Wet room downstairs

[Nick121518]

We are hoping to install a wetroom downstairs in limited space. I wonder if anyone has done this and would appreciate any advice at all about things you have found useful/ problems/ recommended sanitaryware etc.

Any tips gratefully received

Thanks

[Yanno]

Hello Nick, my memory may be playing tricks with me as I thought we had some posts on this subject a few months ago - unfortunately I can't find the posts to signpost you to!We converted our bathroom to a wet room a couple of years ago. It was one of the best things we did as it has made things so much easier for Jackie.

One thing we did, almost by chance, was to fit a pocket door. The door to the wet room slides back into a stud wall thus making much more space in the bathroom. You need to have a wall that runs in the same direction as the door but actually when other work was being done, it was much easier to fit than we thought.

The other item we would not want to be without is the shower toilet. This makes personal hygiene much easier. Finally, we decided to fit underfloor heating. We kept a towel rail radiator running off the central heating but added the underfloor heating for extra warmth and to help keep the room dry and fresh.

I hope this helps, should you want to see a photo of the pocket door, just shout out and I'll DM one to you.

Take care, Ian

[Nick121518 in reply to Yanno]

Dear YannoThanks so much - your info is very helpful A photo of the pocket door would be very useful. We are trying to explore all options at the moment.

Many thanks

Nick

[chester2107]

hi nick my mum and dad had one installed , but quite basic , but they do have a seat tosit on which is quite useful

elaine x

[Nick121518 in reply to chester2107]

Thanks Elaine. I think a seat would be definitley usefulBest wishes

Nick

[Hidden]

Hello, we rehung the door so it could open out of the room rather than into the room, to give extra space for maneuvering. The company can rehang the toilet to whatever height would suit you for transfers etc if that is still relevant, or I think they can set the height of the sink to make it wheelchair accessible. I think we are supposed to not use bleach based cleaners on the vinyl floor so some companies will recommend that you get a darker colour so it doesn't mark. But we have a not very dark blue grey and its ok. Kx

[Nick121518 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks so much for this. We will defiintely make sure the door opens outwards into the hall and hopefully we will get some info from the OT about best height of basin etc. Thanks again

Nick

[phamwales]

Hi NickOne of the most helpful things when we converted our bathroom ( like everyone says... highly recommend) was a connection to the local occupational therapy group

They all have a engineer who oversees work done that they contract as a department

We did not qualify for their financial support but they were willing to do a site visit and offer advice and connection to approved local builders

It helped me with selection of flooring and other choices

It’s worth a call to OT

Hope this helps

[Nick121518 in reply to phamwales]

Hi Thanks so much for this. We have managed to have virtual contact with a surveyor from the council but unfortunately they can't do home visits at the moment. I don't think we qualify for grants either. We just heard today that we have a telephone OT assessment on Saturday so hopefully they can help. All very difficult in lockdown.

Many thanks fo your help

[chester2107 in reply to Nick121518]

my mum and dad had theirs paid for , they live in a mobile home , i think it depends on how much money you have in savings under £30 thousand so I would definitely look into it , they also had a ramp installed

I’m sure MSAtrust could advise you

elaine x

[phamwales in reply to Nick121518]

Hi NickI didn't qualify but they were willing to assist with free advice which turned out to be very helpful

[Annietutt]

Hi Nick,We are in the process of using part of the garage to make a bedroom and wet room. The wet room is 2.4 metres by 2.4 metres, so a decent size. With advice from this group, our local MSA support group and an OT we are installing the following:

A bidet/ shower toilet

A rises and fall basin

A body dryer

Altro safety flooring with underfloor heating.

The bidet toilet is not cheap but that and the body dryer are to enable Tony to retain independence and dignity for as long as possible.

We also widened doorways and strengthened the ceilings in anticipation for when a wheelchair and hoist might be needed. As others said, professional advice from an OT is valuable. We also found that reps. would come out and demonstrate equipment like the bidet toilet before we decided to buy although this might be tricky at present.

If you would like any further details feel free to contact me. I know how daunting it all is. Good luck,

Anne.

[Nick121518 in reply to Annietutt]

Hi AnneThanks so much for this. This is actually Sharon, Nick's wife speaking as I tend to manage these things at the moment but Idid register in my husband's name so he can get involved too if he wants to.

It would be really helpfu to have the details/brands etc of the equipment you used and your opinions of them if possible. We are new to all this as my husband was only fully diagnosed in November and support can only be virtual at the moment so I am keen to gather as much information as possible.

I could send my email address if that would be easier to send photos or details if you had time altho the site advises against revealing contact details so not sure how to do this

Thanks so much for replying

Sharon

[Yanno in reply to Nick121518]

Hello SharonThe best way to share an email address with someone is to message them. Click on the Chat button at the top of the page and then put the name of the person/s you want to communicate with.

Alternatively as I've just discovered one can click on the name of the person who has posted/replied (e.g. Yanno above). This will take you to information about that person and from there click 'Message'. Why one is called 'Chat' and the other 'Message' when it's the same thing, I don't know!!

I hope this helps, Ian

[Annietutt in reply to Nick121518]

Hi Sharon, we are held up at the moment waiting for stuff to arrive but our work should be finished in a few weeks. I am happy to send you pictures then if you like and to review our purchases. We opted for a Geberit shower toilet and a Ropox rise and fall basin. The body dryer is made by Apres. We are really hoping they will help keep Tony independent. Anne.

[IvyRose64]

Hi, we had the bathroom in our apartment converted to a wet room, We applied for a grant from the local authority to help fund it, unfortunately I earn too much money (not that I agree with that statement) and as it's means tested so we did not qualify for it. However, the disability team from the LA were very involved in the creation of the room, we paid a small fee (£250) for them to oversee the whole project. This worked out really well because we went off for a two week holiday when it was done. I highly recommend the plumber who installed it as they specialise in accessible bathrooms. Like others it was the best thing we did. We borrowed a commode/shower chair from the local authority as this was more suitable for Al's need.

[Nick121518 in reply to IvyRose64]

Hi DianeThanks for this. I am thinking commode/shower chair will be useful and I am happy to hear the council might provide this

Many thanks

Sharon and Nick Hodges

[Diane831]

We had our en-suite converted to a wet room and so it was a reasonable size. We didn’t qualify for financial help but the Independent Living Team gave us a list of contractors that they use so that we could get quotes from firms who were used to this kind of work. We have a Geberit Care toilet - prettier than it’s rivals and works well!! Our shower is a ‘mother and child’ with an overhead spray and a separate hand held which we found very helpful. We also borrowed a shower chair from the OT loan store which was able to Go over the toilet and still enable the controls to work etc. Our poorest choice was the washbasin which didn’t allow Geoff to get close enough once he was fully wheelchair mobile. If it will stretch to the rise and fall basin that would be useful.

Try to pick finishing that make you smile. I still love my wet room even though Geoff isn’t here using it any longer.

Best wishes, Diane.

[Bailando in reply to Diane831]

Thanks so much Diane.

The Gerberit toilet does seem to be the most popular so I think we will go with that one