Shower enclosure new build 66" sq (1400mmsq)

[quintain]

Hello I am brain picking again.

In the UK I need to design and build a shower enclosure about 56" sq (1400mm sq), walls to be 8' + high.

The shower base will be onto concrete which I will channel to fit a suitable large drain with outlet through the proposed shower back wall and then immediately to a 4" underground waste pipe in my garden.

The 4 x shower walls will be 2 x existing brick plastered; one of which I will cut to fit a 36" door and frame to allow wheelchair access. The other 2 x walls will be new stud frame walls which I will build, one of which I will fit another 36" door and frame N.B the shower enclosure needs to be accessed from 2 x separate directions.

I do not want to "go cheap" on this job but I certainly do not want to throw silly money at it.

I welcome all advice including any sensible YouTube vids on how to build the shower floor and finish the walls.

AND-AND-AND if it is your advice for me to direct my question away from the good folk on this forum to elsewhere please tell me "where to go".

My best regards
Richard AKA quintain

 

[ChaiLatte]

OK, a few 'starter for ten' observations:

What level is the existing concrete floor in relation to the door thresholds? Clearly, you need the drain outlet at the low point and the doors at the high point. It does not need a lot of fall, but having the water run out of the doorways is undesirable.

You can make your life easier with the outlet by not putting it in the centre of the enclosure (i.e. near the wall where the pipe will exit). You might need to reduce the whole floor level by 3/4" to achieve the fall required and then build up with a screed.

If that is not possible, you might have to ramp upwards outside the room and have the high point of the shower above the surrounding floor level.

I do not know what the price is, but I have seen accessible wetrooms done with the heavy-duty welded vinyl. It laps up the walls about 5" and then the tiles can lap over it resting on an edge trim (stop bead). For the walls, tile backer board and tiles. Soft joints at corners and ceiling.

What are your doors to be made from as the room will be somewhat humid? I guess they are outwards opening, meaning most of the frame and the stop strip will be on the wet side. Will you have extraction/ventilation? Any window?

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

I would recommend Bushboard Nuance panels for the walls: no tiles, no grouting and easy to fit and clean. Always look smart. Such as -
https://www.rubberduckbathrooms.co....Rh3W2rnYf4K9xqKBCeN8VoafBXtqzGxUaAo-3EALw_wcB
Have fun
Martin

 

[Spectric]

A simple quick sketch would help us visualise your required shower, is it a wetroom ? What shower base are you intending to use, MX shower trays are good and what type of shower, electric or taken from the hot water system which then ask the question is it a sealed hot water system or just gravity. I would ask this question because the more water a shower puts into the tray then it effects the drainage side because you do not want the tray to fill up. When I did mine I used 40mm pipe from the shower waste to the edge where it went into a length of 50mm due to the length of the run into the soil pipe and keeping a good fall on the pipe.

If you are putting the tray on a base this can help with getting the fall but even the waste is not that simple and will have an influence on the drainage, ie I use Mc Alpine as they are a good quality but look at how many choices.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I installed a wet room a few years back and bought a pre-sloped shower tray former and waste which extended the full length of the base. Something like that could be be a simple way to get your drainage right. you simply fix it down then tank and tile over the top.

 

[quintain]

Thank you Martin & ChaiLatte
Martin: the boards seem like a good idea, I am considering using them or similar but I am hoping for a more cost effective (cheaper) solution.

ChaiLatte: a bunch of good thoughts.
Floor levels are the same for both approaches and the proposed shower tray/floor location.
Presently I am considering setting the drain into a cut out section of the floor and raising the shower tray/floor finish about 1 1/2" with a small ramp lead up at both doors.

It is the shower floor build which I believe is my most problematic decision, do I use a cement or similar slurry or a purpose made v expensive tray.

I like your idea of having the finished floor surface slightly falling to the back outer wall and drain.
The use of heavy duty vinyl is a consideration but some YouTube vids show the use of a brushed on water seal to the floor and continued part up the wall which (if it works) seems easier/better.

I had not thought of humidity extraction but I will now include such a beast into the outer wall at high level. There will not be any window.

The 2 x outward opening doors will not be subject to much; indeed probably no water splashing but I considered internal simple shower type curtain to be provided at each door and frame to avoid any possibility of splashing would be good.

Again thank you for your replies with maybe more to come.

 

[Spectric]

do I use a cement or similar slurry or a purpose made v expensive tray

Not having any form of wetroom I did not realise how expensive these shower trays can be, they are much lighter than a conventional tray yet expensive even from a place like VP.

https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk...VO4BQBh2lfAjUEAMYAiAAEgJ7WPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
But then looking at the current price of the tray I purchased that is now nearly £110 more so bearing in mind they are fired then I put the cost increase down to energy prices but a nice tray will set off the shower you are building.

 

[MikeJhn]

Built this recently, 1800 x 900, walls are bushboard Nuance, door and screen purpose made due to height restriction, shower tray cut to shape due to old house and out of square walls, trap is the lowest profile trap available with additional

McAlpine in line trap outside the enclosure, ventilation through a Manrose humidistat/timer using one of these inline fans: Soler & Palau TD Silent In Line Fans

 

[Richard_C]

Thinking about finishes, what's the water like? Wet, obviously, but hard or soft? Here we have hard water so keeping glass doors clean requires a wipedown or spray most times you use it, some friends have gone with a sort of gunmetal grey finish on everything in their downstairs toilet which is a nightmare to keep free of marks. I did our en suite myself with plain white tiles, I got a plumber to do the bathroom and he suggested tiles with a wavy sort of surface as being more forgiving. The walls in the post above will likely be fine, a darker version less so. Of course you might be lucky and have soft water, but future cleanability is worth thinking about.

 

[MikeJhn]

Quick wipe down with a window blade seems to gets rid of all marks, by the time you have done that with the extractor fitted, your dry.