Thinking of purchasing a shower enclosure? Then this article will provide useful information on what to consider before you do and potential pitfalls to avoid.
A shower enclosure can be a welcome addition to a bathroom if properly planned and fitted, indeed many people are removing the traditional bath and replacing with similiar sized rectangular enclosures. They retain heat, look stunning and unlike a shower curtain or over bath screen also ensure water is drained away efficiently out of the house and not onto your bathroom floor.
As with any home improvement it's important to plan before making any expensive purchases. In the case of a shower enclosure you need to ask yourself;
How many walls are available to locate an enclosure?
What bathroom room height do you have available?
How much space do you have to locate the enclosure?
Is there suitable plumbing nearby for the shower tray waste to be connected to?
Once you have the answers to these questions you can set about finding the perfect shower enclosure for your bathroom.
How many walls are available to locate your shower enclosure?
The number of walls you have available will generally dictate the shape and style of the enclosure you choose. With only one wall available you would generally be restricted to a d-shape enclosure or to a three sided walk-in. Two walls gives you the most options allowing you to choose between quadrant, hinge door, pivot door, bow front, walk-in and sliding door shower enclosures. Three walls generally means you have a recess situation in which to fit into, so pivot shower doors, hinge doors, bifold doors and sliding shower doors would be appropriate.
What bathroom room height do you have available?
Most shower enclosures are generally around 1850-1900mm high plus the height of the shower tray the enclosure sits on. Low profile trays are around 35mm to 45mm in height with thicker trays going up to around 170mm in height. Many people have a low profile tray sitting on upstands or a raising kit which allows the overall installion to be lifted so that plumbing can be installed below the tray but above the floor boards. This is generally a necessity with enclosures fitted over a concrete ground floor. If your ceiling height is above 2.2m then generally there shouldn't be any issues with the majority of glass shower enclosures on the market. A little room above the enclosure between the ceiling will allow steam to escape and help you to breath!
How much space do you have to locate the enclosure?
Now that you have the location within the room sorted how big an area do you have available? The bigger the enclosure the more comfortable the showering experince and many modern designs also include a drying area with wooden duckboards to stand on. Aqualux have a number of walk-in designs like this. Most enclosures are generally under 1400x900mm in size with the most popular sizes being 900 x 900mm quadrants or 1200 x 900mm offset quadrants. If you're choosing a pivot or hinge shower door or some quadrant enclosures you also need to appreciate the swing radius of the door. You don't want to risk safety by installing an enclosure whereby a glass door can swing out and bang onto other sanitaryware such as a toilet or basin. Sliding single and double roller doors are becoming more popular though they impact costs because of the extra mechanical components involved. Also rollers for sliding doors are one of the components that may need replacing at some stage especially on cheaper shower enclosures that incorporate plastic bodied rollers. It's advisable to look out for enclosures from manufactutures that offer a healthy guarantee period. Companies such as Phoenix Whirlpools, Aqualux, Vogue Bathrooms and Merlyn Bathrooms offer lifetime guarantees and spare parts are readily available.
Is there suitable plumbing for the shower tray waste to be connected to?
As well as having enough room to locate the shower enclosure you also need to be sure that below that space it will be possible to link the shower waste either to the soil pipe or to another pipe already leading to the soil pipe. If in doubt you should ask a local plumber about this but generally it will help if your enclosure is on the same side of the room as the waste pipe, thus keeping down plumbing costs.
A sub question to this would be to ask, is there plumbing available for an electric or thermostatic shower? An electric shower or exposed shower valve can sit on the surface of the wall perhaps with the pipe work going into a loft space. Increasingly though people want to hide unsightly pipe work so this is often hidden behind a stub wall or embedded into the wall as when using a concealed thermostatic shower mixer.
Shower Enclosure Checklist
As a final check here are a list of bathroom fixtures and fittings you may require to fit a shower enclosure.
Required
Shower Enclosure
Shower Tray
Shower Waste
Might be required
Easy plumb legs and side panels to raise the tray
Concealed or exposed Thermostatic shower mixer
Electric shower
