Wet room / no-stall tiled shower

[NorasMom]

Any Americans here who've converted an existing bathroom into an open shower room? Any suggestions before we start?

[falalalala]

I found this article while checking them out.

houzz.com/magazine/is-a-wet...

[NorasMom in reply to falalalala]

Thank you, falalalala! This is just an idea we've been thinking about for last year or so, but I'm getting the heebie-jeebies reading about all the floor prep involved. My bathroom's only about 6x8, with no way to expand it, and there's a window and linen closet to work around. My "contractor" is a 78-year-old hobby house flipper who *thinks* he can do it but has no experience. IF we do it, it has to be done on the cheap, but we also need to make sure the house isn't going to cave in after it's done.

From what we can tell, this is the original bathroom installed back in the late '40's or early '50's, so not only is the tub cast iron, but the walls around the shower head are mostly rotten. The drainpipes go every-which-way in the cellar, and they're so bad that we've wound up showering in 4" of standing water for most of the last year. Nothing I've tried will get that water to go down until a couple hours later. Obviously, fixing the drain will be first on the agenda!

Yet one more reason why I need to find a nice sturdy cave and become a hermit!

[falalalala in reply to NorasMom]

😅Good luck with your project!

My husband & I need to redo the master bath....right after I come up with a tile design I want to make.This has been pondered for over 3 three years now.

Meanwhile, he found a good bath bench that sticks out over the tub so I won't wipe out getting in.

We have not ordered this yet as I need a few years to ponder this change too.

😜😂

[NorasMom in reply to falalalala]

Yes! Mum and my uncle are both "money's no object" people, so every time I mention that I'm *thinking* about this or that, they expect me to dive right in and get it done this week. Sorry; it doesn't work that way. I need to think, plan, think some more. Get opinions. Dream about it. Research online. Calculate all the possible expenses. Then, after much time has passed, we'll talk about maybe doing it in a couple months.

😆

[falalalala in reply to NorasMom]

That's right!

😆I need to print your response on a flash card to respond to those who bug me about all my projects.

Nothing stops me from procrastinating!

[mrsmike9 in reply to NorasMom]

I am extremely fortunate that my husband knows house repairs and remodeling. Our house was built in 1959. Be glad you have clear access to the plumbing! Houses that are built on a slab have the plumbing in the concrete! So fixing the plumbing will be easier. First thing to do is turn off the water to the house, install shut off valves to that bathrooms plumbing, then turn on the water to the house again. Then work can be done in that bath without having the entire house without water. Have fun!

[ahrogers]

I am planning on remodeling our master bath once the tax return money comes in. We will be taking out the tub/shower encloser and putting in a shower only that has no threshold to step over. I have read the shower floor needs to slope a quarter inch per foot toward the drain. Thankfully my husband can do all the work so just need to buy material. I found a tile I live for the floor so just need to pick wall tile. We have put the new tile in the guest bath and laundry room so far but not 100% done yet- need to finish grout and seal still.

You might want to get quotes from others as well if your guy isn't confident in what he is doing. Mistakes can cost you more to fix than paying more for a contractor who does it right the first time. Hiring someone whose business is insured would provide peace of mind if something did go wrong they would come back and fix it.

Exciting and stressful at the same time. Good luck!

[NorasMom]

Oh, this one would come back and fix it. I'm his favorite niece!

[1yoyo]

Yes, I did mine a few years ago. We removed the bathtub and put in a fiberglass base. The base has a lip so the water is a little bit protected. I did buy then a waterproof chair so I can sit comfortably in the shower. I also have a shower curtain and safety bars.

[NorasMom in reply to 1yoyo]

I looked at those bases but was afraid to try them with a wheelchair, and then I discovered that the zero-lip ones are a zillion times more money and not stocked in our local stores. Then there's the problem with surrounds, because we have a window at the back of the shower area and a linen closet that can't be moved at one side. This whole project, if we go through with it, is going to be a nightmare! The bathroom opens into a tiny hall, and I'm not even sure we can get the tub out of there without widening the doorway.

You'll know we decided to try it when you see the headlines "Extended family bludgeons each other to death in bathroom showdown. The weapons used were the toilet tank, a pedestal sink, and 3 pieces of ceramic tile."

🤪

[mrsmike9 in reply to NorasMom]

A cast iron tub can be smashed with a sledge hammer and be removed in pieces!

[1yoyo]

For the window you can just use frosted contact paper that is removable - I GOT MINE AT AMAZON. There is a lot to choose from. We also had problems with removing the bathtub.and I had to get different tiles to replace the wall tiles. It was well worth it.

[mrsmike9]

Not an open shower room but when we remodeled our master bath we enlarged it and put in a step in shower with grab bars.

[Tazmanian]

Good luck, keep us in the loop

[pmbevac]

One thing we did in our walk-in shower was to put in 2 separate controls, one for an overhead rain head and a separate one for a hand held sprayer that is mounted low enough to easily reach.