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Bathroom Conversions:
We are looking into getting our bathroom
adapted for my wife who has difficulties with
walking. The builder has suggested what he
calls a “Wet room”. He says this is the newest
thing for disabled people and the best solution.
Does anybody have any experience of this?
What are the pros and cons?
Posted by Michael 31.10.06
We are looking into getting our bathroom
adapted for my wife who has difficulties with
walking. The builder has suggested what he
calls a “Wet room”. He says this is the newest
thing for disabled people and the best solution.
Does anybody have any experience of this?
What are the pros and cons?
Posted by Michael 31.10.06
Response:
My friend had a wet room fitted a few years back
and the whole bathroom floor stayed wet all day in
the winter and this made it difficult when he went
to the toilet. He was not able to clean up after a
shower. He ended up getting it taken out and a
shower tray fitted. It was all very expensive. Wet
rooms may be good for some but you need to
know what you are getting into.
Posted by M.J 1.11.06.
My friend had a wet room fitted a few years back
and the whole bathroom floor stayed wet all day in
the winter and this made it difficult when he went
to the toilet. He was not able to clean up after a
shower. He ended up getting it taken out and a
shower tray fitted. It was all very expensive. Wet
rooms may be good for some but you need to
know what you are getting into.
Posted by M.J 1.11.06.
Bathroom Conversions
Response:
Wet rooms are very popular at the moment. The advantage of a wet room is there is no change in evel in the bathroom floor, no steps or
edges of a shower tray to negotiate thus making it easy to get into the shower area if you use a wheeled shower chair, or maybe using a
shower chair in the future. Wet rooms are also good if you have limited space in your bathroom. Some of the other considerations are how
is the water going to get away and are you going to use any kind of screening, curtaining or doors to stop the water encroaching into the
rest of the bathroom.
Also if your space is limited will you need to use the area that is wet to access the toilet or wash-hand basin and if you do how will you dry
the area. If your shower area is to be in an open area consideration should be made as to where grab rails could be fitted now or in the
future. The flooring for a wet room is specialist such as 'Altro Walkway' and will need to be fitted by a specialist fitter. It can be quite costly.
Posted by Karen (Occupational Therapist) 1.11.06
Response:
Has Michael looked at all the options that are available to assist disabled people in the bathroom? Wet Rooms can be very expensive.
They are also a specialist installation. Not something for an amateur because of the need to get perfect seals and good gradients on the
floor to ensure good drainage. Wet rooms may be the best option for some people but they are not the best answer for everybody. If a
person can manage to step into a shower, (perhaps with the aid of hand rails) and there is enough space in the bathroom, a low level
access shower with a shower tray may sometimes be best. Does Michael have space to keep his bath and have a wet room as well?
If not, is he sure that getting rid of the bath is best? Has he looked at various seats and motorised lifts to help disabled people use a bath?
What I am saying is that Wet Rooms may be modern. They may be good but they are not the only answer for mobility problems and they
may not be the best. It depends on the needs of the disabled person, the size of the bathroom and the structure of the home. It is a lot of
money to spend and it makes sense to look at all the options before deciding.
Posted by John (specialist bathroom fitter) 1.11.06.
Response:
We bought a battery operated bath chair for £400. It did not need installing and it was working as soon as we received it. There is a
safety feature stopping it putting you in the bath if there is not enough charge to get you out again but it lasts for about 20 lifts between
charges. This solved our problem cheaply and without disruption. You do need to be able to get your legs over the side of the bath, though.
Select this external link for details: [ Bath Chair ]
Editor: There is a large variety of lifts and seats available from various manufacturers.
Response:
My advice to Michael would be “go for the Wet Room”. I spent a fortune having a really good en suite shower put in my bedroom when I
injured my back and could not get in the bath. 5 years later, my back has got worse, I may be looking at needing a wheelchair and I can’t
step over the edge of the shower tray, so I wasted all that money on the en suite shower. Disabilities have a way of getting worse so when
you are spending big money, it is as well to think what you are likely to need a few years in the future.
Posted by Gary 3.11.06.
Response:
Michael, have you asked your local Social Services or your local Council for advice? If your wife has a disability she has the right to an
assessment of her needs. One advantage of this could be that you would get independent advice from an expert who has knowledge both
of disability and what is available to meet your wife’s needs without the pressure of feeling somebody wants to sell you something. You
would have no obligation to take the advice if you did not agree with what was said. It is also possible that if her disability warrants it, she
may be able to apply to your local council for a Disabled Facilities Grant to help pay for something such as a bathroom conversion.
For information on Occupational Therapy assessments please select the following link: [ OT ]
Response:
A low level access shower can be ramped for wheelchair access. You then have the advantages of wheelchair access but you can also
have a shower tray and a more conventional installation. This does away with some of the drawbacks of a wet room and can sometimes
be a bit easier and cheaper to install. Posted by John 5.11.06.
Response:
We have been reading your site and we think is really good. In the messages about bathrooms, you say that Social Services can help and
there are grants. Unfortunately, our experience is that you can ask but can you wait that long? A while back, my mum, who is in her 70s
and has very bad arthritis, was kept waiting for months for an assessment to see what was best in the bathroom. In the end my brother,
sister and I clubbed together and got her an over bath shower and seat. Don’t get me wrong. We were happy to help our mum but it would
have helped if Social Services had just said they could not help. Then we would have known what to do. Posted by D 10.11.06.
Response:
Has Michael looked at all the options that are available to assist disabled people in the bathroom? Wet Rooms can be very expensive.
They are also a specialist installation. Not something for an amateur because of the need to get perfect seals and good gradients on the
floor to ensure good drainage. Wet rooms may be the best option for some people but they are not the best answer for everybody. If a
person can manage to step into a shower, (perhaps with the aid of hand rails) and there is enough space in the bathroom, a low level
access shower with a shower tray may sometimes be best. Does Michael have space to keep his bath and have a wet room as well?
If not, is he sure that getting rid of the bath is best? Has he looked at various seats and motorised lifts to help disabled people use a bath?
What I am saying is that Wet Rooms may be modern. They may be good but they are not the only answer for mobility problems and they
may not be the best. It depends on the needs of the disabled person, the size of the bathroom and the structure of the home. It is a lot of
money to spend and it makes sense to look at all the options before deciding.
Posted by John (specialist bathroom fitter) 1.11.06.
Response:
We bought a battery operated bath chair for £400. It did not need installing and it was working as soon as we received it. There is a
safety feature stopping it putting you in the bath if there is not enough charge to get you out again but it lasts for about 20 lifts between
charges. This solved our problem cheaply and without disruption. You do need to be able to get your legs over the side of the bath, though.
Select this external link for details: [ Bath Chair ]
Editor: There is a large variety of lifts and seats available from various manufacturers.
Response:
My advice to Michael would be “go for the Wet Room”. I spent a fortune having a really good en suite shower put in my bedroom when I
injured my back and could not get in the bath. 5 years later, my back has got worse, I may be looking at needing a wheelchair and I can’t
step over the edge of the shower tray, so I wasted all that money on the en suite shower. Disabilities have a way of getting worse so when
you are spending big money, it is as well to think what you are likely to need a few years in the future.
Posted by Gary 3.11.06.
Response:
Michael, have you asked your local Social Services or your local Council for advice? If your wife has a disability she has the right to an
assessment of her needs. One advantage of this could be that you would get independent advice from an expert who has knowledge both
of disability and what is available to meet your wife’s needs without the pressure of feeling somebody wants to sell you something. You
would have no obligation to take the advice if you did not agree with what was said. It is also possible that if her disability warrants it, she
may be able to apply to your local council for a Disabled Facilities Grant to help pay for something such as a bathroom conversion.
For information on Occupational Therapy assessments please select the following link: [ OT ]
Response:
A low level access shower can be ramped for wheelchair access. You then have the advantages of wheelchair access but you can also
have a shower tray and a more conventional installation. This does away with some of the drawbacks of a wet room and can sometimes
be a bit easier and cheaper to install. Posted by John 5.11.06.
Response:
We have been reading your site and we think is really good. In the messages about bathrooms, you say that Social Services can help and
there are grants. Unfortunately, our experience is that you can ask but can you wait that long? A while back, my mum, who is in her 70s
and has very bad arthritis, was kept waiting for months for an assessment to see what was best in the bathroom. In the end my brother,
sister and I clubbed together and got her an over bath shower and seat. Don’t get me wrong. We were happy to help our mum but it would
have helped if Social Services had just said they could not help. Then we would have known what to do. Posted by D 10.11.06.
For Disabled Living Foundation’s "Bathing made easy" service which contains detailed,impartial information on over 1,400
personal care items, select the following link: [ Bathing ]
Response from Michael
Thank you for all the responses to my message. Most of the information was new to me so it has been very helpful indeed and much more
than I expected. In fact I have received more help through this than I have received throughout the time my wife’s health has been
troublesome. I am very grateful to everybody. Posted by Michael 4.11.06.
Thank you for all the responses to my message. Most of the information was new to me so it has been very helpful indeed and much more
than I expected. In fact I have received more help through this than I have received throughout the time my wife’s health has been
troublesome. I am very grateful to everybody. Posted by Michael 4.11.06.
Response:
You definitely need to make sure you get somebody who is experienced. We had an ordinary shower with a shower tray installed for my
disabled husband. We had no grants or anything. We just got it done because we could not wait for an assessment. We had to call the
man back 3 times to try to fix leaks and in the end had to get in somebody else to put it right. It would have been better if we had waited for
an OT assessment because the shower, which cost quite a lot of money, is not really suitable for my husband. We did not realise that until
it was finished and working. Posted by KB 16.11.06.
Response:
I think your site is excellent. I am reading the bathroom messages with interest because I do not understand how a Wet room works.
Can somebody please explain it for me? Many thanks. Posted by CT 17.11.06
You definitely need to make sure you get somebody who is experienced. We had an ordinary shower with a shower tray installed for my
disabled husband. We had no grants or anything. We just got it done because we could not wait for an assessment. We had to call the
man back 3 times to try to fix leaks and in the end had to get in somebody else to put it right. It would have been better if we had waited for
an OT assessment because the shower, which cost quite a lot of money, is not really suitable for my husband. We did not realise that until
it was finished and working. Posted by KB 16.11.06.
Response:
I think your site is excellent. I am reading the bathroom messages with interest because I do not understand how a Wet room works.
Can somebody please explain it for me? Many thanks. Posted by CT 17.11.06
Response
A wetroom is a room with shower, but there is no cubicle. Many have a glass screen to keep part of the room dry so that a toilet and hand
basin can be used in a dry area. It is important the wetroom is installed by an expert. Two keys to a successful wetroom are floor drainage
and the seals. The whole room needs to be made waterproof. The floor may need to be strengthened and raised by around 5cm to
accommodate waste fittings. The floor must be rigid with a small slope towards the shower waste to ensure that the water drains away.
The slopes of the wet area can be created using a pre-formed liner but it is also possible to fashion the slopes from plywood which is bent
under stress. Walls are tiled and the entire area is covered in a flooring such as Altro. Good seals are crucial. Editor 18.11.06.
Response: Wet Rooms
I would not recommend the “bent ply-wood” method of making the gradients for wet rooms unless the contractors really do know what they
are doing. This was the method used in my bathroom when I had it converted with a DFG grant. The water did not drain away and I was
left with various pools of water because of dips in the plywood. The contractors seemed to think it would be easy for me, a permanent
wheelchair user with both upper and lower body deficits, to simply mop the water away and dry the floor every time I had a shower. The
alternative they offered was to get “my Carer” to do it. The fact I do not have a carer on hand every hour of the day when I might want or
need to take a shower did not seem to enter their heads. The installation also leaked badly into the kitchen below, handily filling the kitchen
light fitting with water. It would have been great if it had blown all the fuses, including the lift ones and left me stranded on the top floor. It
could even have been worse than that. It took almost a year to get it sorted out and then it was done by a different contractor who put in a
pre-formed liner instead of the bent ply-wood. Posted by N 17.12.06
Response
Do you live in Surrey? Did you use a Home Improvement Agency?
Editor 19.12.06
Response
No to both questions. I do not live in Surrey but close. Because the local Home Improvement Agency charges a fee I thought this would
take up part of my grant that I would need for the rest of the conversions. Also I thought I was perfectly capable of handling the
situation. On reflection it might have been a good idea.
Posted by N 27.12.06
I would not recommend the “bent ply-
left with various pools of water because of dips in the plywood. The contractors seemed to think it would be easy for me, a permanent
wheelchair user with both upper and lower body deficits, to simply mop the water away and dry the floor every time I had a shower. The
alternative they offered was to get “my Carer” to do it. The fact I do not have a carer on hand every hour of the day when I might want or
need to take a shower did not seem to enter their heads. The installation also leaked badly into the kitchen below, handily filling the kitchen
light fitting with water. It would have been great if it had blown all the fuses, including the lift ones and left me stranded on the top floor. It
could even have been worse than that. It took almost a year to get it sorted out and then it was done by a different contractor who put in a
pre-
Response
Do you live in Surrey? Did you use a Home Improvement Agency?
Editor 19.12.06
Response
No to both questions. I do not live in Surrey but close. Because the local Home Improvement Agency charges a fee I thought this would
take up part of my grant that I would need for the rest of the conversions. Also I thought I was perfectly capable of handling the
situation. On reflection it might have been a good idea.
Posted by N 27.12.06
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