From £9,500; the Disabled Facilities Grant explained, and quotes to the occupational therapist's specification
Wet rooms and accessible bathrooms
A level-access shower in a fully tanked room, for anyone who wants one and for anyone who needs one: grab rails into solid fixings, a fold-down seat, a raised toilet, slip-resistant tiles, and the Disabled Facilities Grant explained honestly.
A wet room has no tray: the floor itself falls to a drain, and the whole room is waterproofed. It is beautiful in a young family's house and it is life-changing for someone who can no longer step into a bath. We build both kinds, and we know the grant process because about a third of our wet rooms are funded by it.
The floor is taken up and a pre-formed sloping deck is set into the joists so the floor falls to a linear drain, the whole room is tanked, and the floor is tiled in a slip-resistant porcelain. For accessible bathrooms we add grab rails fixed into pattress boards behind the tiles (so they hold a person, not just a towel), a fold-down seat, a thermostatic shower with a riser rail, a raised-height toilet and a basin at a height you can use seated. Doors can be widened or rehung to open outward.
The Disabled Facilities Grant is paid by the local council (in Penarth, the Vale of Glamorgan) towards adaptations someone needs to live safely at home. In Wales the maximum is £36,000. It starts with an assessment by the council's occupational therapist, who writes the specification; the council then decides eligibility, including whether a means test applies, and approves a quote. Do not let anyone start before approval, because work started early may not be funded. We quote to the therapist's specification, wait for approval, and work with the council's surveyor. Check the current rules with the council: they change.
What is included
- A sloping deck set into the joists, falling to a drain
- The whole room tanked
- Slip-resistant porcelain on the floor
- Grab rails fixed into pattress boards, not plugs
- Fold-down seat, raised toilet, basin at a seated height
- Quotes to the occupational therapist's specification
What it costs
From £9,500 including VAT, supply and fit, fully tiled. Grant-funded adaptations are quoted to the occupational therapist's specification. Including VAT, supply, fit, the strip-out and the electrical certificate. The estimator adds full tiling and extras and shows the current lead time.
Questions about wet rooms and access
How do I apply for the grant?
Contact the council's adult (or children's) services and ask for an occupational therapy assessment for a Disabled Facilities Grant. The therapist visits, writes the specification, and the council tells you whether you are eligible. We cannot apply for you, but we can explain the stages and quote when you have the specification.
Can a wet room go upstairs?
Yes, with the sloping deck set between the joists. Old joists sometimes need strengthening, which we check when the floor is up and price before we do it.
Will the rest of the bathroom get wet?
The shower area is sized and screened so the water stays where it should, usually with one fixed glass panel. The whole floor is tanked anyway, so a splash is never a leak.
Start with an hour in the room. Then the showroom.
The design visit is £95 and comes off the bathroom when you order: Siân measures the room, finds the pipes and the soil stack, and sends a drawn layout with three priced options within a week. Or price a package on the estimator first.