What is a wet room bathroom

There are many reasons why wet rooms are fast becoming a popular bathroom style. Here are the pros and cons of wet room bathrooms, if you’re thinking of this style of bathroom for your home.

What is a Wet Room Bathroom?

A wet room bathroom is where the shower is not enclosed with a shower screen and there is no shower tray. The water from the shower drains away via the open, tiled floor area of the room, and the water drains down the main drain in the bathroom.

The floor will have a gradient to ensure all water runs to the drain. It’s recommended the drain for a wet room is more than 50mm, to allow for adequate water drainage.

Like all bathroom renovations, licensed plumbers and builders should be hired to do the job correctly. A wet room bathroom will require the walls and floors to be waterproofed and completely tiled. Underfloor heating will also need to be considered, to allow for the water on the floor to evaporate effectively.

What are the Pros of a Wet Room Bathroom?

There are a number of reasons many home owners and renovators are opting for a wet room style bathroom. The main reason is it does away with the glass shower screens, which are known to be difficult to keep clean.

The openness of the bathroom can make it look bigger than what it seems. This can add value to your property because spacious bathrooms are now a winning factor when prospects consider to purchasing a property.

This style of bathroom also works well in smaller bathrooms, where there is limited space.

The installation of the bathroom with the extra tanking (water-proofing) is considered to last longer as it has extra protection than a normal bathroom with a tanked shower only.

What are the Cons of a Wet Room Bathroom?

The biggest con, is everything gets wet. The bathroom can be a humid environment. It’s important to consider how guests will use this bathroom if it’s the main bathroom of your home.

For example, if you have guests over and someone has to use the bathroom, they will have to walk into a wet bathroom to wash their hands. To avoid this situation, section your bathroom with a single screen or install a powder room and keep the main bathroom for personal use only.

Wet rooms can be an expensive bathroom to fit out because the walls need to be tiled from the wall to ceiling. They will also need to be waterproofed too. Check your local authority on the height of the waterproofing.

The room needs to be adequately ventilated, and you will be limited on the style of vanity cupboards you install. I’d avoid timber and consider a wall hang basin, with concealed wall storage.

Everything gets wet in a wet room bathroom – not just from the spray of the shower, but the mist of humidity. Enclosed showers are able to keep a lot of the moisture in. Towels and toilet rolls can get wet. Again, think about in wall storage solutions to avoid this inconvenience.

Also think about window placement. A skylight may be a better alternative to allow for natural light into the bathroom. If there is a window, ensure it has a waterproof covering to protect for mould and decay.

A clever DIY hack is having a shower curtain installed that can be used the protect the window from getting wet. This may not fit in with the aesthetic of your bathroom, but is it a way to get around the problem. Alternatively, place the bath against the window to allow distance from the shower spray.

Another con to consider is if you choose to resell your property, buyers may dis your property because it doesn’t have a bath. It’s important to think about whether your house is a forever home or a lillypad. If it’s a lillypad, it should have a bath for resale value.

Have the best of both worlds

Many wet room bathrooms, incorporate 1 shower screen to section the shower area. A rainhead shower is used as it sprays downwards, and not out.

The benefits of sectioning your bathroom so the shower and bath are together, is it reduces the space that needs to be waterproofed. It also means you can have the vanity of your choice, as it’s protected from the water and humidity caused from showering.

If I chose to have this style of bathroom, I’d section my bathroom this way so I could have the best of both worlds.

The wet room bathroom has come about due to the minimalism movement and the push away from creating spaces that require less cleaning and allow for more relaxation.

It is a fabulous choice in bathroom design if you’re looking for something that is contemporary.

What do you think about the design of wet room bathrooms? Is it a style of bathroom you could live with? Is it a style of bathroom your desire?

Transfer of the wet zone in the apartment. All features in 2022.

Relocation of wet areas, as well as other types of repair work on the redevelopment and / or reorganization of the apartment, must comply with the current building and sanitary standards for multi-apartment buildings, providing comfortable living conditions and safe living for all residents of the house.

Therefore, the first thing to do at the stage of redevelopment planning is to find out how, according to the current legislation, it is possible and how not to carry out the transfer of a wet spot in an apartment building. And the second - how and where to issue permits for the legal implementation of such redevelopment.

You can find answers to all these questions in our article.

Premises with wet processes

However, before moving on to the essence of the issue under consideration, let's determine which rooms in the apartment belong to wet zones.

Real estate wet spot: what is it?

A wet zone or a wet point is a room with high humidity (because there is a source of water), in which floor waterproofing is mandatory. These include: bathrooms, latrines, toilets, showers and shared bathrooms.

Is the kitchen a wet area or not?

FAQ: Is the kitchen a wet area? No, the kitchen area is not considered a wet spot. If you need detailed information on how to legally carry out a kitchen relocation in an apartment, go here.

Redevelopment with transfer of wet spots

Before the owner, who has set himself such a task, there will be two sides of the issue: technical and legal. We'll take it apart from both sides. And let's start with a review of the technical nuances of this procedure.

Is it possible to move the wet area in the apartment?

From a technical point of view, such a redevelopment is not so difficult. First of all, when transferring a bathroom, it is necessary to bring under the place of the future restroom communication, in simple words - a drain riser and cold water for draining. A drain riser with a diameter of 100 mm is allowed under a slope of 2 mm, and with a diameter of 50 mm - under a slope of 3 mm. Cold water can be supplied using any available materials, be it metal, polypropylene or metal-plastic.

Of course, no one wants to enjoy the sight of open pipes in their apartment, and therefore the desire to somehow hide them in the wall is understandable. In this case, you can arrange a plumbing box, but a mandatory item in this case will be the installation of an inspection hatch on it, with the help of which access to those pipes will be provided.

This scheme works only if the bathroom is planned to move at a distance of no more than 5 meters. Otherwise, it would not make sense to implement such a project due to the fact that the natural slope of the drain pipe will raise the toilet bowl to a height unacceptable by the layout of an average apartment, and a half-meter podium will turn your toilet into a throne room.

But even in this situation there is a solution: a forced sewage system. If you do not go into the nuances, then it is a pump with a grinder.

The forced sewage system has two significant advantages: the discharge takes place through pipes of smaller diameter (20 and 32 mm) and can be carried out not only horizontally, but also vertically up to seven meters high. Currently, there are many models of forced sewage systems with different designs and from different manufacturers.

However, the technical side is not the only thing that should worry you. In addition, there are a number of sanitary and construction rules that must be followed when moving a wet zone to the territory of a former kitchen or a corridor in an apartment.

Wet areas in the room and kitchen

According to SP 54.13330.2016, it is strictly forbidden to place wet areas above living rooms and kitchens (including kitchen-dining rooms and kitchen niches).

Basically, apartment buildings are built in such a way that one riser on all floors of the apartment has the same layout. That is, toilets are above toilets, bathrooms are above bathrooms, kitchens are above kitchens, rooms are above rooms.

During the redevelopment, the location of the premises in the apartment where renovation work is being carried out relative to other apartments will be changed. It is not prohibited by law to change the planning solution of an apartment, but at the same time it is impossible to worsen the living conditions of neighbors.

If, for example, a toilet is moved to a part of the area of ​​the living room of your apartment, then it will be above the living room of the apartment located on the floor below. And clause 9.22 of SP 54.13330.2016 prohibits doing this, so this option for redevelopment of the apartment cannot be agreed upon.

The same applies to moving the toilet to part of the kitchen area. The existing rules do not allow the location of wet spots directly above the kitchens.

Therefore, in most apartments it is impossible to coordinate the redevelopment with the transfer of wet areas to the territory of the room or kitchen. However, there are several exceptions that allow this event to be carried out without violating the above-mentioned norms:

• The apartment in which the transfer of the wet spot is planned is located on the first floor - below the first floor there are most often non-residential technical premises.
• The apartment is located above the first floor, but under it there is a non-residential area of ​​some organization.
• A two-level apartment is being redesigned, and in this type of living quarters it is allowed to place a toilet directly above the kitchen.
• A similar redevelopment was agreed and carried out at the neighbors from below.

Let's briefly comment on the listed exceptions, in which the wet spots in the apartment can be moved/expanded to the area of ​​the kitchen or living room.

The owner's apartment is located on the first floor of a residential building. In this case, there are no obstacles in coordinating the redevelopment project, since there can be no residential premises below. And even if there is a basement under this apartment, this will not affect the approval process in any way.

The floor below is completely occupied by non-residential premises. As a rule, this applies to apartments on the second floor. Or when the first floor was originally non-residential. Or when the ground floor apartment was transferred to a non-residential fund to be converted into a shop, boutique, service center, etc.

In this case, it will be necessary to additionally attach to the set of documents submitted for consideration any document proving that a non-residential premises is located below. There is no clear regulation on the form. This can be like a certificate from the management company that there is a non-residential premises under your apartment on the ground floor, a BTI certificate, photographs of the facade with a clear link between your apartment and the premises on the lower floor, etc.

Under the area of ​​expansion / transfer of a bathroom or a bathroom to a kitchen or a room, there is a non-residential premises of apartment , for example, a dressing room, pantry or corridor. This option is possible if the owner of the apartment below has completed and officially agreed on the redevelopment of the transfer or increase in the area of ​​the above premises at the expense of the kitchen / room.

That is, in this case, we are not located above the area of ​​the kitchen / room, but above the area of ​​​​another room, which, before the redevelopment was agreed, belonged to the kitchen / room of the neighbors below.

Second floor of a duplex apartment. In practice, such a case is extremely rare. However, it is also an exception in which the owner has the right to place his wet area above his own kitchen.

If the bathroom (toilet) in the apartment on the floor below has already been enlarged by part of the kitchen (room) area. In practice, we have not seen such a case, but theoretically it is possible. Here, again, there must be non-residential premises under your neighbor’s apartment below, otherwise he would not be able to agree on this redevelopment. And then, within the same boundaries as that of a neighbor, you can transfer or enlarge the bathroom at the expense of the kitchen (living room).

This option looks something like this.

Suppose there is an apartment on the first floor. The owner can safely enlarge the bathroom at the expense of the kitchen. He did and agreed. Further, the owner on the second floor can make exactly the same extension, and so on. We also note that if any of the owners, for example, on the fourth floor does not want to do such a redevelopment, then on the fifth floor the homeowner will no longer be able to agree on this, despite the fact that on the first, second and third it has already been agreed.

Redevelopment project with the transfer of the wet area to the kitchen.

Comments on the approved redevelopment project. The apartment is located on the second floor. During the redevelopment, the kitchen (4) was moved to room (3). This became possible because the neighbors downstairs also have a kitchen in this place. And a bathroom (6) with a toilet (5) in the form of a combined bathroom (4) was transferred to the former kitchen. Such redevelopment became possible because below, under the new bathroom, there is not an apartment, but a landing.

Transfer of the wet spot to the hallway

If there are serious restrictions when moving the premises of the wet areas to the living room and kitchen, which have already been mentioned, then the transfer of the wet area to the hallway or closet / closet / dressing room is almost always possible to agree, although carrying out such redevelopment also has some nuances.

As already mentioned, SP 54.13330.2016 prohibits the location of bathrooms and toilets above living rooms and kitchens.

Therefore, if a neighbor living in the apartment below officially made a redevelopment with the extension of the room (kitchen) to the corridor, then this fact will make it impossible to agree on the transfer of the toilet or bathroom to the corridor in your apartment, since your toilet / bathroom in this case will be above the extended part of the neighbor's room (kitchen), which would be a violation of current regulations.

If the downstairs neighbor did not make redevelopment with the addition of the corridor or part of its area to the kitchen or living quarters, then you can agree on expanding the wet zone through the corridor or arranging the wet zone in the corridor by moving it in your apartment.

Redevelopment project with the transfer of the wet spot (toilet) to the corridor.

Comments on the redevelopment. In this case, the toilet (6) was moved to the corridor (8). As a result, the passage to the kitchen (5) was blocked. To create a new entrance in the load-bearing wall between the kitchen and the room (4), a doorway was cut out and reinforced with metal structures. The former toilet room was combined with an adjacent bathroom (7) and thus arranged a combined bathroom (7).

Relocation of the wet area to a closet with access from a hallway, hallway or hallway is a permitted renovation measure. But if the entrance to the pantry leads from the kitchen or room, then the transfer of the toilet or bathroom to the pantry is carried out according to the same rules as the transfer of a wet point to the room or kitchen.

An example of moving a toilet to a storage area.

Comments on redevelopment. The toilet (2) in the apartment was moved to the storage room (7), the entrance to which was originally arranged from the corridor (6). As a result, a combined bathroom (7) with an entrance from the bedroom (5) was arranged on the site of the pantry and part of the corridor area. It turned out to be possible to arrange an entrance to the bathroom from the living room, because the apartment has one more combined bathroom (8) with an entrance from the corridor (10).

In general, the transfer or extension of the wet zone due to a corridor, a pantry or a built-in wardrobe does not cause problems in coordination. To agree on this redevelopment, design documentation is required as part of the redevelopment project and a technical report. In general, such work can be coordinated both by the owner independently and with the help of an organization that specializes in redevelopment design.

Can the wet zone be reduced?

Since usually in residential buildings wet spots are rooms that have a small area, the goals of redevelopment, as a rule, are:

• bathroom combination;
• extension of wet areas to adjoining premises.

But in rare cases, the owners ask if it is possible to reduce the wet zone in the apartment?

Redevelopment of the wet zone in the apartment, when it is required to reduce its area, is allowed, but only the norms mentioned above must be observed. That is, it is of fundamental importance how the area freed from the bathroom or bathroom will be used in the future.

An increase due to the wet zone of the corridor, pantry or utility rooms is quite feasible. But using a wet point to expand a room or kitchen is allowed only on the top floor, because in other cases the kitchen / room will be under the wet zone of the neighbors from above, which will not be agreed upon.

What must not be done when moving wet areas?

Speaking about prohibitions when moving a toilet, it is worth noting that when carrying out this type of redevelopment, it is prohibited:

1. Use a balcony or loggia to accommodate a room equipped with a toilet. It is forbidden to transfer a bathroom, as well as a bathroom, to a balcony (loggia), regardless of which building and on which floor the re-planned apartment is located.
2. Arrange the floor in the toilet / bathroom without waterproofing, drawing up acts for hidden work. That is, floors in wet rooms must be lined with waterproofing material .
3. Attach plumbing and plumbing fixtures to walls and partitions that separate the toilet from living rooms.
4. Violate the requirements of the Code of Rules "Floors" (SP 29.13330.2011), according to which the floor in the toilet and bathroom must be 15-20 mm lower than in the adjacent corridor, or separated by a threshold also 15-20 mm high.

Continuation of the topic of prohibitions in our article "Do's and Don'ts when redevelopment of an apartment", for reading which you need to click the link.

Coordination of wet areas in an apartment

As for the process of coordinating a redevelopment with the transfer of wet areas, it differs little from other types of apartment renovations. You can learn more about the procedure by clicking on this link. In short, you will need:

• BTI documents for an apartment;
• redevelopment project;
• technical opinion on the possibility of redevelopment;
• title documents.

It should be added that in some cases an atypical set of documents is required. All the details about the documents for redevelopment here.

Our organization has all SRO approvals. If necessary, we are ready to develop a project for the redevelopment of wet points.

In the event that it is required to legalize the redevelopment of the wet zone, carried out without approval, you will need a floor plan with an explication before the redevelopment and a technical opinion on the admissibility of the repair measures carried out, which you can also order from us.

You can entrust us with the preparation of project documents for independent approval of redevelopment with the supervisory authority. Or order a full range of services from us - design and approval of turnkey redevelopment. We work in Moscow and Moscow region. We provide free consultations on redevelopment issues by phone, e-mail or online on our website. Write, call - we will be happy to help.

Relocation of the wet zone in the apartment. All norms!

Changing the area and / or moving the wet areas of bathtubs and toilets is one of the most common measures during renovation work in an apartment. Redevelopment allows you to make the apartment more comfortable and give it individual features.

Contents of the article

There is no strict definition of which places in an apartment should be classified as wet areas. According to established practice, we are talking about rooms in which, according to SNiP, there should be floor waterproofing that protects the lower floors from possible leaks.

In a residential building apartment, waterproofing is required in the bathroom, bathroom, shower room and toilet.

Wet areas often include the kitchen and laundry. These rooms are not as “wet” as a bathroom, and when laying floors in them, laying a waterproofing layer is not necessary, although it is highly recommended.

When remodeling an apartment, a combined bathroom, toilet, bath or shower is often moved to a new location or arranged in addition to existing sanitary facilities.

It is not uncommon for a wet zone to be moved when redevelopment of new buildings with free planning and in studios, where the boundaries of these premises are marked only on paper or laid out from blocks in one row.

In these cases, special attention must be paid to the laying of utilities, as there are a number of restrictions on the installation of pipelines and installation of ventilation.

The transfer of the wet zone, if the dwelling is located below, can only be carried out on a non-residential area. This rule equally applies not only to the bathroom, but also to the kitchen.

Most often, during repair work, a bathroom or bathroom is enlarged due to an adjacent non-residential (auxiliary) room - a corridor, a pantry, a dressing room or a dark room.

Expansion of the combined bathroom in the photo:

Current regulations (SP 54.13330.2016) do not allow the placement of sanitary facilities above the living rooms and kitchens of neighbors. An exception is two-level apartments, where, according to the law, it is possible to place a bathroom above your own kitchen.

It is also forbidden to enlarge the kitchen by placing it above the living rooms. And it is possible to expand the kitchen space due to the area of ​​the bathroom only on the top floor.

The exit from the bathroom should not be into the living room or kitchen. There is also an exception to this rule - it is allowed to leave the combined bathroom in the bedroom if it is not the only one in the apartment.

The current regulations provide for the mandatory presence of hydro-sound insulation of the bathroom premises, as well as the installation of an overflow dam.

To protect the apartment from the spread of water, the floor level in the bathroom is either made below the level of the corridor, or separated by a threshold more than 1.5 cm high (according to clause 4.8 of SP 29.13330.2011, updated version of SNiP 2.03.13-88)

Technical requirements for waterproofing are set out in SP 71.13330.2017 "Insulating and finishing coatings" (updated version of SNiP 3.04.01-87). Modern combined materials provide both waterproofing and soundproofing floors.

Examples of waterproofing of wet points:

Increase in the size of the bathroom, displacement and installation of additional plumbing equipment require mandatory coordination (pp-508 ZhK RF).

Coordination of repair work is carried out by the supervisory authorities exercising control in the field of redevelopment, on the basis of documentation, including a project and a technical report.

An example of a redevelopment project with an increase and combination of a bathroom:

This project includes combining a bathroom (5) and a toilet (6) into a combined bathroom with its increase over the entire width of the corridor (7). The entrance to the kitchen (4) is moved.

It is possible to legalize the work performed on the basis of a technical opinion on their admissibility and safety.

In Moscow, the approval of the planned and completed repairs with the displacement of the wet zone, as well as other redevelopment works, is carried out by the Moscow Housing Inspectorate, and in the Moscow Region by local administrative authorities.

If the whole house is one large non-residential building, and in them wet areas can be moved anywhere.

The specifics of coordinating the redevelopment of wet areas is that measures for their waterproofing and soundproofing must be formalized by an act of hidden work from a contractor with SRO approval.

Unauthorized enlargement or relocation of rooms belonging to the wet zones of baths and lavatories, most often does not go unnoticed by neighbors or employees of the management company. If an uncoordinated redevelopment or transfer of a wet point is found, in addition to a fine, it leads to the need to fulfill the order of the supervisory authority to restore the original state of the apartment or legalize the work performed in the prescribed manner. In case of failure to comply with the order, the law provides for legal proceedings against the owner of the apartment.

In case of preliminary approval of repair work, the stage of development of project documentation allows you to avoid activities that cannot be agreed upon later.

Waterproofing of wet areas

Waterproofing of wet areas, which include bathrooms and toilets, serves to prevent water from a sudden leak from penetrating to the lower floors within a specified time.

For example, when expanding these premises, the floors on the attached area do not protect against water in any way. Another option is the dismantling of bathrooms or partitions between the bathroom and the toilet: water seeps into poorly sealed grooves in place of the former partitions.

That is, if an unauthorized redevelopment of a bathroom or toilet was carried out in your apartment, then with a high probability it can be said that the installation of waterproofing of wet areas in the bathrooms was carried out incorrectly, or even completely absent.

Suppose you have combined a bathroom and a bathroom, and in addition you want to attach a part of the corridor to it and move the plumbing. According to all the rules, the first thing you had to do was prepare the relevant documents, order a redevelopment project from a specialized organization, and only then proceed with waterproofing wet rooms. But this is not always the case. And if you decide to do the work at your own peril and risk, inviting a team to redevelop the bathroom according to an ad in the newspaper, then the consequences of such work can be the most unpleasant for both you and your neighbors.

When redevelopment is legally agreed upon, laying waterproofing of floors in bathrooms refers to the so-called hidden works, and the correctness of its implementation is controlled by drawing up a certificate of examination of hidden works and field supervision. To be more precise, paragraph 4 of Appendix 7 of PPM 508 refers to works requiring activation, waterproofing of toilets, bathrooms, balconies and showers.

Checking the waterproofing of wet areas and its quality is carried out as follows: a layer of water about 5 cm thick is poured into the bathroom and left for 2 hours. If during this time no leaks were found on the floor below, then the waterproofing of the bathroom was done correctly.

However, in self-planned renovations, hired builders usually don't bother laying, much less checking waterproofing layers. And, as a rule, they do not have the right to draw up acts (for this you need to have an SRO permit). Therefore, even with a small accident, the water does not remain in your bathroom on the floor, but immediately “leaves” to the neighbors on the lower floor. For those who are planning to carry out redevelopment on their own, it will be useful to know that in most cases it is the occurrence of an emergency that causes the housing inspectorate to find out about your redevelopment.

Subsequently, you will not only pay a fine, but you will also have to repair the consequences of leaks in your neighbors' apartment. And, of course, if the work was carried out in violation of building codes, then there can be no question of coordinating redevelopment “backdating”, and all expensive repairs will have to be redone.

Therefore, in order to avoid possible troubles, especially if the work is related to the laying of waterproofing of wet areas, it is best to take care of obtaining permits in advance and coordinate the redevelopment in advance with the Housing Inspectorate.

---

Learn more

• 
  Shelf design for living room
• 
  Boys rooms designs
• 
  Light black room
• 
  Lucky colours for front doors
• 
  Bohemian color palette
• 
  Art in a bathroom
• 
  Outdoor pool landscape
• 
  Drapes in kitchen
• 
  Best wood for bathroom
• 
  Organising kitchen drawers
• 
  Plant bedroom ideas