Complete renovation and shower installation
 Original bathroom |  Old bath removed |  Shower tray (covered in blue protective film) in position where basins were originally, Marine plywood added to wall for strengthening. This is necessary for anything load bearing, such grab bars or a wall mounted shower seat. |
|---|---|---|
 Beginning to take shape, with wall tiles in place. Framework for furniture in position. |  WC installed within run of furniture, and copper coloured solid worktop in place. New stainless steel radiator installed, which runs off central heating, but can also work on electricity alone. Ideal for summer, when you still want warm towels, but your heating is not switched on. |  Comfort height WC pan, not noticeably any different visually. Extra 4cm height can help with any mobility issues. |
 Large mirror added for extra light and space in the room. Demister pad installed underneath mirror to stop it steaming up. Polished chrome shaver socket installed - useful for charging a toothbrush too. |  Semi countertop basin sits within the worktop and furniture. Tap selected for ease of use, with simple push up/down waste. |  Large porcelain tiles used on walls and floor, with underfloor electric heating installed for complete comfort. |
 Shower tray set close to the floor and tiles laid up to edge. Easy entrance to shower with no step up. |  Furniture selected from a large range of colours and wood effects, with a choice of handle shapes and worktops. |  Finished shower, with single piece of safety glass and various grab rails mounted on the walls for safety. Easy to keep clean! |
 Subtle design effect with 2 shades of tile on the shower wall adds interest. Tiles set one above the other in columns. Darker central strip of tiles co-ordinates with furniture colour. |  Extra electronic push on/off button for shower installed at entrance to shower. Blue backlight flashes until the preset temperature is reached. |  Grab bar installed at an angle at shower entrance, plus additional on/off electronic control on wall, so user can switch shower on and allow water to reach temperature before getting in. |
 Various styles of quality grab bars. |
Our brief was to provide a safe, workable shower room for an elderly couple in their eighties. The original room contained a bath with a shower over, and 2 vanity basins plus a WC. The bathroom had been installed approximately 20 years ago when the house was built, but it was beginning to look a little tired, and in need of updating.
The old wc had a flush mechanism that was rather stiff and difficult to use. Mrs G has arthritis, and she struggled to use the flush . She also had difficulty with raising and lowering herself comfortably onto the seat. We suggested a raised height pan for the new bathroom, which is only a few inches extra in height, but offers greater comfort in these situations. The new wc pan was built neatly into bathroom furniture in wood effect, and an easy to use palm push flush button was selected.
A new low level shower tray was installed along the wall on the right hand side, where there had previously been 2 vanity basins and some shelving. During the installation, the walls of the shower were strengthened with marine ply so that grab rails could be fixed safely. This also gave the advantage of providing the option of having a wall mounted shower seat, should the need arise. The tray that was used for this project was an 1800mm x 760mm size tray, but there are numerous tray sizes, and it is usually possible to find one to fit your space. A single piece of shower glass was sufficient to allow easy showering without any struggles with a door. The shower is operated by large push switches, illuminated in bright blue. The blue light flashes while the water is reaching the desired temperature, and when the temperature has stabilised, the blue light goes solid, letting you know that your water temperature is correct. In this installation we installed an on/off switch at the entrance to the shower, and another one inside for the user. This allows a carer to operate the on/off from the doorway without getting wet.
The old bath was removed from the left hand side of the room, and replaced with a run of built in units to create an organised space with plenty of storage. A high quality solid worktop with an attractive coppery glint provided the finishing touch and a little bit of added opulence. The basin has been set into the worktop. and the WC is housed within the furniture with all pipework hidden away. A large plain mirror adds light and depth to the room, and a demister pad was installed underneath, meaning that the mirror will not steam up when the shower is in use.
The floor and walls were completely tiled in a quality porcelain natural-look tile. There is some underfloor heating installed under the tiles, to take the chill off a cold floor, all controlled by a timer unit hidden in the adjoining bedroom. The underfloor heating is useful for keeping the floor dry when there are any splashes of water, and also helps to keep any floor mats dry too.
Mr & Mrs G have been using their new shower room successfully for a number of months, and it has made their lives much easier.