Bath Out, Shower In

Winterwhite, I personally know someone who is paralysed from waist down and she uses one of those bath lowering devices with no problems .

Definitely go for the walk in. I considered this years ago when I had hip problems. My son said not a good idea as this is a family house and families with children want a bath, if we ever wanted to sell. So we kept our bath and shower stall.
I have regretted our decision ever since especially now I have stenosis/chronic sciatica and worry every time I take a shower as the step up/down is quite high. Haven't used the bath for over 20 years so a complete waste of space!

Seems as though everyone rejected the idea of those devices that lower you into the bath and raise you out again. DH can no longer get out of the bath with ease but liked soaking and says he dislikes showers. He might change his mind if we had a walk in one, with a seat but suppose he didn't! I don't want to make his life a misery. Has anyone any knowledge of the kind of kit I'm talking about

We have a shower in the spare room ensuite, family bathroom with shower over the bath and separate wc. Future purchasers and relative cost aren't the issue.

Norah wrote:
"I attached curtain weights inside the corners of the curtains. Once we get in, close curtains, they don't move much, just hang."

Thank you Norah. That solves the problem.
You also described your shower room floor. I understand however I wonder what if any is the difference between what you have , and a wet room. Also, is your sub floor concrete or wooden floorboards? I am really interested and would like to know your experience as I searched Google and find not much info of this sort.

We have a shower within a bath and find it so inconvenient. So.we are going to rearrange the space we have to have a separate bath and shower so that we have the best of both worlds. We love a hot bath, as a treat, now and then. Especially on a cold winter's night and we want to soak...😊

In your position I would definitely have a shower cubicle fitted with a pull down seat and a grab rail.
We looked at several houses and bungalows before buying this one. We wanted a bath so did turn down those without one, or space to fit one in. But this won't affect you now unless you are thinking of moving

I did love a bath especially when I was able to use my essential oils occasionally, but when I moved here to a flat have a walk in shower, The doors slide easily, there is a seat if I want to use it, but can put it up or down. The shower itself can be moved up and down a bar, or lifted to hand hold and there is a place to put shower gell shampoo etc. Best of all there is a good solid bar to hold on to. If I am not feeling very good , I know that I can hold on to that as and when I need it. I feel safe and secure to get showered as and when it suits me. My back is more of a problem now and I think I would be having problems using the bath there, so this allows me to keep my independance. That is the bottom line I think, that you are able to do as you wish and feel safe and free to do what you like and not be beholden to anyone else.

I would definitely go for a walk-in shower, you need to feel safe. I only have the occasional bath but am beginning to feel a bit unsafe so will probably stick to the shower in future.

I would use a walk in shower more than a bath with shower over. You can still trip on bath edge. In years to come bath will be bad for you: blood pressure...etc. think of yourself, not your children nor next occupier.

Your needs first! A bigger shower will allow you to stay in the property longer. A house is a home not an asset.
I did this 5 years ago and my skin is so much better. Those long baths were not good for my legs.

Callistemon21

^When our shower was built, the opening was built to be 5 ft, no glass, easy for us to enter^

If there is enough space, especially if a bath has been removed, then a proper shower area like a small wet room can be built with tiled walls all around and a good sized entrance. A seat and grab rails can be fitted properly at the same time.
There's no need then for glass shower screens or shower curtains.

Precisely.

Ours is a bit like a wet room, all walls tiled, big entrance, shower system at each end, grab bars, built in seat.

Fleurpepper, a curtain doesn't cling if it's far enough away. Why are they so popular in the US and Canada if they're impractical?

Are the days of bathing kids over - with water bills on the increase? My grandchildren all shower, once they've outgrown the baby bath (that sits in the big shower anyway). Nobody uses the bath - and I have to vacuum the dust out of it when I clean!

Caleo

Norah, that has seemed to me to be the ideal solution to the problem of shower screens. But what I was wondering is: does the bottom edge of the shower curtain tuck in inside the shower tray and stay in position while the shower is in use?

I attached curtain weights inside the corners of the curtains. Once we get in, close curtains, they don't move much, just hang.

Shower floor is part to the bathroom floor, no higher tray edge. The shower was engineered to have a very slight slant to the drain, walls extend on either side of the opening to the side walls of the bathroom.

When our shower was built, the opening was built to be 5 ft, no glass, easy for us to enter

If there is enough space, especially if a bath has been removed, then a proper shower area like a small wet room can be built with tiled walls all around and a good sized entrance. A seat and grab rails can be fitted properly at the same time.
There's no need then for glass shower screens or shower curtains.

Norah, that has seemed to me to be the ideal solution to the problem of shower screens. But what I was wondering is: does the bottom edge of the shower curtain tuck in inside the shower tray and stay in position while the shower is in use?

Welshwife

When a relative could no longer use the over bather shower and it was replaced for her - had to be done before they would release her from hospital - she was not allowed to have the glass screen incase of falls - the occupational health people insisted on a curtain. Because of that we decided not to use glass screens either - have one still stored in the house - and used curtains. There is another benefit to a curtain - they do not have the traps for mould etc along the track or round the fixings of the shower door.

When our shower was built, the opening was built to be 5 ft, no glass, easy for us to enter. We've numerous permanent grab bars and a plastic film curtain behind a pretty fabric curtain. No limescale to remove.

It seemed wise to make the space accessible enough for us to actually take care of each other (or small children) as we aged.

Exactly Callistemon

Welshwife

When a relative could no longer use the over bather shower and it was replaced for her - had to be done before they would release her from hospital - she was not allowed to have the glass screen incase of falls - the occupational health people insisted on a curtain. Because of that we decided not to use glass screens either - have one still stored in the house - and used curtains. There is another benefit to a curtain - they do not have the traps for mould etc along the track or round the fixings of the shower door.

I've never heard of that Welshwife
Surely if she slipped and fell against the shower curtain, she could hurt herself more by falling into the room and hitting her head on the toilet or basin?

The glass for shower screens should be toughened and laminated and subject to high safety standards.

Go for what you need now and let the future take care if itself. Safety is more important that house prices. Walk ins are better than showers with doors - less structure to act as dirt traps and wall panels are easier to clean than tiles.

No no no clingy curtain that sticks to you - hate it. Glass every time, blade off and vinegar once a week.

Again, under 3' shower is no good to you at all.

You must think of the sellable aspect of the house. If it’s going to be a family house, a bath is a must. If you don’t have space to have a shower, then a shower over the bath should suffice. When the children were young, it was great to put them in a bubbly bath, while I got on with some tidying up. Luckily, the bathroom was large enough to have a shower cubicle as well. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Welshwife, yes, I do wonder why glass screens are so popular in the UK - especially in hard water areas. The Ideal Standard over-bath one keeps itself mysteriously clean (so must be treated in some way) but the large shower enclosure in the ensuite is a nightmare of water spots and limescale. If I ever move, a new one would be a wet room or a simple curtain. With plenty of room, a curtain would be just fine and cleaning access would be better.

When a relative could no longer use the over bather shower and it was replaced for her - had to be done before they would release her from hospital - she was not allowed to have the glass screen incase of falls - the occupational health people insisted on a curtain. Because of that we decided not to use glass screens either - have one still stored in the house - and used curtains. There is another benefit to a curtain - they do not have the traps for mould etc along the track or round the fixings of the shower door.

but ive heard removing the bath can reduce the value of my home

I doubt that the value would be reduced by much, and as other posters have said, if you sold then new owners would probably change the bathroom to suit themselves anyway.

I'd go for a bigger shower.
We have a bath in the bathroom but it isn't used much now and I've noticed that if family come to stay they either use the shower over the bath or nip into our ensuite and use the bigger shower!

12 years + ago I found I could get in a bath but not out without a lot of difficulties. I had the bath removed and a shower fitted and it is large enough to house a stool which I now need whenever I have a shower.

I am looking after myself and whoever buys the house after my demise can do what they like with it.