This is the decision that stalls most bathroom projects. The right answer depends on who uses the room, how many bathrooms the house has, and how much clear floor there genuinely is once the door swing is accounted for.
Choose a walk in shower if
- The room is used daily by adults who shower rather than bathe.
- Anyone in the household struggles to step over a bath side.
- There is a bath elsewhere in the house.
- You want the room to feel bigger, which a clear glass panel and continuous floor tiling deliver better than any other change.
Keep the bath if
- It is a family home with young children and only one bathroom.
- You genuinely bathe, not just intend to.
- You are selling soon and the property type expects a bath.
The small bathroom reality
In a typical Potteries terrace or semi the bathroom is between 1.7m and 2.2m wide. That means the choice is usually driven by the door swing and the position of the soil pipe rather than taste. Practical options that work in those rooms:
- Shower over a P shaped bath with a fixed hinged screen, giving both facilities in the same footprint.
- 1200mm by 700mm rectangular tray along the short wall, with a hinged or sliding door where the swing allows.
- Level access shower area tiled into the floor, which removes the tray edge and reads as more floor space.
- Outward opening or sliding room door, which frees roughly 800mm of otherwise unusable floor.
Clearances that keep a room usable
- 700mm in front of the toilet and 200mm each side of the bowl.
- 800mm clear in front of the basin.
- 900mm by 900mm minimum shower, 1200mm by 900mm preferred.
- No fixture fouled by the door swing.
Accessibility without it looking clinical
Level access showers, discreet grab rails, fold down seats and thermostatic controls can all be specified in a modern tiled finish. We fit these regularly across Stoke-on-Trent and surrounding areas, and they are designed in from the start rather than bolted on afterwards.
Get it decided on site
We measure the room, mark out the options in real dimensions and tell you which will actually work. The survey and the fixed price quote are free, the work is fully insured and every install carries a written workmanship guarantee.
Common questions
Does removing the bath hurt resale value?
Only if it is the sole bathing facility in a family home. If there is a bath elsewhere in the house, a well built walk in shower usually adds appeal rather than reducing it.
What is the smallest practical walk in shower?
900mm by 900mm is workable, but 1200mm by 900mm is far more comfortable and is what we recommend where the room allows.
Is a walk in shower better for older users?
Generally yes. A low or level threshold removes the highest trip risk in the house, and grab rails and a seat can be built in from the start.
Can I have both in a small bathroom?
Often yes, using a shower over a straight or P shaped bath with a fixed glass screen. It is the most space efficient compromise available.
Do walk in showers leak?
Not when they are built properly. The failures we get called to fix are almost always poor falls, missing tanking or silicone used in place of a proper detail.