Wet Rooms

[Zen83237]

I haven't seen anything good written about wet rooms (in our climate at least) but they seem a good idea but appreciate that my experience is limited to those in a hot climate. Does anybody have anything good to say about them? I want to build a second toilet/shower room at the back of a garage, off of a kitchen extenson. This would effectively be a new build. The only other problem that I have is there a max width of 6ft 6ins and I still have to maintain access from the front to the back of the house.

Kevin

[Frank Erskine]

In what way?

Seriously - I'm curious about this. Probably the closest that I've experienced is the shower room at the local "aquatic centre" and I don't really consider it any better than my shower at home in the bathroom.

[Dave Liquorice]

You must have more than the standard(ish) 800mm square shower enclosure then. They are much too small for me. If I lift a leg to wash a foot it has to be on the diagonal and my bum still hits the enclosure. As for bending over to pick up the dropped soap, forget it. Have maneuver into the right place so a squat gets you into the right position.

A proper wet room is a much better place, plenty of room, just squeegee down the floor afterwards. Trouble with this country is that it isn't warm and dry (as in humidity) enough, partly from the comfort POV and from the floor not drying completely in the hour or less it does in a warm/dry climate. Damp and mold would be a problem unless you had underfloor heating and decent ventilation.

[robgraham]

Totally agree with Dave, and I agree with his downside comments too. U/F heating would be great but we've a towel rail and a humidity sensing fan and they do an adequate job. With all the freedom to move in our shower I really do not like having a shower in other peoples' houses.

Slope the tiled floor towards the sunken shower tray - shallow slope just enough to make the water run, use floor tiles with nobbles on them so you don't slip and either sink a shower tray into the floor or create a recessed area (40mm deep) as I did with the tiles. Room is

1500 by 1700 and includes a corner sink and a toilet. You do have to remember to put the cludgie seat down when showering - nobody likes a wet bum - and if it's an electric shower on the same mains supply, don't flush the toilet before showering !

Rob

[Jerome Meekings]

no need for either a sunken shower tray or a recessed area. The slope on the tiles is enough.

Having lived for the last 18 years with wet rooms in Japan and Thailand. The only problems are mold if you don't cleen them often enough

[Rod]

At school we had a bathroom. A room with something like 24 baths in it. And a great big trough/drain around the edge (I'd guess 18 inches deep and 9 inches across). And water flow/pressure that could fill a bath to overflowing in maybe a minute or so. Now that was what I call a wet room. :-)

The problem here was that the wet bits (e.g. the drain trough) remained wet long after use and became a bit sniffy. Despite large opening windows and a through draught better suited to a windmill.