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.