Hi all

I've posted before on here about my bathroom, but have had some new thought, which I would like to open up and get some feedback.

I'm basically looking for that elusive shower experience, the one where you can just stand in and sigh.
Mt current bathroom is L-shaped, approx 1.6m wide and approx 4m longest wall, the shortest wall is approx 2.40m. The airing cupboard and immersion tank are walled off otherwise eating into bathroom space. I've accepted that I do not want to be knocking through walls, moving tanks etc. Its a ground floor leasehold flat.

There is a long bath in at the moment with a hand held shower going down the short wall with a sink at the end. Adjacent to the bath is a toilet.

There is a large window against that taps end of the bath and toilet, too big to allow a wall shower to be installed. Short of replacing the window, this end is useless for a shower.

So... my thoughts either get a smaller bather i.e. 1.5m in length, move/replace the sink to the long wall opposite the bath and put a shower cubicle in its place (on the connecting wall to hot water tank). It would make the bathroom look smaller and possibly more cramped, but would have a lovely shower as well as a decent sized bath.

Another option would be to replace the bath with a shower bath, again approx 1.5m and have it on the adj wall to hot water tank, and put the sink next to the toilet towards the window (i.e. swap them around along the shortest - 2.4m wall). The problem then is the toilet as it would be a tight squeeze between end of bath and toilet to get to the sink. FYI, the toilet is connected to a vertical ground pipe (plastic) that would be difficult to move. Only way around would be to get a flexible pipe and box it in while moving the toilet a couple inches to the right away from the bath.

Of course I could just whack a shower on side wall of the bath and get a screen attached on.

So, its either separate bath and shower cubicle, nice but would make bathroom a lot smaller. Have a shower bath, or just install a shower on the side wall of the bath.

There also the possibility of building a stud wall for a shower.

There are just too many options and I have no idea what would look best without seeing it all together.

Sorry for long post and cheers in advance

Jon

It would be so much easier if we could see a photo, but unfortunately they don't allow you to put them up on here.

If you go to the forum most of the people who used to post on here are on, you'll be able to put one up there and hopefully get some help.

I must admit, I'm having terrible trouble picturing it, but would love to help as I've just done mine and it's fab!

I was worried that might happen. So for an idea, if you go to a property website, say right move, post code ub10, 1 bedroom, price up to 200,000, and click on 1 bedroom flat 184,950. This will give you pictures of the 1 bedroom version of my flat. The bathroom is exactly the same dimensions. Currently my bathroom is like that but with sink and bath swapped (you can see what i mean about the window).

The toilet has to have been moved away from the bath in this pic otherwise it would have been tight.

So if you can view this pic, do you think this is the best layout? or have a separate show cubicle, or have shower on long wall?

There are two properties at that price but from your description of the window, I think I have identified the right one

It looks very similar to one of our bathrooms. The best layout we found was the one they have in the photo (except we have a corner wallhung sink), with the bath having the taps & showerhead at the opposite end to the window. You could make it a showerbath if you like them (I hate them).

I think a separate shower cubicle would make it look cramped.

Putting a up a link, especially to that site - major crime I'm afraid.

yeh those are my thoughts, i'd rather have a nice cubicle rather than a showerbath, but without knocking down walls, or getting rid of the bath altogether (which as much as i would like... i'm going to be moving on in 3-4 yrs anyway, so no point) then I guess its the only way

I too prefer separate shower cubicles (as I shower rather than bath 9 times of out 10) but only if the cubicle is spacious - ours are semi--wet room type things. I really dislike cramped shower cubicles where you bang your elbows on the sides. In your position I would choose the simplest compromise and look forward to something ideal when you move in a couple of years.

I too think I have found it

I agree with velvet - I think your options are limited unless you want to end up with a very unsatisfactory compromise in terms of size.

If you're definite about not moving the hot water tank and everything, is there any chance of getting a corner shower up the other end or is it pretty much a no-go?

I have to say, I'm not a fan of them but put quite a good-sized one in mine when I did it and it's absolutely great in terms of space. I wanted more what velvet describes, but I just didn't have the room to do it properly and now, I'm glad it is the way it is as it fits so well with everything else in there.

You could alway scrap the airing cupboard by changing to a Combi boiler. Not a cheap way to go though.

From my own experience - 760 x 760 showers are a bit small, 800 x 800 are adequate. Dont go for curved doors unless you can go up to 900x 900 - stick to straight-sided corner entry.

Thanks all for the responses. I have seriously thought about knocking the airing cupboard through, but I thought for the time, effort and money, is it really worth it... i.e. its my first property, only going to be here for 3-4 yrs probably and just not sure whether ultimately it'll be worth it in the long term when I come to sell. It however would be lovely and something I would consider if I was planning to be here more long term. I then have all the problems of getting the place surveyed as I don't know about supporting walls.. could be problematic in a leasehold flat.

I've looked at corner showers as well, mainly at the airing cupboard end, are you suggesting having a corner one at the window end, but how about the window?

If I was to have a corner shower, I'd have to get a smaller bath, and may need a small stud wall built to ensure the shower is not jutting out. I feel with the sink on the opposite wall, it would still look very cramped.


By the way... well done for all finding the listing.

actually, knocking down the wall still is tempting, getting a combiboiler put in on the other side of the airing cupboard and getting rid of the immersion heater

it could then be possible to wall this redundent part of the double airing cupboard off and have an opening made from the bathroom, which could be water proofed, tiled and a shower put in

but where do i start, who do i go to for advice whether this can be done, starting from permission from freeholders to inspection of walls and quotes for work, just unsure how a doorway could be made into this wall, i.e. do i go to a builder directly? bit apprehensive about being screwed over or a botch job being done

Is there any possibility of just moving the immersion tank? Is there another location it could go to? This is what we did after several years, moved it to another cupboard about 10 feet away, it's obviously a lot cheaper than having a new boiler system. Can't help with most of your questions though as we live in a freehold property and there was no supporting wall malarky involved, we just took out the plywood cupboard the tank sat in, the plumber did all the work, it was quick & easy.

Even after moving the hot water cylinder, the only way we could have had a shower cubicle without a cramped look would have been to put the bath across the width of the room, under the window - a neighbour did this. (We didn't need to by that stage as we had built a separate shower room upstairs.)

never understood the big debate about showers/bathrooms etc. - not for the amount of time I'm in one for!
I still don't even have a shower yet. Can't say I'm that bothered whether it's in a bath, a shower bath or a cubicle.

The ideal length of time in a shower nowadays according to celebrities spouting rules about carbon footprints ( I hate that term) is 3 minutes. And at the end of the day it's just for washing yourself!
Like I said, never understood it myself. If it spouts water and I can turn round, that'll do me.