# Bath to walk in shower.... questions



## Dave7 (10 May 2021)

Never thought it would happen but health dictates.
Do I go local or are any of the BIG companies worth trying.
My thinking is that with the BIG companies that is what they do so 'should' have good ideas.
We all know of these salesmen who quote eg £10K.......then phone the boss to find today's special offer is £2K....... don't want that.


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## fossyant (10 May 2021)

Local all the time


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## Kingfisher101 (10 May 2021)

My mother was quoted 2K for this job a few years ago.
I'd get 3 quotes from local people I've had good success with Tradespeople I've got off My Builder. You post the job then interested people reply and you can see their feedback etc. They all have been great who I've had and I've not been ripped off.


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## Phaeton (10 May 2021)

@Dave7 I don't think it's just health issues, I think it's the sign of the times, I'm looking at exactly that currently, we took our bath out a few years ago & then considered selling the property, 2 of the estates agents came round & said, 3 bed house, that's a family house they will expect a bath so we put one back, then decided not to sell . But now it's more acceptable especially if on a water meter, but as always the best thing is recommendation, failing that, MyBuilder, Checkatrade, or one of the websites, if you can be bothered to get several quotes.


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## oldwheels (10 May 2021)

We removed the bath as my wife could not manage getting in or out even with assistance so opted for what is called a semi wet room with shower. This meant ripping the whole interior out and lining the walls and the floor upturned all round so no water can escape. There is a curtained bit at the shower but only one side needs to be used. Very practical. It is a very small room anyway but we got local tradesmen to do the job at about £7000 about 7 years ago.
I find shower cabinets are a PITA as they are very restricting.


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## vickster (10 May 2021)

Local. Ask friends or neighbours for plumber recommendations


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## Electric_Andy (10 May 2021)

Yes I'd always go local. My partner had this done but as part of a help for heroes grant (or similar). She just has one permanent (immovable) screen and it works well. In a smaller room, I think a shower tray is a trip hazard so best left open IMHO


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## Phaeton (10 May 2021)

@oldwheels assuming this is upstairs how did they deal with the doorway? I'd like to go wet room type, but always thought you had to have a slight slope to get rid of the water to the drain?


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## ClichéGuevara (10 May 2021)

Phaeton said:


> @oldwheels assuming this is upstairs how did they deal with the doorway? I'd like to go wet room type, but always thought you had to have a slight slope to get rid of the water to the drain?



If you position the shower right, a small rubber flap on the door and an appropriate joint on the threshold would do the job.


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## T4tomo (10 May 2021)

Phaeton said:


> @oldwheels assuming this is upstairs how did they deal with the doorway? I'd like to go wet room type, but always thought you had to have a slight slope to get rid of the water to the drain?


you do need a slope somewhere. 
if you need wheelchair access then that's the only was to go, if you can cope with a stem then a small step upto a long large gently sloped shower tray in a corner think shower area and drying off are , with one fixed glass wall 2/3 length at the shower end maybe a better was to go, otherwise your floor is always wet all over the whole room, which is a PITA if you only pop in to clean your teeth and get your feet wet or slip on a wet floor.


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## PK99 (10 May 2021)

oldwheels said:


> I find shower cabinets are a PITA as they are very restricting.



We have a large rectangular/corner cut-off cabinet/enclosure. ie effectively double the size of a large square enclosure.

Not restricting at all - plenty of room for two !


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## Tenkaykev (10 May 2021)

I'd certainly go local. I'd be very wary of the big companies, they may not have their own team of installers and just sub out the installation work as cheaply as they can.


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## oldwheels (10 May 2021)

ClichéGuevara said:


> If you position the shower right, a small rubber flap on the door and an appropriate joint on the threshold would do the job.


It is a ground floor installation I have and the shower is about 6ft away from the door. There is a tray about 4ft square under the floor covering which slopes to the drain. There is a 3ft high door and two curtains but only one is needed and the water gets nowhere outside the immediate shower area. 
I have been in other wet rooms with no barrier or curtain and the water does spread in those cases.


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## icowden (10 May 2021)

Dave7 said:


> Do I go local or are any of the BIG companies worth trying.



One of the key factors in this is how you want to pay for it. If you have the money then probably a local company to fit exactly what you want. If you need to pay for it over 4 years on 0% finance however, then you are going to need to use a big company.


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## Pale Rider (10 May 2021)

My local authority has a list of approved contractors for this type of work.

Your authority may be the same.

Still no guarantee, but a lot less chancy than sticking a pin in Checkatrade.

I recently did something similar, ripping out the bath for a shower.

My bathroom is ground floor which made a walk-in more of an option.

The builder, who was on the council list and a lapsed acquaintance (this being Sunderland), told me the walk ins were OK, but seemed to get tatty and grubby faster than others.

And he wanted to dig up the concrete floor to make a gradient, adding more costs.

The solution in my case was a large tray surrounded on three sides by custom made white polycarbonate sheet.

That's floor to ceiling, tied in, and solid as a rock.

I was advised the clear plastic cabinets from the DIY sheds are to be avoided.

Inevitably, there's a step on mine of a few inches to get in, which a younger fit person would barely notice.

Could be a problem if my mobility declines a great deal more.

By the way, there's no window on the right hand side, that's just a reflection off all the shiny new surfaces.


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## Phaeton (10 May 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> My bathroom is ground floor which made a walk-in more of an option.


This is one of my concerns, 10 years ago we had to have a new kitchen ceiling where the previous shower cubicle had leaked,


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## ClichéGuevara (10 May 2021)

Phaeton said:


> This is one of my concerns, 10 years ago we had to have a new kitchen ceiling where the previous shower cubicle had leaked,



My concern wasn't so much the cubicle, which after all, is simply a shallow bath, even if it's the full floor, it was more the pipework underneath in the event a joint or something fails. At least with a bath, you can take a side panel off, but with a walk in shower, once the floor/base is down, you're pretty much living on hope, especially upstairs.


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## Pale Rider (10 May 2021)

Phaeton said:


> This is one of my concerns, 10 years ago we had to have a new kitchen ceiling where the previous shower cubicle had leaked,



Running water is great, but it can be a ruddy nuisance in houses, particularly upstairs.

The current fashion for en-suites, spare bathrooms, and several toilets/ hand basins adds to the risk.


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