Walk-in showers and wet rooms have surged in popularity over the years, partly due to changing trends and lifestyles. Also, elderly homeowners or those with disabilities are choosing to make their homes more comfortable and accessible.
Whatever the reason, they're a great idea and a sensible investment. Whether you're transforming an existing bathroom or converting a spare room, a walk-in shower is an excellent means of adding value to your home and making life easier. Many people install a walk-in shower to future-proof their homes; it could be that limited mobility becomes an issue in years to come, so why not fit a new walk-in shower now in readiness?
But what about walk-in shower prices? How much does walk-in shower installation cost?
You can find out here, with some help from the Bathroom Crew!
First, let's get the basic information out of the way...
How is a walk-in shower any different from a traditional shower?
The answer is that most walk-in showers don't have doors and the floor level is usually the same as the rest of the bathroom, making the shower area more accessible. This is pretty handy for anyone with mobility issues as it helps to avoid any obstacles or trip hazards.
Some don't even have a shower enclosure, although most will have glass shower screens on at least one side.
So, you don't have to step into a bath tub or shower cubicle and there's usually no step to negotiate. Often, there's not even a shower tray to worry about!
Finding accurate figures for any kind of home improvement can be a frustrating and stressful task. If you Google something like walk-in showers for elderly prices or disabled shower cost, you'll get a whole load of conflicting information.
To an extent, this is understandable as there are many factors that will affect the final cost of a walk-in shower. But that's not a lot of help to the customer!
The fact is that a walk-in shower installation can cost anything between £1,000 and £8,000, with an average of £5,000. It all depends on the following:
As with most products and services, prices tend to be more in areas with higher living costs, like London and the southeast.
If you are upgrading an old, dated bathroom, your new shower will have to fit within the space, usually in the footprint of your old bath tub. If this isn't possible, you may have to remodel the entire room including the existing plumbing and electrics.
Some projects will involve the removal of your old shower cubicle or bath, which adds to the costs as well as the work time.
Also, if you have a large bathroom, you can have a bigger shower, which will require more labour and materials.
Are you happy with a basic walk-in shower? If so, you can save money by keeping things simple. Adding luxury features will push up walk-in shower installation costs significantly!
However, it depends on your budget and what you're prepared to pay.
To give you a clearer picture of what's involved, we'll examine the main aspects of walk-in shower installation one by one.
This is where you can add a touch of luxury: there's nothing like feeling the warmth rising from a tiled or vinyl floor after leaving a refreshing shower!
Underfloor heating isn't a new idea, but we've only recently caught on to how efficient and effective it is. And, thankfully, it's become more affordable for everyone, due to improvements in technology,
If you want to include this in your walk-in shower installation, you need to first look at the different types available:
This comes in the form of mats that can be simply rolled out into the space and covered with an appropriate flooring. It's a highly-efficient method of heating the space, keeping the room dry and free from mould. It's also cheaper to run than your conventional radiator!
An electric UFH kit will cost between £70 and £230 depending on the size, brand and wattage. You must ensure that you choose the right size as these mats can't be cut to fit the dimensions of the room.
This system uses a circuit of pipes through which hot water is pumped. Installing water UFH is a more complex job, which is why it's a more expensive option - between £135 and £185 per square metre.
Even so, once installed, it is very efficient and cheap to run.
It's your choice whether to include glass shower screens or not, but most shower rooms have at least one. You can choose whether to have a left or right opening, and there's a huge range of designs on offer. Some have brushed brass or black frames, while others have a chrome-silver finish. You can have a standard rectangular glass screen or one with a stylish arched top. There are also screens split into several panes, or frameless screens that offer a contemporary edge to your walk-in shower.
Prices start at around £100 and go to around £450 depending on the design.
It's up to you what type of shower you want. If you're happy with mixer showers, where hot and cold water are drawn from your bathroom taps, you can save money.
The truth is that most of us enjoy the invigorating and refreshing experience you get from a power shower, although this will clearly push up the cost of a walk-in shower by a fair amount.
The average price of installing a power shower in the UK is £500, about twice the price of a good-quality electric shower.
If you're on a tight budget, you can pick up electric showers for around £50, but it's wise to get the best quality that you can afford. There are hundreds to choose from and most are very efficient, delivering a powerful shower spray even if they're not quite as invigorating as a power shower.
While it might sound a bit strange, the 'digital' part relates to the built-in thermostat that regulates the temperature, water pressure and flow to maximise your showering experience.
These start at around £300 and can go as high as £1,000, so you'll want to explore this further to find one that suits your budget.
These take your shower experience to another level! There are many different styles, but generally speaking, these ingenious accessories consist of a column of pipes (or a flat panel) with body jets incorporated, a large flat shower-head, controls and a hand shower.
They're really worth considering, and you can expect to pay between £150 and £450 for your shower tower.
Note: these are not to be confused with shower panels that are used in place of tiles around the shower area. Contractors and bathroom accessory manufacturers do love to use confusing terminology!
This is a relatively new feature where a steam generator is added to the shower fitting. A digital controller delivers cold water to the generator which mimics a steam room. This will incur added costs as a steam room shower is usually enclosed, so you'll need to have a glass screen and door fitted.
Not everyone has a shower tray (also called a shower pan) in their walk-in shower, and this is totally your choice. If you do so, it will be set at a slightly lower level than the rest of the bathroom floor but it shouldn't present too much of an obstacle or trip hazard.
Many customers prefer to have the same flooring throughout the room for aesthetic reasons, and this is fine. However, more work is involved as the floor will have to have a slope built in to ensure proper drainage.
Good-quality shower trays cost between £130 and £300, depending on the size and shape. The size of your shower tray will be determined by the amount of space in your bathroom, usually fitting into the area where your bath used to be.
This will take a fair chunk of your budget, so you'll need to give some thought to what tiles you want. Whether you simply want a functional space or something more opulent, there are plenty of designs that look smart and will do the job perfectly.
The choices include:
Porcelain is often considered the best choice as it is the most durable and has a non-slip surface. Ceramic tiles are usually better for walls, though a non-slip surface can be added for use in floor areas. Mosaic tiles are ideal for following the slope of the room towards the drain, and there are some beautiful designs available.
Natural stone tiles look amazing and are fairly popular, although they sometimes need to be sealed as they are naturally porous.
The cost of tiling your wet shower room depends on which option you choose, and will be somewhere between £12 and £90 per square metre, with an average cost of £40 per square metre.
If your new shower is replacing a bath, you'll need to have this removed to make way for the installation. This typically costs between £200 and £500 as the contractors will have to ensure that the space is cleared carefully and that the old materials are disposed of sensitively.
If any other materials need to be removed during the renovation work, this will be included in the final cost and will affect the projected timescale.
Is there a difference between the two? Actually, there is, although they can be very similar.
In essence, a walk-in shower is as described at the start: a shower area that's set at the same floor level as the rest of the bathroom with no raised areas to step over. It may or may not have a shower enclosure or low-level shower tray, but the main purpose is to have unimpeded access to the shower. There won't be any shower doors and most don't usually have shower curtains.
A typical wet room, on the other hand, is an entirely waterproof space with an open shower at one end. The floor has a slight slope to allow water to drain away. They sometimes have a glass shower screen or two, but the idea is to have a fully accessible open-plan shower.
Both wet rooms and walk-in showers are ideal additions to any home. Either can be added to small bathrooms or large ones, as long as they are professionally designed and fitted.
What's more, they will boost the value of your property by around 5%, according to the latest research.
Finances aside, the real value can be seen in the benefits they offer:
Now you can see why so many UK households have chosen to install a walk-in shower! It's an excellent investment that will future-proof your home and add value in so many ways.
The Bathroom Crew is sensitive to the needs of customers with disabilities. We can fit a wet room or walk-in shower to suit your specific requirements and will do our best to keep disruption to a minimum. We understand that you want to start using your new shower as soon as possible so you can enjoy the benefits.
The same applies to our senior customers, who want to make the most of life and need a bathroom that offers more comfort and freedom.
We will install a walk-in shower that takes the hassle and risk out of your daily bathing routine, giving you back control of your life. We can add extras to make life easier, such as sturdy grab rails and handles, just for your peace of mind. This is your shower and you can have it your way!
In either case, it's our intention to provide the best service and the perfect walk-in shower at an affordable price.
From what we've learned, if you want a simple, practical solution due to concerns about mobility issues, or you prefer an understated, minimalist look, then you can probably keep your walk-in shower installation cost down to around £1,000 to £3,500.
For a walk-in shower with luxury features, you're looking at between £4,000 and £8,000 or more. The advice from the Bathroom Crew is to always go for the best that you can afford. While it's natural to want to save money, skimping on some of these accessories is a recipe for trouble; it's better to pay more now than to splash out more cash when the cheaper options let you down.
Whatever your reasons for installing a walk-in shower, they're an excellent addition to any modern property, although they're especially beneficial to the elderly or those with limited mobility or limited physical abilities.
Financial assistance is available, depending on your circumstances, and you can find out the details on our blog entitled grants for disabled bathrooms.
We specialise in walk-in shower installation, whatever your needs and requirements, and we can offer complete guidance from beginning to end.
At the Bathroom Crew, we strive to bring your bathroom dreams and ideas to life, so when you need advice about walk-in showers, wet rooms or standard bathroom fitting, we're ready to help you to get the bathroom you deserve.
