shower room/wet room

[LISAB]

we have such a long but extremely narrow bathroom its not practical to have a bathtub in there. After checking shower cubicles ive got the same problem so had the idea of making a japanese style wet-room where the shower is fitted to the wall but has no surround. I have trawled the net but cannot find a single source of information on these. Can anyone on the answerbank help out and point me in the right direction? thanks.

[wildwood]

Can only give you a general guide. First check with your local council regarding regulations - if you live in an apartment there may be restrictions.
It is advisable to line the walls/floor with appropriate damp proof lining before installing the final board/tiles. The floor is going to be the biggest problem. If you can live with a 2"-3" step-up by the door it would make it a lot easier but this may not be legal in your council because of water run off. It all depends how far the step-up is away from the showerhead. The proper way is to lift the floorboards/sheets and gouge out the joists to a drop of 1" per 10 feet towards the plug. Then proper lining and tiles. Plumbing has to be done first ofcourse. It is a major job and best avoided if at all possible.
Have you thought about intruding the back of a bath/shower cubicle into the next room, maybe only halfway? A much cheaper option and could be done quite stylishly. Good luck.

[LISAB]

Thanks for that info Wildwood. We live in a basement flat - dont know if that changes any of the advice you gave me. As for borrowing a bit of room from next door,not really possible as this is the kitchen and is only slightly wider than the bathroom and we need all the room we can get. The joys of living in a London rabbit hutch! Do you know of anywhere I could look at actual plans or designs of wetrooms?

[Miss Zippy]

My friend looked into this last year, although she didn't go ahead due to the cost involved. But what I can tell you is that she asked an architect to draw up plans for her, very impressive they were too! It may sound a bit extreme getting architect plans, but as Wildwood said, it is a pretty major job and involves raising your bathroom floor to accommodate the under-floor drainage and ensuring it is fully water-proofed. The architect also advised her about building regulations and planning permission generally, as, with flats, you need to obtain planning permission before carrying out work of this kind as flats do not have any 'permitted development rights' unlike houses etc. It may be worth you getting advice from an architect. The cost could be around �100-�150, but well worth it in this situation. Wet rooms certainly do look amazing, so good luck.

[wildwood]

Oh dear... a basement flat! That is going to be even more difficult in regards to the drainage. If you are still keen, you'd be well adviced with Miss Zippy's suggestion to seek architectural help. They may be able to give you a very rough guide/estimate on your situation for a nominal fee, without actually drawing up a plan.
You may be able to get hard copy ideas on wet rooms in brochures from ceramic tile suppliers, but remember that they are there to sell tiles, and the ideas in their brochures are frequently impracticle/impossible in various situations.