SHOWER / WET ROOM CONSTRUCTION
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WET ROOM PHOTO. 1.
Cold water Supply (Floor channel).
A channel had to be cut through the existing loft room floor from the water tank to the wet room. I cut a small pilot hole first to locate the floor joists and then cut from joist to joist. Before I started cutting the floor I also checked for any electric cables. The channel was for the cold water supply. The water tank was situated in a small cupboard built into the eaves of the roof. I was using a cold water supply shower unit for this wet room which required a minimum of 1 bar water pressure. I checked the water pressure from the tank and there was sufficient pressure needed to do the job. If there wasn’t enough pressure then I would have had to fit a water pump. Nearly all power showers have a small pump built into them and they do not recommend using an inline pump. I have been told by other builders that you can get away with fitting one if there is no other alternative.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 2.
Cold water Supply (Floor channel).
Extra noggins were cut to size and screwed into the original joists so the removed floor ply could be re-laid and fixed down. This would make access to the water pipe easier for any future maintenance or adding any additional plumbing. The water tank supply was isolated using a stop cock. An extra stop cock was fitted to the new wet room supply so it could be isolated without affecting the water supply to the rest of the house. The wet room supply was left turned of until all plumbing work was completed.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 3.
Wet room floor cavity.
This picture shows the floor cavity prior to work commencing. You can see that there were no noggins in between the floor joists. The wiring would all be redirected into the bedroom. Holes were drilled into the joists so the new pipe work could be laid. It is important when pipes run through joists that they are low enough to avoid damaged when nailing or screwing the floor boards back down. After laying any pipes or cables I normally mark them out on the floor or wall after fixing the floor/plaster boards. This is a good reminder where everything is. If it is not possible to lay any cables or pipe work low enough to avoid damage then I would recommend using steel ducting or fitting a metal plate over the pipe/cable where it meets the joist.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 4.
Cold water Supply.
The wet room only had a cold water supply. This decision was made because I did not want the extra cost of diverting the hot water supply from down stairs. The original loft conversion did not have any central heating and was heated using electric radiators. The nearest hot water supply was directly below the wet room. The hot water supply was an immersion heater with a gravity feed supply to the 1st floor bathroom. To run a hot water supply to the wet room would have required the installation of an electrical inline water pump.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 5.
Wet room floor construction.
All the original electrical wiring had to be diverted to allow room for the new floor gulley and waste pipes and the water pipes supplying the toilet, shower and sink. Extra noggins were fitted in between the floor joists these were for extra support to the new floor and also to prevent the original joists from twisting. The floor gulley needed 120mm clearance below it. The gulley would have two waste pipes connected to it. One was for the sink waste pipe inlet and the other was the gulley waste pipe outlet.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 6.
Cold water supply.
All the new pipe work was earthed using a pipe earth clip. The clip was then wired to the earth cable that I had run under the stairs from the fuse box. The earth cable was also connected to the power shower at the earth connection built into the unit. All electrical work should be carried out by a qualified electrician. I used a qualified electrician to make all the connections to all of the electrical appliances, switches and fuse box.
I just laid the cables out and ran them to and from the appliances and switches. This meant I could work without requiring an electrician on site all the time. This would save money and meant I would not have to wait for the electrician to be available.
WET ROOM PHOTOS. 7.
Wet room walls.
All the wall joists had to have extra battens to strengthen the walls and to prevent the wall joists from twisting. There were no noggins found between the joists when the original wall covering was removed. The battens would also be required for fixing the cement based aqua panels. The size of the wet room meant that only one person could work in there at a time. This also made it difficult when taking photographs as I did not have the room to produce wider shots.
WET ROOM PHOTOS. 8.
Landing.
A landing was created at the top of the staircase with a fire door protecting the entrance of the existing loft room. This was for fire protection the fire door was fitted in between the landing and the bedroom. Fire rated door hinges and handles were fitted to the door. An over head door closer was also fitted so the door would automatically close. A fire door liner was used, and intumescent seals were fitted into the pre cut grooves of the door liner. The landing walls had two layers of 12mm plaster board, the second layer of plaster board was fire rated plaster board this is normally a red colour. The joints of the 2nd layer of plaster board were over lapped and sealed using a fire rated sealant and jointing tape.
WET ROOM PHOTOS. 9.
Wall insulation in wet room and landing.
The stud wall dividing the wet room and landing from the bed room was insulated with 65mm foam board which was moisture, acoustic & fire rated. The bedroom side of the wall was lined with 12mm plaster board and the joints were taped and filled before decorating. The original sockets and telephone line were relocated after the stud wall was erected, both sockets were originally in the area allocated for the new wet room.
WET ROOM PHOTOS. 10.
Original Stairs and landing.
After lifting the floor boards we discovered the floor cavity had been filled with rubble from previous builders. The rubble was removed before the cables were laid for the smoke detectors and power shower. This is an Edwardian house that has been modernised by previous owners and it is common to find builders rubbish tucked away in every nook and cranny. It is very important to keep all cavities free from debris as this is a fire hazard! The cavities are designed for air circulation and to allow the house breath.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 11.
Stairs to loft rooms. (Cables)
Small holes were cut into the existing loft stair treads and risers to allow cables to be pulled from the ground floor fuse box to the 2nd floor loft rooms. A 45amp r,c,d switch was fitted to the fuse box. This was for the power shower supply. The shower cables running under the stairs were 45amp 2 core cable and a 6mm earth cable. The smoke alarms had a 4 core cable running under the steps. This not only provided a power supply to the smoke alarm/detectors but it also linked all the alarms together so if one detected smoke all the alarms would go off. The electricity supply for the bedroom sockets and the lighting was already there and any additional lighting or sockets could be connected to the existing supply.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 12.
Stairs to loft rooms.
The holes made in the stair risers to pull cables had to be large enough to get my hands into so I could pull or feed the cables. This was due to the fact that the plaster under the stairs was applied by fixing mesh straight to the bottom of the stair treads and risers. The joinery in the stair case had all been glued so when I tried to remove the riser panel it split and the plastering underneath was also being affected. So cutting the holes was the most practical way to lay the cables..
WET ROOM PHOTO. 13.
Stair case (smoke alarm/detectors).
Two alarms were fitted to the ceilings of each landing and one to the ground floor ceiling. They were all positioned directly above the stairs as this would be the best point of detection on each floor level. It is important to position the detectors at the most open point above the stairs and not to tuck them in a corner so they would be less visible. This may reduce there efficiency in detecting smoke and would reduce the amount of warning time in the event of a fire. It is also important to link the alarms so the top alarm will sound when the bottom alarm detects smoke.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 14.
Stairs to loft rooms. (Treads & risers).
I used 6mm ply to repair the holes made in the stairs. The ply was cut and fitted to the risers and treads to cover cable pulling holes. Once the steps had been repaired the carpet gripper rods could be re-fitted. The cables were protected from accidental damage by clipping a metal casing around the vulnerable areas.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 15.
Stairs to wet room and loft room.
The original carpet Underlay was stapled back onto the stairs. The original carpet was then relayed and stretched onto the gripper rods. The edges were tucked in between the gripper rods and the stair case skirting. The landing carpet was relayed and I also replaced some dodgy floor boards on the landing.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 16
Loft room lighting.
New halogen down lights were fitted into the loft bedroom. Holes were cut into the ceiling, and cables were pulled to link the lights and create a switched supply. An area of at least 300mm was cleared of insulation around light holes. This is a fire safety requirement. All halogen down lights require fire hoods to be installed.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 17.
Loft bedroom (Fire proofing).
The existing loft space was just one large room. As I have explained I separated the bedroom from the stairs creating a landing and a separate wet room on the other side of the landing. All new work would meet fire regulations. The original loft room had not been fire proofed in any way. Fire proofing is a must in all building work but it is very essential in a loft conversion. Most loft conversions have a dormer with a large window. Similar to the windows in all the other rooms of the house. The dormer window normally has a sheer drop and so is not the best means of escape in the event of a fire. The height also increases the risk of injury or death if this was used to escape a fire. So a means of escape window is essential. This window is large enough and designed so you can climb out onto the roof safley.Most fire proofing is designed to give an extra 30 minutes fire protection or more.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 18.
Wet room walls.
Aqua panel insulated backing board was attached to the wall joists using dry wall screws and washers. Aqua panel is a cement based backing board for bathrooms and is moisture resistant.
It has good insulation properties and it also has a very high fire rating. Aqua panel has a textured surface to improve adhesion. The joints between the sheets of aqua panel were reinforced using jointing tape and a silicone sealant to seal all joints.
I did not use aqua panel on the ceiling instead I used 12mm moisture resistant plaster board. I fixed the plaster board to the ceiling joists using 25mm drywall screws spaced 150mm apart. The wet room lighting cables had already been tacked into position, so all I had to do was mark out where the lights were going and cut a small hole into the plasterboard to pull the wiring through. I made three holes two for the low voltage halogen down lights and one near the doorway for the pull cord light switch. I had also laid out extra cable which would link the wall extractor fan with the lights. The extractor fan was installed into the top left hand corner of the window wall. A hole was cut into the wall inside and out and the extractor fan was fitted and wire up. At the same time the electrician connected the low energy lights and switch. It was urgent to have the wet room lights working as soon as possible, due to the fact the hours of daylight were getting shorter.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 19.
Wet room (Floor insulation).
The wet room floor cavity and the cold water supply channel from the water tank to the wet room were filled with 100mm base layer loft roll insulation. The new cold water supply pipe was covered with water bye law pipe insulation. This came in 1 meter lengths and was pushed onto the 15mm pipe and tied with plastic ties. Loft roll insulation is subsidised under the Governments carbon emissions reduction target (cert) scheme, but this is for DIY purposes only and not for new builds, extensions or commercial property. So if you are purchasing insulation just for your own DIY purpose and you don’t mind signing a disclaimer form you will get a further reduction in cost. This will cover a purchase of up to100m squared.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 20.
Loft room & landing.
This picture shows the landing created at top of the stairs. The stud wall was erected between the two dormer windows. This was a bit of luck because all I had to do was erect the stud wall and did not have to worry about moving or adding any additional windows.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 21.
Wet room gulley & floor.
When I laid the marine ply floor I laid it in three sections. Unfortunately I was so busy that day I didn’t take any photographs. The first thing I did was cut the ply to the shape of the floor. It would have been impossible to lay the ply down in one piece and I needed to fit the floor gulley into the centre of the floor. So the next step was to mark out the centre of the ply by measuring each edge and marking the centre. Then joining the marks opposite each other with a pencil line to create a cross. The point where the two lines cross is the centre of the ply. From the centre I measured back 175mm on each line and marked it. I used a straight edge to mark out a square. This would be the first piece of ply I would lay. I then cut along one of the centre lines from one side to the other using a jig saw. Cutting around the square I had marked out making sure I never cut the centre square in half. Then I marked out the circle I needed to remove for the floor gulley. I used a compass to mark out the centre point of the centre square. I loose laid the three pieces on the wet room floor joists. I only screwed down the centre square. I removed the two outer pieces from the room. Then I fitted the gulley sealing between the gulley and ply with silicone, and screwed it down. I then knocked a small hole into the outside brick wall below floor level. This involved working on both sides of the wall so I had a platform on the outside. I pushed the 40mm waste pipe through the hole in the wall and connected the sink and gulley waste pipes making sure to create a slight gradient. All the waste pipes were laid in the floor and wall cavity's fixing to the joists with pipe clips.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 22.
Water proofing in wet room.
The other two pieces of marine ply could now be laid into position. The marine ply was screwed down onto the floor joists and the joints were sealed with silicone. Before the final pieces of aqua wall panel could be fitted I needed to knock a 6 inch/150mm hole into the external brick wall just below the outside guttering and fascia board. I pushed a 600mm x 100mm soil pipe through the hole and I fitted a 100mm 15 degree double socket easy bend onto the end of pipe in the wet room. I fixed the pipe into position using expanding foam around the pipe. Once the expanding foam had dried, I trimmed it back so I could point up around the pipe with mortar on the outside wall. I then fixed a piece of aqua panel around the pipe inside the wet room and sealed around it with silicone. The wet room was now ready to be tanked using a wet room tanking kit.
The tanking kit consisted of a roll of 1m wide fibre glass membrane approximately 15 sqm coverage, four internal corners & one 10m roll of jointing tape. The membrane, tape & corners are stuck down using a 6mm layer of bathroom tile adhesive. I simply applied the adhesive to the floor using a wall adhesive trowel and then rolled out the membrane and cut to size. I used a grouting float to push the membrane into the adhesive removing any trapped air. I repeated this method on the walls but I only used the membrane on the bottom of the wall. Only covering the 1 meter membrane width. The internal corners were applied on top of the floor and wall membrane sealing all four corners. The jointing tape was applied from corner to corner overlapping every joint at least 100mm and applied using the same method as the membrane and corners. The membrane was cut and sealed around the 100mm soil pipe. The floor gulley has a flange which is removed before laying the membrane and is screwed back down over the membrane to create a sealed joint. The excess membrane covering the gulley opening is removed by trimming with a knife.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 23.
Wet room tiling.
When tiling a wall you should always start at the centre. This will guarantee the same size cut along the floor edge, top and bottom and internal corners of the wall. I screwed and levelled a batten to each wall. This was to support the weight of the tiles to prevent them sliding down the wall while the adhesive was still wet. I wanted to tile the walls first so any excess adhesive could be cleaned up without having to worry about damaging the floor tiles. Also the floor tiles were to be laid on a thicker bed of adhesive and would take longer than normal to dry. This would prevent me from tiling the walls straight away. The bottom wall tiles were left out so I could lay the floor tiles tightly to the wall with minimal gap. Then the wall tiles would overlap creating a better water sealed joint. I trowled a 6mm layer of adhesive onto the wall using a wall adhesive trowel.Then I applied each tile using plastic tile spacers between each tile to create an even 4mm joint which would be grouted later. The tiles were cut using an electric diamond wheel wet tile cutter. Once the adhesive had set I removed the battens and grouted the tiles using a grouting float to apply the grout into the joints. I left the grout for 20mins before I removed any surplus grout with a damp sponge.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 24.
Wet room tiling.
The wet room floor would need to slope towards the gulley. The highest point should be where the floor meets the walls. The lowest point should be the floor gulley. There are purpose built floor gradient decks you can buy which can be fixed straight onto the floor joists instead of using ply. These come with the gulley opening all ready cut out. As with all things designed to make installation easier they come at a price and although there design may save time in one area they also come with limitations. This can throw up other problems which end up costing you the time you were hoping to save in the first place! But with the extra cost of purchasing this item.
So I never used one and saved the extra £300.00 it would have cost. Instead I laid all the off cuts from tiling the wall onto an 8mm bed of adhesive around the outside edge of the floor. This raised the outside floor level 15mm higher than the gulley. I trowled rapid hardening floor tile adhesive up to the edge of the tile cut off's to remove the step from top of ply to top of the tiles and create an even gradient in the floor. Once the adhesive had set I trowled another 8mm bed of tile adhesive all over the floor. I set the gulley cover into position and laid the floor tiles from the centre of the floor making sure my joints aligned with the tile joints on the wall. I cut tiles around the gulley cover and along the walls. I grouted the floor using the same method as the Walls.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 25.
Corner beads.
When I tiled around the window recess I used a brown plastic length of corner bead to create a rounded edge. The bead comes in different lengths and has one flat edge which is pushed into the tile adhesive. The tiles are laid on top of this to hold the bead in place. The bead is normally fitted after one tiled edge has been created. Then the bead can butt up tight to that edge. The bead can be grouted with the rest of the tiling. There are hundreds of different types of tile beads some are metal some are plastic they come in all different colours and designs.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 26.
Corners & joins.
Where ever there was a corner or where the walls met the floor.I used a brown mould resistant bathroom silicone to seal all joins.This included around the door & window frames and Ceilings and walls,around the shower unit, and around the floor gulley. The silicone used was the nearest colour match to the colour of the grout. The nozzle of the silicone cartridge should be cut at a 45 degree angle to the size required. When cutting the nozzle it is better to cut the nozzle smaller than the bead required because when smoothed or tooled the bead tends to spread and to much silicone can make things very messy. A mixture of soapy water over your finger or tool will prevent the silicone sticking to the spreader making smoothing much easier.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 27.
Sink, Tap & Trapped waste pipe.
Before I fitted the ceramic corner sink I connected a single cold water tap onto it. The sink was fixed to the corner by marking out the drill holes using a paper template supplied with the sink. I drilled into the wall using a tile drill bit,making sure I had located a wall batten to fix onto. Then I attached the sink to the wall using wall anchor bolts. I connected the tap to the cold water pipe using a flexi hose with a isolator valve. The next thing I needed to do before I could test the tap was to fit a plug,waste drainer and bottle trap and connect it to the sink waste pipe. I tested the tap and sink for leaks by turning on the water supply and turning the screw on the isolation valve into the open position.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 28.
Extractor fan, shaving mirror & toothbrush holder.
The extractor fan covers were fitted internally and externally. The fan timer was set to run for an extra 5 minutes after the wet room lights were turned off. The extractor fan was wired into the lighting circuit and would come on as soon as the lights were turned on. The shaving mirror and tooth brush holder were drilled and fixed onto the wall using raw plugs and screws. The joint between the sink and the wall was sealed using a white mould resistant bathroom silicone.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 29.
Power shower & corner basket.
The cold water supply power shower cover was fitted after it had been connected to the water supply and mains. Although the cover has its own rubber seal I run a bead of clear silicone around the join between the unit and cover. The adjustable height shower head holding bar was marked out, drilled, plugged and screwed onto the wall and all plastic screw covers were fitted. The shower hose was attached to the unit’s hot water outlet and the shower head was screwed on to the hose making sure all rubber seals were in place. The toiletry corner basket was drilled and fixed to the wall.
WETROOM PHOTO. 33.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 34.
Wet room window.
The original window was a bedroom window with clear double glazed panes.
So I replaced the glass with heavily frosted double glazed panes. These were needed for privacy.
WET ROOM PHOTO. 35.
Landing.
The finished loft conversion staircase landing now hosts several important items. The first and most important item is the smoke alarm/detector. Then there's the isolator switch for the power shower. Plus another isolator switch for the electric towel radiator. A single light switch for the staircase and a self closing fire door. Protecting the loft bedroom and its occupants.
WETROOM PHOTO. 36.
