Having a new shower installed is sometimes more of a necessity rather than a luxury. The main reasons people decide on a new shower installation are that the shower is no longer performing as well as it should or it simply looks dated and needs updating. Whether you’re changing your shower as part of a full bathroom refurbishment or solely upgrading the shower, there are a few things to consider.
In this article, we are going to run through everything you need to consider ahead of having a new shower installed. We’ll be exploring the different types of showers and shower systems, how to put a shower plan together, shower fitting prices, and more.
Understanding the Different Shower Systems
Part of having a new shower installed is ensuring you choose the right shower system for you. This means choosing a shower setup that is functional for your bathroom, suitable for your plumbing and provides a comfortable shower experience for you.
Here are some of the most common shower systems:
- Electric Showers: These showers heat water using electricity. The water is heated as it passes through the unit, making it ideal for homes with limited hot water supply.
- Mixer Showers: Mixer showers use a mix of hot and cold water from your home’s supply to provide a balanced temperature. These are suitable for homes with a good supply of hot water.
- Power Showers: These work the same as mixer showers but include a built-in pump that increases water pressure. Power showers are ideal for homes with low water pressure.
- Digital Showers: Digital showers offer more precise temperature and pressure control with the latest tech. A great option for modern bathrooms.
- Thermostatic Showers: A type of mixer shower that uses a thermostatic valve to maintain a consistent water temperature. Ideal for families with young children or as part of an accessible bathroom for the elderly.
When you have decided on what shower system you would like to use for your new shower installation, the next step is to come up with a shower plan.
Planning Before Having a New Shower Installed
Before having a new shower installed, careful planning may be required. If you’re working with a full-service bathroom fitter, this may not be relevant to you as they will likely take care of this for you, but if not or you want to be more involved in the project, it’s a good idea to plan out your project.
We’ve broken this part of the article into 4 sections, allowing you to learn how to properly plan a new shower installation.
1. Assess Your Bathroom
To help you decide on the type of shower you want to install and to discover what is achievable for your bathroom, it’s important to assess the space you have available. The layout and dimensions of your bathroom will greatly influence what’s possible for your shower renovation.
Firstly, it’s a good idea to take some key measurements, measuring the width, depth and height of the shower area. This will tell you and the bathroom fitter you’re working with what will be achievable with the space available. Next, you’ll need to consider your bathroom layout for the same reasons above – will the current layout need to be altered in any way to fit the shower you want?
It’s also vital to consider comfort as well as practicality. There’s no point in having a new shower installed if it’s not going to suit you or your family. Think about how you like to shower and what elements, such as shelving, are needed in the overall design.
2. Your Water Pressure
We briefly touched on water pressure when we looked at the different shower systems. Before having a new shower installed, you need to understand your water pressure as this will affect the functionality of your new shower and the type of system you can install.
You can check your water pressure easily by placing a one-litre jug under your shower head and running the water. You’ll know if you have low pressure if the jug takes more than 6 seconds to fill. When you find out if your water pressure is high or low, you can then pick the right shower system. If your water pressure is too low for the shower you want, you could try installing a booster pump to increase water flow and create a more powerful shower.
3. Plumbing and Electrical Considerations
Having a new shower installed isn’t just about choosing the system and coming up with a design, there’s also more “boring” stuff to consider, such as plumbing and electricity. Depending on the setup of your current bathroom, your plumbing may need to be modified to accommodate a new shower. Such work may involve rerouting pipes or upgrading your water heating systems.
As for electrical considerations, some showers, like electrical and digital showers have certain electrical requirements, so your electrical system may need to be upgraded.
If there is lots of plumbing and electrical work to be done before having the new shower installed, it may be more cost-effective to opt for a full bathroom refurbishment. Find out how much this could cost by reading our article: ‘How Much Would a New Bathroom Cost?’
4. Choosing the Type of Shower: Walk-In Shower, Enclosed Shower, Bath/Shower Combo, or Wet Room
After deciding on the shower system you’re going to use, it’s time to figure out what type of shower is to be installed. There are a few different options to choose from and you must choose one that works for you and all who will be using the shower regularly.
- Walk-In Showers: These are showers you can simply walk into. They are usually partially open with screens/panels and feature a shower tray.
- Enclosed Showers: Enclosed showers are showers that are completely enclosed by screens/panels and include a door.
- Bath/Shower Combo: Popular in UK homes, this shower is installed over a bathtub to create a bath shower hybrid.
- Wet Room: A wet room shower is like a walk-in shower room and features no tray, doors or screens/panels.
Design and Style Choices for a New Shower Installation
Choosing the design and style of your new shower is a great experience, allowing you to come up with a shower that looks how just you’ve always wanted your own to look. Although this is generally a fun and interesting part of the process – involving looking for bathroom inspiration and considering various bathroom styles – it’s also vital to get right.
The biggest decision to make around this stage is choosing the type of shower you want, such as one of the types we mentioned above. However, even with an idea of what type of shower you want to install, there are still plenty of design and style choices to make. For example, if you require a shower door, will you go for a hinged, sliding or bifold door?
Plus, you can customise your shower further by selecting the shower head and controls you like best. There are plenty of shower heads to choose from that affect both how the shower will look, but also how it will perform, like a rainfall shower head, for example. The controls are also important – you could go for traditional dials or opt for touch-sensitive buttons. You can also experiment with different materials, like brushed brass or gun metal.
Walling is also important to consider. Wall tiling is a great way of elevating your shower area with quality material and design. For instance, fully tiled bathrooms are a common feature for higher-budget bathrooms. Whereas wall panelling is more common in less expensive bathrooms.
Shower Fitting Price and Considerations
Price is an important factor for any project and before having a new shower installed, it’s good to have a rough idea of how much this might cost. A project such as this would typically cost around £2,000 – £5,000 but could be more.
Here are a few factors that will affect the price:
- Type of Shower System:
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- Electric shower installation cost: £150 -£500 plus labour
- Power shower installation cost: £200-£1,000 plus labour
- Mixer shower installation cost: £150-£800 plus labour
- Digital shower installation cost: £250-£1,000 plus labour
- Labour Costs: You can’t forget about the labour costs that will be applied. The cost of the labour involved will depend on who you choose to fit your new shower and the scope of the project.
- Your Location: Whereabouts in the UK you are located plays a massive role in the costs of both labour and materials/products.
- Plumbing: The plumbing is one of the most complex aspects of a shower installation. Costs can vary depending on the state of the existing plumbing.
- Size of Shower: If you’re fitting a larger shower, this will likely increase costs, especially so if your bathroom will need to be altered to accommodate the new shower’s size.
- Type of Shower: If you choose to install a full wet room or have a standard new shower installed, this will affect the price as some showers are more difficult to install.
The Process of Having a New Shower Installed
In preparation for having a new shower installed, it may be helpful to have a general idea of the process.
Here at The Bathroom Place, we would advise anyone hoping to add a new shower to their bathroom to utilise the expertise of a professional bathroom fitter. This ensures your new shower will be installed correctly, saving you the time it would take to do it yourself and saving money in the long run by avoiding any installation errors or issues.
1. Preparing Your Bathroom
To help save costs and time, you can help your bathroom fitter by clearing the shower area that is to be renovated. This means removing any toiletries, like shampoo, and any items, like scrubs and brushes, from the shower. Also, if you have any fixtures set up in or near your shower, like a shelf or mirror, you can remove them yourself.
If you’re having a new shower installed as part of a larger bathroom supply and fit job, you can even strip out the old bathroom yourself if you feel comfortable doing so. This can save on labour costs and speed up how long it may take to install the bathroom.
2. The Installation Process
This part of the process is when the new shower will be physically installed in your bathroom. The steps will typically involve your bathroom fitter removing the old shower if you haven’t done so already. Some installers will arrange a skip for waste removal but this may be something you need to arrange yourself.
With the old unit removed, the plumbing and electrical work (if any) will take place, ensuring your new shower is properly connected. Then, the unit will be fitted with the fitter sealing any joints that need to be filled and securing fixtures.
3. Testing and Final Adjustments
If you’ve hired a reliable bathroom fitter who knows what they are doing, they will test the new shower that has been installed to make sure everything is working as it should be. If any work needs doing, they will make the necessary adjustments. If this is a DIY bathroom fitting project, be sure to not skip this step!
Have a New Shower Installed as Part of a Full Bathroom Refurbishment
As local bathroom fitting experts in Norfolk, we know that when a shower is due for an upgrade, it’s highly likely that the bathroom as a whole could do with a full refurbishment. So if you’ve been thinking that it’s time for a new shower, you could use this as an opportunity to transform your entire bathroom.
Choosing to fit a new bathroom means you get to benefit from a more coordinated and cohesive design. Better yet, you get to improve your bathroom as a whole instead of just the shower area.
If you’re interested in a full bathroom refurbishment, speak to our team and schedule a free consultation.
