Washing machine in shower room

[Expired]

Hi all

We are in the process of having a utility room and WC built. The missus has decided she now wants this to be a wet room/ shower room but obviously keep the washing machine.

The room is no where near big enough for a zone 3 (2.6x1.6 internal). If a partition wall with a door was installed would this still allow us to have the shower and washing machine with surface mount sockets?

Would have asked our building inspector but it appears to be flex off Friday. Our drawings don't include a partition wall but don't see it been a major issue to add one.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ericmark]

LABC inspectors seem to be able to do as they feel, BS 7671 is not law, although it can be used in a court of law, my dad's bedroom had a shower in the corner, and the sockets were not far enough away to comply with BS 7671, should have used FCU to comply, but electrics where there before the shower went in, and to get damp one would need to spray the shower water over a wardrobe to reach socket.

But whole idea of a wet room, is no shower curtains or doors, so the whole room can be washed down, we had problems with the under sink cupboard disintegrating, it was clearly not made with materials able to stand repeatedly getting wet, so one would need to divide the room into two.

I have the dryer on top of the washing machine, sitting on a work top, and the filter in the washing machine failed to stop rubbish so it got rapped around the pump impellor, it would have been really good had our utility room been a wet room, however I had to kneel down and transfer all the water with a sponge. Reading the instructions it does give what needs doing if the washer is installed in a bathroom, if they are designed to be fitted in one, both mine are not suitable for use in a bathroom, so nothing in the instructions, so that is the first thing to look at, do the washing machine instructions tell you what is required? If not, then that washing machine is not suitable.

To be frank I would never consider fitting a washing machine in a wet room, maybe in a room which contains a bath or shower, which could be a bedroom, but never in a wet room.

 

[Murdochcat]

Not convinced you should have any appliances in a wet room

 

[Expired]

Sorry just to be clear, I was on about building a partition wall so the wet area and toilet are in one room and the rest of the utility room in the other side of the partition.

 

[ericmark]

The zones are found here and this does talk about wet rooms but it is what the LABC inspector says that is important.

The problem is to decide where a partition has created another room, Part M I think defines what size showers, wet rooms and bathrooms need to be.

There are a series of diagrams like this that show the minimum size, I am sure this house would not comply, I know my mothers house we did not have quite enough clearance but the LABC inspector allowed it. The only thing he did insist on was the extractor fan, which reading the approved document was not required, but he insisted one was fitted.

I was unaware at the time that changing a rooms use from or to kitchen or bathroom needs permission, he told me in no uncertain terms that the owner must ensure it is done. Likely we got away with it here as we do have three bathrooms.

The actual law is not easy to work out, BS 7671 is not law, I found out the hard way, one just has to do as the LABC inspector says.

 

[Expired]

Interesting, thanks for the information. I thought installing a partition wall might be the answer but would appear not to be the case with a wet room.

Might have a chat with the inspector but I think she will have to drop the shower or wet room idea. The room just isnt big enough anyway, I didn't appreciate how thick modern walls were living in a solid wall house.

 

[SUNRAY]

I was unaware at the time that changing a rooms use from or to kitchen or bathroom needs permission, he told me in no uncertain terms that the owner must ensure it is done. Likely we got away with it here as we do have three bathrooms.

My first house purchase was a doer-upper and the first thing I did was apply for planning permission to switch bathroom and bedroom, permission granted and a number of inspections later all sorted.
When I sold, it was alleged I didn't have the permission to switch the rooms

 

[JohnW2]

My first house purchase was a doer-upper and the first thing I did was apply for planning permission to switch bathroom and bedroom, permission granted and a number of inspections later all sorted.

Did you really need Planning Permission to do that? - Building Regs approval, yes, but I would not have thought that the 'planners' would have any interest in that?

When I sold, it was alleged I didn't have the permission to switch the rooms

How did the person doing the 'alleging' know that there had been a 'switch'?

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

The reverse on selling mothers house, we had at least 3 completion and compliance certificates, which I could not lay my hands on, so applied for replacements, told it would take 4 months and would cost however long it took council worker to find them, in other words, go away and don't be silly, no one needs them.

When the house was built, designed by my dad, we had a coal house, which had the drains fitted so it could be converted into a toilet at a latter date, even lintel fitted so door could be changed to be internal. So to convert pantry and what by that time was a toilet to a wet room was not changing use by much, I wanted to do the work myself, but sister said I never finish a job, so insisted we got a builder in.

The job over ran, and the builder ran off without finishing the job, you can guess comments to my sister, but I was then forced to DIY could not find a builder able to do in time, assuming the builder had completed all the applications I informed the council I was taking over the job, only then did I find the builder had not submitted plans, and were told in no uncertain terms it is the owner who must ensure it is done. Although often the builder does do it for him.

Then after all that telling off, when completed I took the installation certificate in to council offices and the compliance certificate arrived in the post without the inspector revisiting, so what was all the fuss about?

On finding the certificates I realised the way written reading them one has no idea who did what, so no real point anyway.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

At what point does "a partition wall with a door on it" [which sounds like a cupboard] become another room?
We have our washer in a cupboard in our wet room, but it's a bigger room [3x4m]. BC had no problem with this.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It doesn't matter, does it? A cupboard is considered separate.