Bathroom Design options

Ganga

Could you not ditch the bath and just have the shower ,that way you will have a lot more room and have a bigger shower.

Fromdownwest

The bath is a sticking point I appreciate, however I do a lot of running (in the cold!) and my bath is my guilty pleasure, and sadly non negotionable.

I have heard a 1600 is noticably smaller than a 1700. I am 6ft 1 so do not want to scrimp on bath size, unless, the difference is minimal

ThisIsWeird

Doozergirl said:

It would look silly and it wouldn't be structural.  It needs studwork.  

An 800 shower will be fine if it's a bit longer than it is wide.  There are also 1600 baths.  Just a matter of deciding what is most important for the OP.  

I explained earlier how this could be achieved, and I'd anticipate zero issues with it.
It would look silly, tho', I agree. But I also mentioned how the use of mouldings - mainly on the bath side - could both disguise this and add additional rigidity.
I hope to start my own bathroom refurb before long, and priority for me is to improve the 800mm square shower. I am limited to that width, but can extend to 1m, and even that should be transformative. However, I'd jump at the opportunity to go to 900mm wide, and would definitely do so in FDW's case where it's clearly possible. 

Fromdownwest

Had a think through, bath once a week, shower up to twice a day. Think sensibly.

1600 bath it is, with a 900 x 1100 shower and plenty of space for a proper partition wall.

jennifernil

What is possible in size of shower may also depend on where the water pipes are going to be installed.     If the bathroom to next room or to hallway walls are stud then they could go in either of those, otherwise there would have to be a stud wall between the bath and the shower.

When we decided to install a shower in our en-suite, to decide  on size we tried out our son's newly installed one, which was 900x900 mm and decided that was a good size.  That was the biggest size he had space for.  Not sure we would have been happy with one only 800mm wide.

However, as we were removing a large bath, we had 900x1900 mm available, so decided to go with 900x1200 mm, which left plenty of space at the end for  large towel warmer and a place to keep a shower stool should we ever need one.  We used the same size in the second bathroom we had renovated.

In  all of the 3 bathrooms  we have ducts that the water and waste pipes run in, 2 are 200 mm deep, the third  slightly deeper, this gave enough space to access the plumbing if ever necessary, which it was.....so far only once since 1988.

jennifernil

Is there a mistake in the last plan on the size of the room?   It seems to have shrunk from 264 cm long to 245 cm!

Assuming that is a mistake, if you go with the 1600mm long bath, why not have it wider than than usual, there is room for an 800mm wide one, which will be more comfortable for soaking in.

ThisIsWeird

Fromdownwest said:

Had a think through, bath once a week, shower up to twice a day. Think sensibly.

1600 bath it is, with a 900 x 1100 shower and plenty of space for a proper partition wall.

Or, you could have a 1700mm bath and a 900mm wide shower...

You can.

I would.

So:

1) a shortened bath (pah) with a 900mm wide shower and your 'proper' stud wall, or 

2) a full-sized bath, along with an 800mm wide shower with a 'proper' stud wall (you've wisely say 'non' to this), or

3) a full-sized bath with a 1100 x 900 shower *.

You can have a solid 40mm partition. It will be solid and firm in itself, but you'll also have the option to add thickness on the bath side, beyond the 700mm bath width. And if you go further and incorporate shelves, even shallow ones, the rigidity will leave nothing to be desired.

4) Or, forget the partition and go for a full glass shower enclosure to give you full-sized bath, and 900mm wide shower.

*Since you are def going for a 900mm wide shower, give some thought to whether you need it to come out more than 1000mm. Yes, a 1100 x 900 shower will be truly fab, but consider the overall feel and look of the bathroom and whether it might be improved by it 'only' coming out 1000mm. A 1000 x 900 shower will still be nicely roomy. I'm not at all suggesting this will look better - I just don't know - but to just consider it amongst everything else :-)

On a separate issue, consider going to town on ventilation, certainly having a duct over the shower (with lights), but I'd really consider having a separate one to serve the bathroom itself, for baths and duties.

Fromdownwest

ThisIsWeird - Thanks again for the insight.

I do quite like the idea of a partion wall with the bath, something I had not though about. I do think it will add a nice feature to the bathroom.

Plumber has called over today, he thinks that the 50mm wall will be a push, and not look right. Ideall he wants 93mm to work with.

He has suggested the 900x1100 shower with a 1600x800 steep sided bath as a comprimise.





Ventilation, my good friend is an electrician. He has advised on what to have, he has generally said the combined light / fan units are insufficient. He has explained what he will be doing, includes a 'proper' fan, a vented rood tile / eves outlet.

ThisIsWeird

You have to go with what your fitter is happy with.
I have no such restrictions as I DIY.
I know it can be done, even tho' I haven't ever built a 40mm thick partition wall for such a purpose.
Your plumber - understandably - doesn't want to 'go there', and also probably doesn't understand what the construction could actually be.
This wall would be as wide as the chosen shower size, so 1000 or 1100mm. It would only be the solid 40mm for 700 or so mm of that, where it needs to accommodate the bath. From any point there on, it could be as thick as you like, say just to resemble a 100mm 'post' at the end. From the shower side, it's still flush and flat throughout its whole width, but viewing from the bath side you'd see it step out this extra ~60mm. So, looking from the bath side, it would appear as a recessed wall - where shelves could be run if wished.
From the viewpoint of anyone coming in to the bathroom, it would look like a 100mm thick wall, as they only see the shower side and it's end.
But, you'd need someone to go "Ah, I see", and be prepared to do this.
It would, tho', give you a full sized bath and a 900mm wide shower, two factors that score highly - would be a priority - on my list. And that's why DIYing can be so satisfying.

ThisIsWeird

Fromdownwest said:

Ventilation, my good friend is an electrician. He has advised on what to have, he has generally said the combined light / fan units are insufficient. He has explained what he will be doing, includes a 'proper' fan, a vented rood tile / eves outlet.

I suspect your sparky is right - a combined light/vent will be a compromise in effectiveness.
The reason I said to consider two separate vents (and, possibly, extractors) is because the shower - if you have a partition - will be quite isolated from the rest of the bathroom, so unlikely to be able to extract successfully for the bath - a big steamy thing - and, er, smells. 
To me it would be more ideal to have two separate extractions going on, with individual switches. So anyone going in there for a No2 would turn on the extract in the main bathroom area, and only showery folk the other one.