Shower over bath..

[fixa24]

Howdy all.
just wondering if the bath has to be a special one if your gonna put a shower over it? just a stock standard one?
Cheers.:)

[ThePope]

Just a plain vanilla bath is fine.

[Wood Butcher]

As far as I know there is no reason why you can't use a standard bath. You can get baths with different edges on them for the glass screens if that is what you want. I have seen cast iron claw foot baths with showers over them and the shower curtain suspended from the ceiling above. Looked really good standing in the middle of the bathroom on its own.

[cellist]

We built a bathroom a couple of years ago, and put the shower over the bath. Because of the fact that we wanted the tub to both hold water and also provide a good area to stand in, we bought a spa-sized bath. Spas are available without the jets. So, the only thing lacking in our bathtub are lane-ropes! It's the greatest. Just a 400mm length piece of glass at the shower end eliminates all spray into the room, and I recommend the configuration enthusiastically.

Mike

[fixa24]

Cheers. Thanks for the replies.
Do you think a spa would be suitable aswell?

[Wood Butcher]

The house I am renting at the moment has a shower over a corner spa. The only problem is that the taps for the bath are in the corner and are a bit of a pain to reach.

[cellist]

Spas...hmmm...matter of taste. We opted to not put in a spa, but more because of the machinery factor. Pumps, seals, corrosion, and all that stuff are things that eventually would need to be dealt with, though I would recommend talking to a spa person or two to ask questions.

I don't know what kind of construction your house is, but ours is double brick, and you don't really want to have to do anything extensive if and when something goes wrong.

Having said that, spas are delicious. The only thing I recommend you think about is how to screen it off for showers. With a bit of creativity, I'm sure you can come up with a solution.

Oh, and one more thing: There isn't much of a difference in price between "big" baths and normal sized ones. We love the depth of the spa bath.

Finally, I did something that no plumber or builder had ever heard of, and it's the best thing imaginable. Between the surround (ours is brick, but it doesn't matter) and the bath itself is a cavity. I stuffed it chockablock full of insulation batts. I taped them to the bath itself while building the wall around it. Let me tell you....the bath stays the same temperature for a very, very long time. You wouldn't think it would make a difference, but I've never gotten out of the thing because it got cold; I get out when I've had enough.
Mike

[Clinton1]

Mike that insulation idea is great.

We have a spa bath, just a big bathtub really. The bloke who had the house prior to us got it because it exceeded the normal bath size. As I am 6'6" (2 m) tall I appreciate having a bath I can stretch out in (for the first time ever).
Think about the bath plug and spa fitting placements, you don't want something digging in where it is not appreciated. Sunken fittings are a good idea.
We just have a small pump sitting on a purpose built shelf outside the house. A couple of extra pipes through the wall, and power of course.
I'd imagine it all adds up $ wise, and if you are a water saver, then you won't run the spa too much.
In my opinion, its more of a resale value adder than something you will actually get value for money out our use wise.

[Jacksin]

It has always bothered me, especially as one gets older, having a shower over a conventional bath. Once you get soap in your eyes, it would be awful easy to take a tumble out of the bath while stumbling around trying to reach a towell with your eyes shut.

[cellist]

Good point, Jack, and for that reason precisely, a handle comes as part of the spa bath. An average tub doesn't usually have one of those built in. As I get older, I love soaking my bones of an evening!

Mike

[lnt9000]

Howdy all.
just wondering if the bath has to be a special one if your gonna put a shower over it? just a stock standard one?
Cheers.:)
There is a difference to a bog standard bath and a shower over bath, the shower over has an anti slip base with a sharp recess at the shower end, without that recess you would tend to stand too far from the shower rose, while the other end tapers as normal so you can lie back and soak, It doesn't mean that you cant use a standard bath, If you check out a couple of manufacturers websites you will find not only the difference but complete
Installation Instructions.;)

[Lonks]

I've just bought a bath for this purpose. It's Decina brand and is called a shower bath. It's only 1210mm long to fit our space, but it is pretty deep and has the slip resistant base. We really wanted to have a corner bath but the spa wouldn't allow.

[Snapper_Kev]

I used a "shower over bath" for my bathroom and recommend it as a cheap stylish solution in a confined space. Yes, I would recommend a true shower bath which has one straight vertical end for standing under the shower and one end at an angle. I have the pictures of how I put it all together in this post:

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=22904