How Much to Install a Shower

[JRT]

A quick question to all you knowledgeable people out there. I've put down a deposit on a narrowboat and, subject to a full out of water survey, it'll be mine in a few weeks. However, my other half is not that keen on the walk-through bathroom facilities. She'd like a quadrant shower and maybe move the basin. Being a kind soul she's offered to pay to have one installed - how much should she expect to pay to have one put in by a professional?

Thanks in advance!

 

[mrsmelly]

It will depend GREATLY on accesibility. What standard of finish you require and access to water, drainage etc. Thick end of 2K finished properly would be my guess but its a piece of string question realy.

[blackrose]

I've no idea how much it will cost to get it done but it won't be cheap. Cheaper to do it yourself if you have the ability and time.

 

Before you start moving basins, etc, have a look to see if there's a reason it's in its current position. It's very easy for someone's other half to say "I'd like that there" but it might end up being a headache if it's impractical to move because the outlet in the hull isn't in proximity, etc.

 

This may or may not apply, but I've seen several cases of men trying to placate their other halves (who watch too many property programmes) by fitting 'on trend' items at the expense of practicality. One guy I know fitted a deep Butler sink in the stern galley of his sailaway at the insistence of his girlfriend. It looked great but It meant he struggled to get the waste outlet above the waterline. It ended up about an inch above which in my opinion was a big mistake of form over function.

 

A boat needs to be fitted primarily as a boat. Everything else comes second.

 

 

 

 

[Sea Dog]

Personally, if a walk through bathroom wasn't acceptable to my long-haired Admiral, I'd buy one of the majority of boats with a "standard" bathroom.

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Even if someone came along and said "I got a quadrant shower installed and the basin moved on my boat by a professional boat fitter and it cost £****." That means nothing. On your boat it might be £**** / n, or £**** x n, where n is unknown. All boats are different.

Jen

[OldGoat]

58 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I've no idea how much it will cost to get it done but it won't be cheap. Cheaper to do it yourself if you have the ability and time.

 

Before you start moving basins, etc, have a look to see if there's a reason it's in its current position. It's very easy for someone's other half to say "I'd like that there" but it might end up being a headache if it's impractical to move because the outlet in the hull isn't in proximity, etc.

 

This may or may not apply, but I've seen several cases of men trying to placate their other halves (who watch too many property programmes) by fitting 'on trend' items at the expense of practicality. One guy I know fitted a deep Butler sink in the stern galley of his sailaway at the insistence of his girlfriend. It looked great but It meant he struggled to get the waste outlet above the waterline. It ended up about an inch above which in my opinion was a big mistake of form over function.

 

A boat needs to be fitted primarily as a boat. Everything else comes second.

 

 

 

 

(About) the sagest, most succint advise I've seen on this forum in many a year ......

 

 

[JRT]

Thanks for the advice people. Much appreciated. Perhaps I should have been more specific. Basically, she'd like the 1/2 sized bath with shower over to be replaced by a quadrant shower. All the drainage, water etc are there but maybe not quite in the right place for the shower. I'd made a guess it would cost about £2K and it seems the advice is that's roughly what it would cost. but with many variables.

[Rob-M]

As with most boat related jobs if you budget for £2k be prepared for it to cost £3k and you should be ok.

And anticipate for it to take a couple of weeks and if you get it done in a couple of months you've done well.

[LadyG]

I'd certainly go to a real shower and bathroom  fitting place, as are found on city industrial estates, they will have top of the range kit, and imho it's well worth getting the best quality, if you're going to please your other half make sure it's got wow factor. Labour costs will be the same either way. 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by LadyG

[blackrose]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

I'd certainly go to a real shower and bathroom  fitting place, as are found on city industrial estates, they will have top of the range kit, and imho it's well worth getting the best quality, if you're going to please your other half make sure it's got wow factor. Labour costs will be the same either way. 

 

 

Except they won't know the first thing about refitting a bathroom on a boat. I've seen the results of work done by ordinary domestic tradespeople on boats and although the finish was good they'd made fundamental errors because they can't get out of the house renovation mindset. If you're paying a professional you need someone who understands boats.

[Alan de Enfield]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

I'd certainly go to a real shower and bathroom  fitting place, as are found on city industrial estates, they will have top of the range kit, and imho it's well worth getting the best quality, if you're going to please your other half make sure it's got wow factor. Labour costs will be the same either way. 

 

 

 

1 minute ago, blackrose said:

 

Except they won't know the first thing about refitting a bathroom on a boat. I've seen the results of work done by ordinary domestic tradespeople on boats and although the finish was good they'd made fundamental errors because they can't get out of the house renovation mindset. If you're paying a professional you need someone who understands boats.

 

T'other problem is that domestic showers tend to be too large (height) so you need someone who can modify to suit, not just someone who can glue the kit together.

 

Best to avoid domestic showeres and domestic bathroom installers.

[blackrose]

Mine fit ok with a few inches to spare without any modifications, and that's on top of a 4" high ceramic shower basin. But I've got about 6'9" headroom in the centre of my boat.

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Mine fit ok with a few inches to spare without any modifications, and that's on top of a 4" high ceramic shower basin. But I've got about 6'9" headroom in the centre of my boat.

 

 

And, a lot wider than a NB

[NB Alnwick]

13 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Mine fit ok with a few inches to spare without any modifications, and that's on top of a 4" high ceramic shower basin. But I've got about 6'9" headroom in the centre of my boat.

 

That looks like a very tidy installation.

[matty40s]

Tell her its £5k, transfer the money to you and you will sort it out.

This means you can take her away to a lovely posh hotel whilst the work is being done and she cant have a shower on board.

Winner all round.

[blackrose]

27 minutes ago, NB Alnwick said:

 

That looks like a very tidy installation.

 

I got it right the second time. When I first fitted it I used some thin B&Q PVC white tile-effect panels to line the walls. After 10 years I realised that the vibrations and perhaps thermal expansion/contraction had caused the lines between some of the "tiles" to crack and the bottom of one of the bulkheads had turned black with dampness. 

 

When I ripped out the shower quadrant and started to pull the PVC panels off I saw that water had collected behind the panels above the area where I'd stuck them on with adhesive. In effect I had bags of water sitting behind the panels. 

 

It was all dried out and I stiffened the bulkheads with 6mm Hardiebacker boards and fitted some proper Showerwall panels which weren't cheap. Then I fitted a new quadrant on the existing base. 

[GUMPY]

4 hours ago, JRT said:

Thanks for the advice people. Much appreciated. Perhaps I should have been more specific. Basically, she'd like the 1/2 sized bath with shower over to be replaced by a quadrant shower. All the drainage, water etc are there but maybe not quite in the right place for the shower. I'd made a guess it would cost about £2K and it seems the advice is that's roughly what it would cost. but with many variables.

My other half didnt like stepping into the sit in bath on Loddon so I bought her a step to make it easier

Nearly 9 years later the step has been binned and she manages without.

 

One thing to be wary of is that many shower trays now have a minimal height on them so overflow very easily on a rocking boat.

[dmr]

The shower (with curtain) over a hip bath lacks the wow factor of a smart quadrant shower but is a very practical arrangement on a boat. The only downside is that its a big step to get into it which might be a problem in older age (a step sounds perfect).

 

With a bath base there is little danger of flooding the boat (as long as the curtain is kept inside the bath edge), its a good place for putting very wet clothes etc, doubles as an emergency washing place when the washing machine breaks, and is perfect for showering the dog when it rolls in fox/badger poo.

 

........Dave

[GUMPY]

Curtain what curtain?

We have Showerlux doors across the opening to our bath , best of both worlds.

[ditchcrawler]

30 minutes ago, dmr said:

The shower (with curtain) over a hip bath lacks the wow factor of a smart quadrant shower but is a very practical arrangement on a boat. The only downside is that its a big step to get into it which might be a problem in older age (a step sounds perfect).

 

With a bath base there is little danger of flooding the boat (as long as the curtain is kept inside the bath edge), its a good place for putting very wet clothes etc, doubles as an emergency washing place when the washing machine breaks, and is perfect for showering the dog when it rolls in fox/badger poo.

 

........Dave

We have a shower over bath and a 4 panel bath screen attached to the wall at the foot of the bath.

[blackrose]

53 minutes ago, Loddon said:

One thing to be wary of is that many shower trays now have a minimal height on them so overflow very easily on a rocking boat.

 

Very true. These modern low height shower trays are no good for boats. You need a nice deep one.

 

 

[Jon57]

58 minutes ago, dmr said:

The shower (with curtain) over a hip bath lacks the wow factor of a smart quadrant shower but is a very practical arrangement on a boat. The only downside is that its a big step to get into it which might be a problem in older age (a step sounds perfect).

 

With a bath base there is little danger of flooding the boat (as long as the curtain is kept inside the bath edge), its a good place for putting very wet clothes etc, doubles as an emergency washing place when the washing machine breaks, and is perfect for showering the dog when it rolls in fox/badger poo.

 

........Dave

You forgot to men the storage of coal as well. Your part northerner now. ?