge is about five feet away and through the lower panes you can only make out the green on a really bright day.
As I've used clear and satin in one frame, it does give the option of having a roller blind which can give complete privacy along with plenty of light by half lowering the blinds, a dark room with the blind fully down for TV time and even more light when we're all dressed and decent.
You could jam your bottom against it and that would show from outside, no much else will though.
For dull reasons to do with fire control, I've also got windows using pattern glass that face next doors fence which is just under 1 metre away. I can make out the fence, next doors house and the sky, there is no comparison between the two.
Regards,
B.