UKC

Whilst I suspect what I am asking is an impossible contradiction but we need to replace the bath with a walk in shower and my wife wants a low level one where you do not mash your toes first thing in the morning. But I am concerned that any blockages or leaks or problems and you may have to break it all apart to get at the drain and pipes.

Small bathroom so cant raise the overall floor level with an access trap. Are there any modular type shower bases where you can lift up part to get access or does that not work because of risk of leaks from how it fits.

Its in a flat with concrete floors so cant do the usual and make an access hatch in the ceiling below. Well I could but the people in the flat below would be pretty pi55ed at me.

Thanks

In reply to m0unt41n:

The plumbing for the bath will all run between floor level and bottom of the bath. How are you going to get the drain out of a low level shower base if you have a concrete floor? The base don't just need to clear the diameter of the pipe (~40mm) you'll have to raise the base up to make space for a trap (about 50mm iirc, check the regs) and for the pipe to have some fall (1:25 maybe, again it's specified).
jk

In reply to jkarran:

Thanks, that's why I said I thought I was asking for an impossible contradiction.

So I seem to have the choice of either smashed toes or smashed shower base unfortunately,

In reply to m0unt41n:
If you have concrete floors you basically can't do it. To have a floor-level shower you would have to dig down into the floor space by about the height of the trap, which is about 3-4 inches. In a flat that would almost certainly breach your lease.

Where is your waste pipe located? If it's above the floor and cannot be moved, the shower tray will have to be 3-4 inches above *that* unless you're going to use a macerator or something to move it uphill. (Mine is in the floor space, yours I expect won't be).

In reply to m0unt41n:

Is your ceiling high enough to create a raised floor? This does of course move the toe mashing possibility from the shower to the room's door.

In reply to m0unt41n:

You could raise a low profile base up on a plinth allowing limited maintenance access from the side. Unblocking can be done through the u-bend with a bendy screw thing and chemicals anyway.

Raising a false floor just enough to make the plumbing work is your only real option for a low profile shower but there'll be hassle then with the toilet exit and the need for brick work or a nasty tight dog-leg connector behind the pan. A floor hatch could give limited inspection access to the shower trap. Doesn't work so well if you have low ceilings or a low door frame but you probably only need to lift the floor 10-12cm.

The lowest possible profile solution is probably no shower tray at all, raise the floor 8-10cm to clear the trap then make a wet room with a small step up into it. Horrible solution imo but I don't know your needs and people inexplicably seem to like having their whole bathroom awash.

Low profile showers overflow easier so you might want to consider a waterproof floor covering as well.

In reply to jkarran:
I have never seen the attraction of wet rooms (other than for the specific reason of wheelchair accessibility), particularly as I often walk around the house in socks (more often barefoot, admittedly) and wouldn't like the bathroom to be effectively made out of bounds because of the floor being soaking wet for an hour or two after a shower. I remember having one in student halls, and it was a total nuisance.

FWIW what I'd do is use a lowish-profile[1] tray, and raise it on plastic feet with trim round the outside. That's how I did mine, but how practical it is depends on the height of your waste pipe - mine is raised by about 12cm I think, but the waste pipe inlet is at floor level. If it's above, you may have to go very high.

[1] Don't use cheap trays, they are a false economy - I sent 4 of them back to Victoria Plumb before I gave up and bought one of these - not expensive, and superb quality in comparison: http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/mira-flight-shower-trays-18222-0000. FWIW, I wouldn't go super low profile as any slight blockage will result in a flood, also if you're in any way tall most enclosures are only 6' high and so a bit of raise on the tray improves the effectiveness of the enclosure.

In reply to m0unt41n:

Reply to all - thanks everyone, it confirms what I thought.

Bathroom too small to raise floor and put in a gentle slope because as someone said this would just mean smashing your toes as you go in instead of when getting into the shower.

I'll take the advice of putting it on a good quality stand and get in a supply of plasters.

In reply to m0unt41n:

Easiest way to deal with this is to get a new wife who watches where she is walking.
Simples.

In reply to m0unt41n:

You can still (probably) do it if you really want to, depends on that floor.

If you can't get a runoff for the water then you use an electric pump.

There are a lot of disabled people living in bungalows with concrete floors who have wet rooms, it's often not a huge problem.

You wouldn't lift a shower tray, like you say because of leaks but you access the pipework via the drain.

Level showers trays usually have a frame underneath, so you'd need to accomodate the depth of the frame as well, or they are preformed to allow for drainage and you'd need to cut some depth for that two.

If toe stubbing is your only concern you could try a small slope instead of a step. But if all the pipework is above the floor currently, and you can't cut into the screed, then steps is probably the way.

In reply to Dax H:

As he Googles "typical cost of shower room" and "typical cost of divorce"

In reply to m0unt41n:

Assuming there's a U-bend beneath a shower floor outlet then might, perchance my ex-defacto's $2,500 diamond still be down there? Could do with the cash TBH and she left just after her immigration was approved - which cost me $2,700. Any plumbers in the house? Finder's fee applies but I bought one one of those flexible, springy grabbers and only fished out a bit of tummy fluff and no diamond.