If you’re thinking of modernising your bathroom, then one of the first things to consider is whether you want to keep the layout traditional, or go for a more up to date feel. Wetrooms have been all over the pages of the glossy home interiors magazines for years and have many benefits when compared to bathrooms. But is the expense of creating a wetroom in your home worth it?
Benefits and Drawbacks of a Wetroom
A wetroom differs from a standard family bathroom in that the entire room is waterproofed, and there is no shower tray. Wetrooms are an effective use of restricted space in a bathroom, and can make a small bathroom feel bigger by getting rid of the shower tray or bath. Wetrooms can be particularly good for the elderly and disabled as they do not need to step in and out of the shower. The main drawback of a wetroom is that they often do not have a bath in the room, and are expensive to install.
Reasons for Keeping a Family Bathroom
If you’re the sort of person who enjoys a long soak in the bath, then a wetroom is probably not your cup of tea. Also, if you are thinking about selling your home, keeping a more traditional layout in the bathroom will probably make your home more attractive to a wider range of people, especially families with young children. Replacing an old bathroom suite with something similar will also be considerably cheaper as you do not need to undertake the extra work of waterproofing the room, which is known as tanking.
Costs of Installing a Wetroom
If you are not thinking about selling your house in the near future and want to give the bathroom a dramatic facelift, then a wetroom is probably a good solution. The two main factors to think about when paying for a wetroom are the cost of the shower, sink, loo and other items plus installation, and the cost of tanking the room. Costs of the suite itself will depend on your personal taste and budget, but installation costs will not vary much whether you are buying budget or designer items. Expect to pay around £7000 for the work needed to turn your bathroom into a wetroom in total.
Installing your Wetroom
The other think to think about is how you are going to manage without your bathroom while the work is being done. If you have more than one bathroom in the house this may not be a major issue, but if not, having the work done can be hugely disruptive. When you are contacting local plumbers and other professionals about installing your wetroom, it’s therefore very important to compare their quotes not only in terms of price, but also on how long they expect the work to take and how many people they are going to have working on the job. Depending on circumstances it might be better to accept a slightly more expensive quote if the work will be done in half the time. Remember – always get at least three quotes, in writing, to enable you to make an effective comparison.
