Ferdinand

I am now looking for thoughts on non-slip mats for the walk-in shower. In a wet room environment the floor comes textured as a matter of course, unless somebody gets it badly wrong. My walk in shower has a smooth tray, properly textured trays being a little rare, and I now need to find a suitable mat for both new walk in showers. Might as well do both. I will need one that is about 600x1200mm and one that is about 750mm x 1500mm. I have seen these things about the size of a tea towel or a hand towel that the showerer needs to take care to stand on, and I would prefer something which makes the whole thing non-slippy .. perhaps more like the things you find around swimming pools. These look alright, but I would prefer the whole thing covered: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bath-Shower-Safety-Durable-Bathtub/dp/B077RX8F2H/ I guess that in theory a piece of wet room liner cut to shape could be used if it is strong enough and weighty. I am also considering a product called Gripwalker and similar where you order a length off a roll, of width 122cm or 91cm. Need to make sure that is soft and comfy for delicate feet. Not chap, mind at about 50-60 per shower, though it should outlast mum. Any thoughts? Especially @AliG F Ferdinand

I think all of those are properly answered by your pro adviser as each site will be different, though you may be able to get some idea if you can get information on soil types etc, or by digging your own hole first. With luck it will be bedrock at 2 feet. My one comment would be to look to eg Milton Keynes for your engineer, rather than London. Ferdinand

It has some combination of ufh and sand/cement screed, on top of some combination of concrete / insulation. We took the view that the crack is stable and related to the strains imposed by ugh, so did not dig down to find out. It now looks like this

A Calendar Quarter. FC booklet: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/699889/treefellingaugust.pdf You are going to be exempt if you do not sell it I think.

Removal of > 5 cubic m within one quarter requires a felling license from the Forestry Commission. Do it 4 cubic m bits, 14 weeks apart. Except for nests and bats. F

You’ll be about 3 days from the phone call requesting a time extension agreement, then . Ours do not look at it until the end of the comment period, essentially.

Take the £1000 and treat it as a windfall.

Thanks @ragg987, that's a useful checklist. When mine is done I'll come back point by point explaining differences. Your checklist is one for @Powerjen also.

Actually went for these: https://www.screwfix.com/p/ideal-standard-della-close-coupled-toilet-dual-flush-6ltr/6779j "Due to hygiene reasons this product is excluded from our 30 Day Money Back Guarantee (your statutory rights are not affected)." Because spare seats are available.

... unless the previous owner would provide a Statement of Truth as to previous use as a bedroom. Is much weight given to EA particulars? Ferdinand

Might even pay you back for the Dartford Warblers, if you are in that SPA!

If this is you, it says you can claim back to 2015. https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/get-help/one-bill/surface-water-rebate

In my experience .. ie both bathroom floors have cracked .. trad sand and cement screed is vulnerable to the expansion and contraction due to ufh heating cycles. I know that one crack is in the screen because I have had the bathroom redone this week. I believe that the ufh pipes are in the screed itself but have not dug that up to investigate, as it is not a disastrous crack. Presumably fibres will mitigate (?) Ferdinand

They are longer than they look ... 20 inches. F

If necessary we could consider a trad shower chair, but we are not there yet in needs terms. Whilst the person can stand and hold on whilst under a rainfall shower, that is probably preferable In terms of mainta8nihg mobility. Plus we can also have the mounting at the correct height .. slightly surprised not to find a fixed-to-wall one with adjustable-on-fly-height at less than four figures. @Hecateh I have been stomped upon wrt the dispenser. It is instead a single bar of soap and a push top bottle of shampoo, and a shelf has been requested for them to stand on. Ferdinand

There is an online calculator here which you can use to get the u value of one or more layers, and that can be used to compare approximately. https://www.vesma.com/tutorial/uvalue01/uvalue01.htm The bloke likes detail so PIR is isanocyanurate is Celotex or Kingspan. Ferdinand

Looking at shower chairs, they seem to be in several categories 1 - Wall mounted fold down stool which seem to have capacities of 80kg - 100kg. 2 - Wall mounted fold down stool with 2 legs, which seem to have capacities of more like 120-180kg. 3 - Fold down chairs ie with a back and perhaps arms, as 1 and 2. 4 - Standalone traditional shower chairs, either as per institutions or more domestic in appearance. 5 - Things like smaller freestanding stools which may fit neatly into the corner. Materials are some combination of plastic, stainless steel, aluminium or wood. I am going for category 2, as 1 looks to me that a heavy person might sit on it and break it by mistake, and I want no risk of an elderly family member having that problem. Prices for reasonably attractive ones - we want a wooden seat - seem to be in the £80-£250 range with various outliers each side. Any comments would be welcome. Ferdinand

Does anyone have any photos of elderly adapted showers or wetrooms, showing things that have been done to make it easier to use? Photos would be welcome. I’ll post one of mine when done, and of the other later in the year. Ferdinand

Don’t fret the isolation valves on the whole shower .. which are probably a different issue ie threads drift sorry. Was Informed firmly by my plumber yesterday that the self-builder who had converted my bungalow had NOT fitted isolation valves and that it was most unacceptable. Fair cop. Ferdinand

Does Mr SPONS have an opinion?

Plus https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/273808935435

We did a chat with an OT. In my experience they will usually give me a couple of catalogues, and sent information through, rather than recommended particular products. Very useful on the sort of facilities that could be available, but if you are in a reasonably sized house a decent type of shower that we usually talk about on BH (say bath replacement size) should be OK if you think it through. On the hoist, I would think that most modern joists would be up to the job, as that is what they are required to do for more than one person upstairs plus the weight of the floor. Though I could see sense in extra bracing just to be sure. This ,may be different if you are into eg 160-180 kg individuals. In 2019 I would expect showers first, perhaps with a seat-under-the-spray, unless the individual has a greater need of third-party care. I think that the cases OTs struggle with are eg compact terraces due to really tight staircases. My downstairs bathroom is tight (3.5m x 1.8m part under the stairs), but we can manage. If I had to I even have a plan for threading a real lift in, but my family member will move downstairs more readily. Ferdinand

Grab handles. I have been specifically recommended this one from Screwfix, because: 1 - It is white plastic not chrome, and therefore less likely to cause grip to be lost. Aesthetically I would prefer chrome, but safety stuff is not a place to compromise. 2 - It is ribbed. 3 - It is under £10. 4 - It is "Trade Rated", which is a category I place at least some weight on. https://www.screwfix.com/p/straight-elderly-disabled-bathroom-grab-bar-anti-bacterial-abs-white-x-35mm/93501 Add: Croydex have a couple of metallic ranges of grab rails etc, one of which has a knurled grip section, and the other of which has rubber rings every 2-3 inches. Ferdinand

I don't think we are quite in Rear Window territory :-). Though Ali McBeal did have a telescope ... It's a good thread so we'd better get back on topic.

That sounds a bit sinister... I will now imagine you as Action-Man-with-Eagle-Eyes, behind your carefully adjusted blinds.