Options for shower once bath is removed?

EmuEmergency42

I'm planning to remove my bath tub and extend the bathroom vanity to take up the whole wall as I have a small 80s Aussie bathroom where the bathtub is attched to the shower. I'm planning to remove the bathroom fill in the floor area and re tile that space pretty straight forward.

The shower has been Retro fitted with a more modern shower screen that doesn't quite fit the space and with the bath tub removed it will need to be replaced. I would love to have a walk in shower with the opening being where the bath currently is or at least make the shower bigger to fit the space.

My issue is the shower has a curb on the entrance to the shower that suits 70mm high followed by a shower floor 30mm higher then the rest of the bathroom floor. This is not something I have had to deal with before as once I remove the bath tub there will be a gap of some sort and I'm not sure as the best way to go about this.

I really don't want to be grinding down the shower pad area as I'm more of a keep things where they are, update and re tile.

The picture makes the shower seem bigger but I could extend the shower 200mm out and still not hit the bathroom door. I would like to make the shower wider adding 200mm to the shower curb side to aleast make the shower square and fit the space better.

Any advice on this or other options would be appreciated 👍🏼

EricL

Hello @EmuEmergency42

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

I suspect that the floor height difference is caused by the shower screed inside your shower flooring. It should in theory be easy to break apart with a standard sledgehammer and would not need to be ground down as you mentioned. The hob coming into your shower could either be brick or a cement pour which either way will give way to the sledgehammer as well. The concrete can also be broken apart using a pneumatic concrete breaker which you can rent.

In the process of your renovation your tile floor will be removed, and during this process it would be a good time to smash out the height difference in your flooring. This would be the recommended course of action rather than trying to level uneven flooring, which would cause more trouble when retiling your floor.

On a side note, looking at the picture you shared, it appears that you have a steel bath. This would be a great opportunity to repurpose it as either an outdoor bath if there is a location for it (Outdoor bathroom with bath by @andrewwhatling) or a raised garden bed. With so much space generated by the removal of your bath, I propose thinking about installing a toilet in the bathroom. Adding an extra toilet to a home typically increases property value by 5% to 10% depending on the property's baseline value and location. An option that's well worth considering if you have the budget for it.

Here is a handy guide: How to plan a bathroom renovation by @Adam_W.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @Nailbag, @Noyade, @DIY4Knuckleheds, @jeffreychua, @Patsy60, @RobertWineberg and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric