Should we have the new suite fitted before or after tiling a bathroom and how can we get a bath panel tiled?

i agree with michael although we would probably use tile backer board instead of plywood for the bath panel

You would need the bath or shower tray fitted first with only the pipework done for the toilet, basin & radiator/towel rail which would then be fitted after the tiling is completed to give you the best possible finish. As for the bath panel, a timber frame with 9mm plywood would be fitted to the bath leaving enough depth for tile & adhesive to leave a flush finish. Some sort of access hatch into the bath panel would also be advisable. Hope this helps Michael

I would agree with Michael also apart from the thickness of the ply. It has to be minimum of 15mm thick by British standards. Be careful though as some adhesive manufacturers will recommend a minimum of 18mm. Because of the minimum thicknesses follow Advanced Tilings recommendation of a tle backer board. For the bath access panel you can get magnetic plates which are brilliant for easy access and look far better than screws with caps on as you can't see the plates.