Wet room installation
A wet room takes away the shower tray and the step altogether. The whole floor is waterproofed and laid to a gentle fall towards a drain, so a wheelchair, a shower chair or a walking frame can roll straight in.
It is the most open layout you can have in a bathroom, and the one occupational therapists recommend most often for wheelchair users and for anyone who needs a carer beside them while they wash.
- Accessible wet room, fitted
- £8,000 to £14,000Before VAT; most disabled customers pay none
- Time on site
- About 1 to 2 weeksLonger if the floor or walls need work
Is a wet room right for you?
- Someone uses a wheelchair or a wheeled shower chair, and needs to get under the shower without any lip at all.
- A carer helps with washing and needs room to stand beside the person, not squeezed outside a screen.
- The bathroom is small. Removing the tray and the cubicle often makes a little room feel and work much larger.
- You want one floor finish from the door to the drain, with nothing to trip on.
Think twice if
- The bathroom is upstairs on an old suspended timber floor with no way to get a fall to the waste. It can still be done, but expect extra joist work or a pump.
- Someone in the house loves a long soak in the bath. A walk-in bath, or keeping a bath in a second bathroom, may suit better.
What a wet room costs
National guide prices for supply and fitting, read November 2026. If the bathroom is being adapted for a disabled person’s own home, the building work is zero-rated for VAT (HMRC Notice 701/7, section 6.3). Every price on this page is shown before VAT for that reason.
| What | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Standard accessible wet room Tanked floor, linear or square drain, electric care shower, half-height screen or curtain, two grab rails | £8,000 to £10,000 |
| Wet room for a wheelchair user Larger wet area, fold-down seat, comfort-height toilet, wider door where needed | £10,000 to £12,000 |
| Fully bespoke wet room Moving the toilet or basin, structural work, a wash and dry toilet, premium finishes | £12,000 to £14,000+ |
| Pumped waste Needed when the drain cannot run downhill to the soil stack | £400 to £900 |
Know the size of the room and who will use it? Get a quote for a wet room.
Get a quoteHow a wet room is fitted
Measure and plan
The installer checks the floor build-up, the route to the waste pipe and the walls, and agrees where the drain, shower and seat go. Bring the occupational therapist’s report if you have one.
Strip out
The old bath or tray, the tiles and usually the floor covering come out. On a timber floor the boards are lifted so the new deck can be set to a fall.
Form and tank the floor
A pre-formed sloping deck or a screed is laid to fall to the drain, and the floor and lower walls are sealed with a waterproof membrane. This is the step that decides whether the room stays dry for twenty years.
Finish and fit out
Slip-resistant flooring or tiles go down, walls are tiled or lined, and the shower, rails, seat and toilet are fitted and tested.
Getting the floor right
Most of the cost and almost all of the risk in a wet room is in the floor. Water has to run gently towards the drain without collecting in puddles, yet the slope has to be shallow enough that a wheelchair does not roll and a wet foot does not slip.
On a concrete ground floor the old screed is broken out and a new one is laid to the fall, or a recess is cut for a pre-formed tray that sits flush with the floor. On an upstairs timber floor the joists are often notched or packed and a ready-made sloping board is fitted between them. Either way, ask your installer how they will tank the room and whether the membrane carries a manufacturer’s guarantee.
For the surface, look for vinyl safety flooring or tiles with a high slip resistance in wet conditions. Vinyl that runs a little way up the wall, with welded seams, is easy to clean and kind to knees and wheels.
Wet room or level access shower?
The two are often confused. Both give you a step-free way in; the difference is how much of the room gets wet.
| Wet room | Level access shower | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | The whole floor is waterproofed and falls to one drain | A flush shower tray or former sits in a dry bathroom floor |
| Best for | Wheelchair users, two-person washing, small rooms | People who walk in, possibly with a stick or frame |
| Typical price | £8,000 to £14,000 | £7,500 to £10,500 |
| Floor work | Full room | Shower area only |
See walk-in showers for elderly people for the second option in detail.
Your questions answered
How much does wet room installation cost?
Most accessible wet rooms cost £8,000 to £14,000 to supply and fit in the UK, before VAT. A small room with the toilet staying where it is sits at the low end; moving pipework, structural work and premium finishes push it up. Try the disabled bathroom cost estimator.
How long does it take to fit a wet room?
About one to two weeks for most homes. The floor and waterproofing take the longest, because each layer needs time to cure. Ask whether you will have a working toilet throughout.
Can a wet room be fitted upstairs?
Yes. On timber floors installers fit a pre-formed sloping deck between the joists, and if the drain cannot fall to the soil pipe a small pump carries the water away. It costs a little more than a ground-floor job.
Will the council pay for a wet room?
Often, if an occupational therapist decides it is needed and the work is reasonable for the home. A Disabled Facilities Grant can be up to £30,000 in England. Most councils fund a level access shower or wet room more than any other adaptation. See grants and 0% VAT.
Do wet rooms leak?
A properly tanked wet room should not. Leaks almost always come from a skipped or damaged membrane, a badly set drain or the wrong fall. Ask the installer which waterproofing system they use and what guarantee it carries.
Does a wet room add or reduce value to a house?
It depends on the buyer. A well finished wet room can appeal widely, but if it replaces the only bath, some families will want one put back. Many people keep a bath elsewhere if the house has space.
Read next
- Walk-in showers for elderly people
Step-free showering without waterproofing the whole room
- Mobility bathrooms
The whole room planned around one person
- Disabled bathroom cost
Estimate your own job
- Grants and 0% VAT
Disabled Facilities Grant and VAT relief explained
Sources we checked
Price ranges are our reading of published UK mobility bathroom price guides and public council contracts, checked November 2026. We do not link to firms that sell or fit bathrooms.
- HM Revenue and Customs, VAT Notice 701/7: reliefs from VAT for disabled and older people
- GOV.UK, Disabled Facilities Grants
- GOV.UK, Disabled Facilities Grants: what you’ll get
- Sandwell Council, level access shower fact sheet
- Barnsley Council, bathroom adaptations framework notice (Find a Tender 047120-2025)
Get a quote for a wet room
Three short steps: the postcode, the bathroom, and the best way to reach you. You are welcome to fill it in for someone you look after.
- We find one mobility bathroom installer who works in your area and does this kind of job.
- We let you know who they are, and only pass your details on once you agree.
- They come and measure the bathroom at no charge, then send a written price.
This service is free to you. You can change your mind at any stage.
Thank you. We have your request.
- Within a working day we will be in touch by phone or email to name the installer for your area.
- Nothing is passed to them until you have said yes.
- They then book a time to measure the bathroom and send a written price. We will not send you marketing.