How can I add shower and bathtub in my laundry?

[mmd22]

Hello everyone 

After doing some small project, I am planning a bigger project for me with some professional help .

In my Laundry, I have a toilet already and would like to add a shower screen /bathtub   in the laundry as second shower if possible.

It is small sizing 2080 x 1760. So I am thinking  shower laundry combo.

Does not have any water outlet on the floor . Not sure when was it done , but probably between 2004- 2010. So Can not find similar tiles , Water outlet just outside of the window and  behind the washing machine .

I am thinking to remove the cabinet and overhead cabinet and have the shower screen there . Pet the washing machine under  benchtop and  make the sink smaller . Also thinking to cover up / decreased the window size so can have cupboard there .

I am happy not to have Dryer there .

I would like to get your advice on these how would  you do this and how can we plan the floor ?

Is there anyone in this community has done this sort project on small area ? 

Any advice would be appreciated .

Thank you .

[MitchellMc]

Hi @mmd22,

My main concern with your idea is that if you put the shower opposite the toilet, then there's not going to be much room in front of your legs when using it. If it's a 900mm shower, that's only 190mm from the front of the bowl, which is barely enough room to get your feet in there.

What about putting the shower where the washer and dryer currently are, right next to the door?  You have 960mm there, and the shower should easily fit. If you were to remove the lower cabinetry, you could place the washer and add the benchtop above it. If you removed the upper cabinet, you could wall-mount the dryer. You'd then have plenty of room on the wall between the toilet and shower for your sink.

Alternatively, if you did want to stick with your plan, it might be worth considering turning the toilet so its back is on the adjacent wall and your feet will be facing the sink.

You might like to have a read through these helpful guides: How to plan a laundry renovation and How to plan a bathroom renovation.

The first thing you need to do is determine what waterproofing has been done in this laundry. Since it doesn't have a waste outlet on the floor, it makes me think that this room has potentially not been waterproofed. If it hasn't, you'd be looking at removing the existing tiles and establishing a waterproofing layer. It would be best to employ the services of a qualified waterproofer to assess the situation. Given the large cost involved, it would be best to find out about the waterproofing sooner rather than later.

I look forward to following along with your project, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[mmd22]

@MitchellMc 

Thank you for your valuable advise .We are also thinking to have shower right next to door .

but If I put sink next to shower how waste water can go out from washing machine ? 

What is the way to find out about waterproofing ? 

Thank you

[Jason]

Hi @mmd22,

Mitch is away until Friday, but as he previously mentioned, I would strongly encourage you to engage the services of a professional with expertise in waterproofing. 

Let me tag @MikeTNZ and @Jewelleryrescue for their thoughts. 

Jason

[EricL]

Hello @mmd22

It's great that you've received excellent advice from @MitchellMc. All your plumbing connections will need to be extended if you are transferring your washing machine and laundry tub to the other side of the room. The waste pipe will need to be extended to the other side as well. Your plumber will probably recommend cutting into the concrete so that you can place a PVC connecting piece to your existing waste. 

My only other suggestion for your proposed revamp is to change your door to a sliding barn door so that you can use the existing space in front of the laundry tub. One of the things you will need to consider is the space between your laundry tub and the shower door. If for example, you placed a shower by the window that occupies a space of 865mm and is facing the laundry tub that occupies a space of 600mm you'll be left with a gap of conservatively 295mm.

In order to avoid that small gap, I suggest moving the laundry tub out of the bathroom. You'll then be left with the washer and dryer with room to walk in. I've placed an image below to give you an idea of what it could possibly look like. ? Due to the lack of more space, I recommend considering moving the entire laundry set up to the garage if possible.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[MikeTNZ]

Hi @mmd22,

As an Electrician, I have some reservations about this.

First off, if you are going to install a shower in a room where there was none before, this opens you up to a series of issues with "Electrical equipment in damp areas".

For a start, you are going to need some sort of an extraction fan to remove the moisture from the shower and the room and it is recommended that there be some sort of a "run-on timer" so that it carries on after the shower has been turned off, say 5 minutes.

Secondly, be very careful about where you put the shower in this room, your light fittings, switches and any socket-outlets must be IP rated, their rating depends on their location within the room.

Get yourself a really good Electrician and discuss this with them before you do anything, this is a must, if you change things first, no Electrician will carry out work like this in a room that has had it's use changed, we have to certify our work which is a large personal liability on us.

I'm not trying to be the bad guy here, I want this to go as smoothly as possible, engage your tradies as early as you can on a project like this, they

know the rules and will advise you as such.

Cheers,

Mike T.

[mmd22]

Thank you everyone for your input . It seems going to be difficult job .

I will contact some trades now to see what they say if it is possible to do oy or not ?

Thank you again .