Converting the garage into a wet room

[UJ2015]

Hi,

We want - and really need - to convert the garage into a wet room and downstairs loo. We need this done as soon as possible for the sake of both parents, although it's only Pa who has Alzeimhers, well advanced, and Mum has had poor mobility for years.

We've been quoted 35k! Okay, we might be extending the garage just a bit, keep a bit of it for storage, so that's an extra internal door and partition. We're going to be looking at other quotes or did we just under estimate how much it is? All advice appreciated!

 

[mancmum]

That's very high

I have just had done a bit of a slipshod job for wetroom which cost 4K including all sanitaryware electrics etc. It was a conversion of existing downstairs toilet to wet room. It probably wont accommodate a wheelchair but it does what we need.

MIL had the full monty job of converting existing dated bathroom to all singing all dancing wheelchair accessible wetroom. Every cost 7K.

Notes: Do go for underfloor heating. As well as being warm it dries the wet room off - essential if it is also the sole toilet on that floor. Do have more than one source of light if user lives alone so that if bulb goes in room that may not have a window it still remains usable in the interim.

MILs job was done by a specialist north of england accessible bathroom specialist..I would recommend them. Everything went exactly to plan and was done quickly - although it did take about 2 weeks from start to finish. They do do building work as well. I will PM you if you want their name.

Ask you builder why the quote is so expensive ...does it need drains re routing which can be expensive. If this is the problem would you do better to convert an existing bathroom and instead install a stair lift or lift.

Could it be the extension element that is costing the money? Could you gain storage from outside shed or something and keep the garage at its present size? In the longer term would you be better with a bedroom in the garage with easy access to toilet facilities. At 35k are you better talking to an architect who might suggest something that is overall better than talking to a building who will just do what you ask.

 

[Kevinl]

£35k sounds well over the top to me for a garage to bathroom conversion, however, that said it would depend on what's involved.
Many older garages have an asbestos roof which would need removing and a new roof outing in place, extending the garage might mean taking down and rebuilding brick walls, new underground sewerage pipes laying, so without knowing the full facts it's difficult to say but £35k still sounds like a lot of money to me, I'd be getting some more quotes from some other builders.
K

 

[nitram]

There's a lot of structural work, and maybe groundworks, involved in the garage conversion, drainage, improving insulation of outside walls. Floor will also need insulating and maybe DPC installed, can the floor level be raised or will it require excavating?

Instead of extending the garage would it be possible to block off a short distance at the front and only convert the remaining part. You would then have a storage area for garden equipment etc. accessed through the existing garage door.

 

[UJ2015]

Thanks, guys. There are some insulating issues, and I'm sure we don't need to extend the garage really - can't remember why that was suggested!

I'll be asking for more quotes, and my sister is going to talk to the builder. He was recommended by my parents plumber, so I was hoping we could just crack on. Back to the drawing board.

And if anyone can recommend anyone in the NW London/Harrow area, even better!

 

[cragmaid]

We paid neck end of 14k just to convert the bathroom into a wet room! Mind we did choose top end fixtures and fittings tiles lights etc. I suspect that if you allow your builder/plumber free range, this is where your prices leap up. You might be able to swing a grant towards the cost for the work from your local authority....and I believe the vat should be reduced if this is for a disabled person.

 

[little shettie]

Hi,

We want - and really need - to convert the garage into a wet room and downstairs loo. We need this done as soon as possible for the sake of both parents, although it's only Pa who has Alzeimhers, well advanced, and Mum has had poor mobility for years.

We've been quoted 35k! Okay, we might be extending the garage just a bit, keep a bit of it for storage, so that's an extra internal door and partition. We're going to be looking at other quotes or did we just under estimate how much it is? All advice appreciated!

Oh that's crazy! We've just converted our garage into a large bedroom and shower room for mum who has AZ. We had quotes around the 38k mark though the architect who drew up the plans (yes we had to have planning permission!!) said it would cost 6-8k! It actually cost us around 10k, we did most of the work ourselves though, we did get a builder to do the brickwork but we even fitted windows ourselves something we'd never done before, found out how on you tube lol! Not practical for most I know but we couldn't to pay anyone else to do work. I would always say get recommendation on builders as I know people have had so many nightmare with cowboys and never pay up front, only a small deposit or for some materials. if someone wants it all up front, then don't give it! There are cheaper reliable good workman, just got to find them. We found ours on face book. Hope it works out for you ok.

 

[Izzy]

Remember you don't pay VAT on fittings if person is disabled. My husband has Alzheimer's and he wrote a letter for us stating that for safety reasons Boll need the wet room, raised toilet etc. Our plumber will present that letter to VAT people.

 

[nitram]

As has been said don't forget the >>>VAT relief<<< this is best used at the point of sale otherwise it involves the supplier in unwanted time consuming paperwork.

Regarding costs, if access to drains requires considerable groundworks it may be reasonable bearing in mind it is conversion of a garage not a refurbishment of an existing bathroom.

A lot of the cost is labour. In 2010 I stud walled off an area of a large bedroom and installed a wet room with shower, toilet, and vanity unit. I've just looked at my spreadsheet for the cost and it was £2008.54, this includes Part P and Part H certification and VAT relief. The manual work involved digging a trench across the front lawn to gain access to a drain.

Not a builder just, amongst other things, a keen DIYer.

 

[UJ2015]

Thanks so much - it never even occurred to me that Dad should be registered disabled! I'll look into that.

I'd love to have a go at a spot of DIY. I know the value of youtube in this. I learned to tile that way. Mind, although my kitchen tiles are ok, I know I'd do a much better job second time around, so I'd need someone else's house to experiment on first before tackling the parents home.

 

[nitram]

Costs vary according to the area and also the amount of work on the floor and access to drainage.

Wall costs just depend on geographic area and construction is easy. Board over with backer board, finish with tile or something like http://www.bathroommarquee.co.uk/homepage.htm

If single skin external wall backer board on timber frame plus insulation and vapour barrier.

If attempting DIY for some, or whole, of project your bible is https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/building-regulation

Whether DIY or not sort out the ventilation. Heated floors do not get rid of the moisture, you need adequate fan(s) and somewhere for the air to get in, you want the fan(s) to to promote a flow to remove the moist air not attempt to create a vacuum. I put a 300mm glass valance on the ceiling across the shower area to trap the rising moist air and installed two downlighter/exit ducts to extract the moist air, there is no door between the en suite and the bedroom so plenty of 'input' air is available.

 

[Pete R]

Hi,

We want - and really need - to convert the garage into a wet room and downstairs loo. We need this done as soon as possible for the sake of both parents, although it's only Pa who has Alzeimhers, well advanced, and Mum has had poor mobility for years.

We've been quoted 35k! Okay, we might be extending the garage just a bit, keep a bit of it for storage, so that's an extra internal door and partition. We're going to be looking at other quotes or did we just under estimate how much it is? All advice appreciated!

That does seem a lot of money for what you wish to achieve. Have a look at this thread and see if you can accommodate a wet room somewhere else in the house that has easy access to the plumbing.......
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?85293-new-shower-room-for-dementia-husband

There are also prefabricated bathroom units that are used for hotels, student digs and cruise ships that might be worth a google.

Good Luck.

 

[UJ2015]

Thanks, everyone. I'm thinking of taking a look at re-doing the bathroom - it made sense at the time to have something put in downstairs, rather than putting in lifts - if they break down? The speed they go? How the hell does someone with alzeimhers learn how to use one? Back to the drawing board.

 

[bemused1]

Thanks so much - it never even occurred to me that Dad should be registered disabled! I'll look into that.

I'd love to have a go at a spot of DIY. I know the value of youtube in this. I learned to tile that way. Mind, although my kitchen tiles are ok, I know I'd do a much better job second time around, so I'd need someone else's house to experiment on first before tackling the parents home.

He doesn't have to be registered disabled for vat relief. In some cases you need to sign a vat exemption form in some cases you will need drs letter
Same applies to disable facilities grants but these are rarer than hens teeth or at least where I live!

 

[UJ2015]

Yep, I finally figured out that there's no actual register!

Still trying to figure out if downstairs loo and walk in shower is best, or a lift and do the bathroom upstairs. I'm trying to imagine what the next year would be like and which option would be more practical for both parents.

The conversion will cost more money, but due to mobility issues, would a lift be ok? It's hard, since I can't actually foresee the future! Has anyone wished they'd just gone for the lift and re-do the bathroom, or wished they had gone for a downstairs loo instead of a slow moving lift?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[cragmaid]

I believe, although I'm no expert, that a lift would have a detrimental impact on resale value, and bathrooms are often one of the first rooms refitted after a sale, but a second loo is always popular...... so if the time comes when you want to move house, this could be a consideration.

 

[nitram]

Are you considering a lift or a stairlift, lifts can take a wheelchair meaning far less handling.

Unless stairs are complicated a stairlift should be installed in a day with little disruption.

A lift should take a day or two with more disruption plus some redecorating.

A garage conversion will take a week or so but could be much more depending how many balls the builder has in the air. It will also cause internal and external disruption. If main house is not electrically heated you may need a new boiler (which could mean an update of all your controls) or electric heating in the extension. If present consumer unit is old they may say update this plus the existing wiring, there is a different route, leave current installation alone and fit a separate new unit feeding only the extension.

If looking for means tested grants the easiest is the stairlift, the other two and especially the extension will involve so much time and red tape that you may wish you had not bothered to apply.

 

[la lucia]

Yep, I finally figured out that there's no actual register!

Still trying to figure out if downstairs loo and walk in shower is best, or a lift and do the bathroom upstairs. I'm trying to imagine what the next year would be like and which option would be more practical for both parents.

The conversion will cost more money, but due to mobility issues, would a lift be ok? It's hard, since I can't actually foresee the future! Has anyone wished they'd just gone for the lift and re-do the bathroom, or wished they had gone for a downstairs loo instead of a slow moving lift?

Any advice appreciated.

I converted my mother's downstairs bathroom into a lovely, glamorous shower room. It's totally safe with nonslip tiles, grab rails, comfort height toilet and a homemade shower bench built into the wall but it's pretty and stylish and as far away from the traditional 'elderly bathroom as possible.

It's small so we had to put in a glass surround but it is built on wet room principles- totally tanked (waterproofing under the tiles), epoxy grout (which is waterproof and can handle pee etc.,), level access to shower, and the lovely mosaic tiled seat we designed ourselves. It has a diverter that can switch the water from the overhead shower to a hand shower for mum.

This is not possible in a first floor bathroom because of floor stability and waterproofing issues.

I personally would not put a new bathroom on a first floor for someone with dementia because mobility can be a real issue and I hate stair lifts and my mother wouldn't like it.

If you can avoid it I would keep it on the ground floor. We used a frameless shower enclosure which almost disappears into the bathroom visually. I measured the room and played with plans on graph paper. For such a small bathroom it works brilliantly and she can even get her walking frame in.

We celebrated its finish with new fluffy towels for mum and she was delighted.

 

[UJ2015]

Thanks again, guys. Taking everything into consideration, it's so easy to keep going round in circles. And the goalposts may be changing again as now the subject of care/nursing homes have been mentioned when before it was an absolute no go area. Different day, different roundabout!