Changing a WC into a shower

Welsh_Totster

Just testing the water really. The house we have just bought has a seperate WC and bathroom but they are next to each other. My first thought was to knock the wall down between them to make a bigger bathroom, however with a bit of standing there looking at it and thinking, maybe the wall could stay there and I could move the bathroom door forwards to square off the room and keep the space where the WC is and convert it into a rather nice spacious shower. The loo could then go the other side of the wall in the bathroom so not to cause too much disruption a la soil pipe and the bath and basin could be reconfigured.

Anyway my question is, how easy would it be to make the WC into a proper walk in shower? Its on the 1st floor (if it makes a difference). Would it need a shower tray to fit or could it be totally tiled out floor and all?

Im just pondering at the mo, but if its a possibility then it would be a great project to make a fab bathroom.

Any suggestions or tips most welcome, ta.

Igol

If your just fitting a large tray it shouldnt be too much of an issue, water supply and waste are already there.

If you want a wet room then you'll have to tank the room and given the size of space would it be worth it if a big shower tray will pretty much do the job?

Welsh_Totster

Thats just the type of info Im after, thanks Igol. Im clueless with stuff like bathroom fittings! If I can get a tray in there then thats the best option I guess. The space is 2ft 7 wide and 5ft 3 long. Can you get trays that size and if so where?! I need too see these things (Im getting excited at the prospect of a decent sized shower)

absent_dad

2' 7" is not very wide, most std shower trays are 0.8m which is 2' 9", you can get them 75cm but never seen one then 5 foot long? also you will have the problem of laying the shower tray down as dropping it in place needs more room than the shower tray itself, so if it is 1.8m x .8m, I can't see you being able to physically get it in there. Maybe seeing it you can work it out but not on what you have just described.

You may be better pulling down the wall and replacing it all be it an inch or 2 over but keeping the same design in mind, just building it around the tray. The good thing is you shouldn't have to move any of the plumbing, maybe a big of jigging around but nothing major.

Hope this helps

ormus

you can buy 760x760 mm., square shower trays.

Welsh_Totster

Thanks for the info absent dad, much appreciated. Shouldnt be a problem taking the wall out and repositioning it a few inches over to accomodate should we need to. Ormus, thanks for the info, again much appreciated.

sunshinetours

I am sure you could squeeze a couple of extra cm's out by removing some plaster etc from the bottom opart of the wall to fit in a 800mm wide tray and there are penty of sizes that are 800 mm wide. Something like a 1200 x 800 may be ideal and give a nice spacious area (we have an offset quadrant version that size and its plenty of room).
However you can get 5 ft (1500mm) trays as well like this one so you can go to whatever you want really http://www.bathmart.co.uk/product_details.asp?productid=7466

You would just need a 800 wide door to cover the open end as such as I assume the other 3 walls would be enclosed by the existing walls? Something like this sort of set up http://www.bathroomcashandcarry.co.uk/buynow-Showering-Shower-Doors-Milano-Shower-Cubical-Enclosure-Pivot-Door-800-id-1983.html?source=googlebase

You also need to think about what type of shower you want (power, electric, gravity fed etc) and you current boiler system may determine that so may be best to get a trusted plumber on board early to give some quotes and specs even if you plan on doing some of the work yourself

absent_dad

I am sure you could squeeze a couple of extra cm's out by removing some plaster etc from the bottom opart of the wall to fit in a 800mm wide tray and there are penty of sizes that are 800 mm wide.

I have tried this in the past and it isn't as easy as it sounds, don't forget that a shower tray isn't flat, it is a box 800 square by about 150 deep which means edge to opposite edge is some 850mm.

You would have to remove about 2-3 foot of plaster off one wall and a foot off another so the angle of the shower tray can drop in, that is assuming the walls without the plaster are 800mm wide without plaster. Then you have the issue of connecting the waste...not an easy task once it drops, prob find a joist is in the way if you lift a floorboard to get access, then plaster is all up, wow what a palarver.

Much easier in the long run to have the wall down, put the tray in place connect up waste put up the stud work and ply the wall ready for tiles. You can feed all the pipes up through the stud work from the toilet sidebefore thats all boarded and make a nice tidy job.

Simples

Welsh_Totster

Fabulous info chaps, much appreciated. Im off to have a think about things before we contact our builder to give him an idea of the type of thing we are looking at.

Thanks again!