Wet room sizes and layouts: how small can a wet room be?
Wet rooms suit small bathrooms better than almost any other layout, because removing the tray gives back the floor area the enclosure was using.
How small can a wet room be?
A functional wet room can be built in a room of around 2.2m², provided the shower zone is at least 900mm by 900mm and the fall is planned so water travels away from the WC and basin. Below that, a level-access recessed tray is usually the better solution.
Working dimensions
These are the dimensions we design to:
- Shower zone: 900mm × 900mm minimum, 1200mm × 900mm comfortable.
- Screen: 900mm to 1200mm wide fixed panel, positioned to shield the WC and basin.
- Clear approach to the shower: 700mm minimum for walking, 800mm clear door width for a wheelchair.
- Wheelchair turning circle: 1500mm diameter where a full turn is required.
- Distance from drain to the furthest point of the wet zone: keep within 1.5m so the fall does not become steep.
Planning the dry zone
Every wet room needs a dry zone — the part of the room where towels, the WC roll and the door live. It is defined by the screen position, the direction of the fall and where the shower head throws water.
In a small room the simplest arrangement puts the shower at the far end from the door, the drain against that end wall, and the WC and basin along the run toward the door. Water then travels away from everything you want dry.
Three layouts that work
Most Glasgow bathrooms fit one of three arrangements:
- End-wall wet zone: shower against the short far wall with a linear drain at the wall, fixtures down one side. Suits narrow tenement bathrooms.
- Corner wet zone with return screen: shower in a corner with an L-shaped or return panel. Suits squarer rooms and gives a larger dry zone.
- Full open wet room: no screen at all, whole floor tanked and falling to a central or wall drain. Suits larger rooms and full wheelchair access.
Small-room details that matter
In a small wet room, a wall-hung WC and basin change the perception of the space more than any tile choice, because the continuous floor reads as larger. Large-format floor tiles carried up one wall have the same effect.
A recessed shelf niche formed in the wall before tanking avoids a shelf projecting into a room that has no space to spare. It must be tanked and falled to drain, like everything else in the wet zone.