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In the recent years we can see dramatically increased popularity of wet rooms and walk in showers around the country. Just look at the graph below.
And there is no surprise to that. Both of these solutions offer modern look, are low maintenance and have simple shower access. No doors, just wide entry. Making it perfect answer for people with limited mobility.
Another important point here is that both are “small bathroom friendly” and this is what most of us in England are dealing with. The average bathroom size in the UK is 2m x 2.5m, which is kind of ok, but I don’t know a person who wouldn’t want few extra inches of space.
What else? Aside of they are both ideal for small bathrooms they do add a little bit of this luxurious feeling, you just have to admit it. Especially wet rooms, but even walk in showers can be really classy if done right.
And now we come to the place where you begin to wonder “right, they’re both great and all, but what is the damn difference between the two?”
It’s actually pretty simple and I have explained everything below, so please bear with me a little bit longer.
The main difference between a wet room and walk in shower is simply how the very bottom of the two mentioned designs is finished. The wet rooms are usually an open plan where the floor right under the shower is altered with a slight gradient to allow water to flow toward drainage.
The walk in shower is a bit different.
This solution includes a shower tray that is installed right or almost right at the floor level. Simply speaking. Wet room is all one bathroom floor, with drainage.
In some sources you might also find that walk in showers usually have glass screen, whereas wet rooms don’t. It might be partially true, but it’s not how you distinguish these two designs.
It’s also not the shower head or anything else.
I would say the latter is a little bit more luxurious and better looking, but at the same time it is more expensive. On the flip side the former can be also done in a fantastic way to make it look classy and saving you few extra quid.
The main reason why the price will be higher is because in case of wet room the entire floor needs to be waterproofed.
Otherwise you are risking some heavy damages, especially if it’s on the first floor and above.
No matter what solution you will decide fits you best you are able to achieve this wow factor, so you can impress your friends and relatives.
I would personally go for wet rooms, despite the price and more work it involves in general.
It will definitely increase your house value and can be a massive selling point if you decide to put on the market. As shown on the graph at the beginning this something people are looking for.
As already mentioned above either wet room or walk in shower are easy access areas. That makes them definitely a great solution for someone with limited mobility or disabled people.
In some cases this daily activity in bathroom or regular showers might be very problematic.
Both of the designs we are describing here are probably the safest and most practical showering options. Thanks to lack of high step in case of regular shower the access is super easy.
Not to even mention what sort of challenge a bath can be.
WetRoom or walk in shower are easy access areas. That makes them a great solution for someone with #limitedMobility or disabled people. #dreamBathroom
Again, wet rooms have a little bit of an advantage over walk in showers. Since the latter is still a shower its tray can be rather slippery. This can lead to dangerous situations and injuries for someone with limited mobility or their caregiver.
Wet rooms are basically all floor and you get to choose what sort of floor tiles you want. These can be slip-resistant floor tiles.
If you have enough space you can even get in and out with a wheelchair, not a problem.
And it doesn’t stop here. There are loads of additions you can install to make every day just a little bit easier. It starts with well known grab rails, high or low sinks, up to shower seats.
The good news are you can apply for disabled facility grant if you or someone you live with in your property is disabled. There few side conditions: you be a tenant or the owner and have an intention of living there for at least five years. You can find all the details you need right here.
First of all we should establish how small a small bathroom actually is and how small can a wet room be.
The average bathroom in UK is around five square metres. We have heard of the smallest wet room done in 1.5m x 1.5m so 2.25 square metres. That’s super small.
I believe the smallest floor former you can get is 800mm x 800mm and minimum recommended size of the shower area is 700mm x 700mm. In case of the 1.5m x 1.5m room you still have a bit of margin to play.
This should allow you to install a toilet seat and small basin.
Just in case of super small rooms like the one described above I would recommend to install glass shower screen. Otherwise you will have to wipe down the toilet seat every single time. Bear in mind you might have to hang it on hinges.
Besides you have to “hide” your towels somehow, unless you like using soggy towels 😉
Small bathroom is not a disaster, it only means you have to be more creative and try to find solutions that will give you these few inches of extra space here and there.
Since we are on the same side here and most of us are fighting pretty much the same battle below you can find some really cool designs. I am hundred percent positive you will something you like or at least to inspire you.
You can also come up with your own design. Or just give us a call and we will be more than happy to provide you a tailored solution for your specific needs.
https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/bathroom-ideas-and-inspiration/6-awesome-wet-room-ideas
https://victoriaplum.com/blog/posts/4-great-wet-room-ideas
If you made it all the way down to here I am truly honoured. If you just skipped to this part it’s still ok 🙂 cause this question right here, ladies and gentlemen, is a result of probably the biggest lie you could and most likely still can hear about wet rooms.
Let’s end it once and for all – you can install wet room on any floor you would wish to.
The ground floor, first floor, second floor, all of them. The reason why it wasn’t “advised” by some so called specialist is the potential leak on the ceiling below.
But guess what? If you are doing a wetroom the whole floor should be waterproofed. So if someone is telling you something like this you should run away.
You can install #wetRoom on any floor you would wish to. The ground floor, first floor, second floor, all of them. Just make sure it's #waterproofed #dreamBathroom
Only because you can’t see the damages on ground floor doesn’t mean it’s done right! Despite what floor your wetroom will be it has to be properly sealed. Period.
I can only feel sorry for people who got convinced to create a wetroom on the ground floor only to discover in what poor condition their floor was after few years. Ouch!
Just to sum things up – if you would like to have a wetroom upstairs you surely can. There are many examples in real life you probably haven’t even realised. Just think about all these a bit more top-notch hotels.
If they do have wetrooms they are available on every floor. You can have yours even in your newly converted loft.
Everything You did not Know About Loft Conversions Have you noticed that recently almost everyone has done or is planning to do a loft conversion?
Just make sure everything is waterproofed as it should be for the reasons I have already mentioned above.
Wet rooms are not the easiest things to do around and inside of your house and since it’s quite a lot of work I would recommend hiring a professional. This way it will be done fairly quick and most importantly done right.
Please don’t take it personally, there are just plenty of “moving parts” that could go wrong and if you don’t have enough experience it might not be worth the effort. Even worse, you can expose yourself for extra costs.
However, the cost of just installing a wetroom is usually between £5,000 and £10,000. With tanking, floor to ceiling tiles and few additional things it will be from £7,000to even £40,000. So from financial point of view it might make sense.
If you still want to give a go here you can find few tips and helpful video.
Additional things to bear in mind
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