How to fix a bath that has dropped?

Question

Hi I have a major bathroom problem. Bath has dropped several inches from original position. Several tiles from around bath have dislodged. Rest of floor and walls toilet and sink ok. Can I replace the bath with a shower (having repaired floor underneath) without requiring the whole bathroom to be demolished ? What is the cheapest way to do this through a project management approach? $$ are scarce

Nailbag · Answer

Hi @RTK,

I would be wanting to know out of interest why and how did your bath drop an extraordinary amount? That could be indicating some serious structural issue underneath.

That aside, as @EricLmentioned, no you can't simply replace the tub with a shower. You essentially will need to remove most of the bathroom walls and flooring to waterproof the applicable areas to codes and rebuild as @EricL also mentioned, it would be worth getting some advice first on what you need to actually do.

Nailbag

EricL · Answer

Hello @RTK

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your bath.

Generally speaking, it would be possible to modify a corner of your bathroom and turn it into a shower type cubicle. Some parts of the wall panels will need to be removed and replaced with new sheets. Once the walls are properly installed the wall will need to waterproofed by a trained, council certified agent as it will need to be inspected and signed off.

Please keep in mind that some of your wall and floor tiles will need to be removed in order to accommodate the waterproofing boundary. Please speak to your builder/waterproofing agent in regards to this step.

For ease of installation, I suggest getting a full shower kit such as the Estilo shower set. This is comprised of the Estilo 900 x 1830mm Chrome Semi Frameless Shower Screen, the Estilo 1900x900x2.2mm White Shower Wall and the Estilo 900mm x 900mm Shower Base 4 Lip Rear Outlet (check outlet position before purchase). I recommend engaging the services of a professional shower installer. By doing it in this manner the shower will be under warranty, should any faults or leaks occur you can call on the installer to fix it.

However, before you begin, I propose engaging the services of a bathroom renovating specialist and getting a quote for the service. It would be best to ask for a detailed quote list. This will give you an idea of what the process involves and if a permit is needed for the conversion.

Let me call on our experienced member @Nailbag for his thoughts.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric