What is the best place for the walk in shower?

[Sharons]

Hello all,

I want to help my mum future proof her bathroom by removing the bathtub and putting in a walk in shower.

I have measurements and some photos. We want to use the existing plumbing, and my original suggestion is the attached sketch with red marking the new placement of the shower and vanity. The idea is to allow enough room for disabled access (walker/wheelchair dimensions). The window (adjoins the garage) in the photo would need to be filled in or tiled around? And how high is high enough to tile the shower area? Any ideas/suggestions much appreciated in advance.

Sharon.new placementcurrent layout

[Jason]

Hi @Sharons,

Let me extend a very warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're so pleased to have you join us and look forward to seeing how you can transform your laundry.

Our resident bathroom expert @EricL would love to assist you. I've tagged him and I'm sure he will get back to you as soon as possible.

Let me also see if experienced community members @prettyliving, @TedBear and @tom_builds might like to share their thoughts.

Thanks.

Jason

[EricL]

Hello @Sharons 

It's wonderful to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about where is the best spot for a walk-in shower. 

I think your proposed layout is spot on. I only have a few suggested additions to your proposal. I recommend having a look at this guide - How to plan a bathroom renovation by @Adam_W. I'm sure you'll find a lot of useful tips that you'll be able to apply to your project.

• If the budget allows it, change your swing door to a sliding door. It will be easier to maneuver if the person using it has a walker.
• Make sure that the shower has a lot of handholds. If the person using it is sitting down, they will need handholds to sit and get up.
• Allow for multiple locations of shower heads. One for standing up and one for sitting down.  I suggest putting in a shower and soap recess in the wall so that it will be easy for the person sitting down to reach them.
• I recommend putting in a wall-hanging vanity. In case there is a flood or water spills outside the shower area, the vanity will be safe from water damage.

I placed the towel rail close to the entry of the shower so that they can quickly get a towel and not have to walk too far to get one. My number one tip is to put in an HPM 3 In 1 LED Light With Exhaust Fan And 2 Instant Heat lamps. I've placed some sketches below for you to have a look at. If you would like it in another configuration, please let me know. If you have any other questions about your project, please don't hesitate to post them. Our members would be more than happy to provide advice and information.

Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: Top 10 most popular bathroom projects 

Let me tag our experienced members @prettyliving and @lifestylebymari for their thoughts on how to configure your walk-in shower.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[tom_builds]

Hi @Sharons ,

Welcome to the community.

Looks like @EricL has done a great job of mocking up some designs for you, and I agree with him that you have probably got the location of the shower and vanity spot on for that space. If you end up going for a walk in design where the shower area is simply separated by a screen, you would only need to tile to the height of that screen.

To avoid having to fill in the window, I would suggest having the shower head plumbed into the adjacent wall (it is going to require a plumber to raise the current pipework up to shower level anyway so taking it around the corner won't be too much extra work). The taps could stay on the same wall that they currently are on.

Configuring it this way will let you put the shower head in the middle of the wall space, rather than having to squeeze it in next to the window. It would also allow a shower seat to be placed directly under the shower head with the taps protruding into the space, as they would be off to the side.

Keen to see the end product, bathroom renos always make for great transformations.

Best of luck!

[Sharons]

Hi Jason and thank you for the warm welcome. I have already received messages with advice, suggestions and helpful pics from Eric, which I've forwarded to my mum, who is as impressed as I am with how helpful it is to have visuals like these

Sharon.

[Sharons]

Hi Eric,

Thank you for the images, they really help with the visualisation. I've forwarded everything to my mum (she's in QLD, I'm in NSW). I love the idea of a three in one light/exhaust and heat lamp, and the soap recess/niche. Mum currently has a detachable shower head and wants that in the new shower, instead of a fixed one. We're wondering if there should be two cradles, one above the tap/taps and one on the adjacent wall? 

Sharon.

[Sharons]

@tom_builds 

Hi Tom,

I agree that Eric has done a great job, It's so very helpful. I'm glad you said that tiling can go only as far as the top of the screen, because mum doesn't want tiling to the ceiling. I like the idea of putting the shower head on the adjacent wall to the tap/taps, but mum loves her detachable shower head, so maybe we need to go with two cradles? 

Sharon.