An emerging trend over the last couple of years is the Wet Room design – A bathroom layout that includes a completely open shower/bath area, with either a single partition or no partition at all. If you are considering a Wet Room, here are a few things you should consider first.
Wet Room Design: The Good…
Ideal Solution for Small Bathrooms
A wet room does allow you more freedom to fit in all the luxuries: a bathtub, a ceiling mounted rainshower, a handheld shower, etc. Using a single wall, shower screen or no partition at all is really quite liberating when designing a bathroom!
Wheelchair Access
A wet room provides an ideal solution for a wheelchair accessible bathroom thanks to the openness of the layout. A seat (either built in or loose) can also be easily incorporated in the design for comfort and versatility, without being overly restrictive or getting in the way.
No Partition? No More Cleaning Glass!
Although glass shower screens are super handy and fab, they can be a pain to keep completely spot-free. Soap scum and streaking is all too common on our glass shower screens – A completely open wet room will eliminate this issue for good.
A Contemporary Bathroom Design
A wet room provides the opportunity to create a very sleek, contemporary design. Thanks to the freedom this design option provides, you can get very creative in your placement of bathroom furniture and even in your selection of materials, as seen in the example below.
Wet Room Design: The Bad…
A Wet Room is really wet!
You should keep in mind that a wet room will obviously be very wet! Everything in the space will get wet or at the very least, come into contact with moisture and humidity. With that being said, it is important to ensure all surfaces and finishes are able to handle the constant moisture; this includes your window frames, vanity unit and accessories, as well as your toilet paper rolls and towels.
Added Bathroom Renovation Costs
Building a wet room is a lot of work which equals to added costs. A few general items that you can expect to pay a little bit extra for include:
- Tiles & Labour: A wet room will need to be tiled all the way up to the ceiling. This means more tiles to purchase as well as added labour costs to lay them
- Waterproofing: A wet room will of course, require more waterproofing than your average bathroom
- Flooring: A wet room will require a slightly sloped floor to allow all water to run off into the drain
No Added Resale Value
Although a wet room can create a very appealing design, there is really not much resale value in converting your main bathroom into a wet room. When you are looking to sell your home, your goal is to ensure your home appeals to a vast majority of potential buyers. Wet rooms can be fabulous however, are not always everyone’s cup of tea!
The best way around this is to ensure there is a partition between the shower and bath zone and the rest of the bathroom, i.e. keep your vanity unit and loo on the other side of a glass shower screen, for example. This solution provides a walk-in shower and/or bath area while protecting the vanity and loo from getting wet. Although this is a slight step away from a traditional, open Wet Room, it is the best solution when looking to add resale value to your home.
This design solution would best be suited to a second bathroom or ensuite rather than the main bathroom of your home – keep a traditional layout for the main bathroom to ensure your home retains its resale value.
And The Other…
Underfloor Bathroom Heating
Underfloor or under tile heating is a great option for a wet room – Not only will it warm your toes but it will also help in drying your floor much quicker.
Bathroom Storage
Storage in the bathroom is always a must however, when designing a wet room, you should consider your storage options a lot more carefully than with a traditional bathroom. Stick to an in-wall mirrored cabinet over the vanity and avoid any open shelving that cannot be waterproofed. You may also want to consider a shower niche to keep all your shampoo bottles raised off the floor.
Hire a Bathroom Renovation Pro
As with most bathroom renovations, we would always recommend hiring a professional designer, plumber or builder to carry out the works to ensure a high quality finish you can enjoy for many years to come!
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