Walk-in showers · Cork

Walk-in showers in Cork

The bath out, a walk-in shower in: what the job involves, what it costs and how long it takes.

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€4,500 to €8,000bath out, walk-in shower in
About a weekon site
Up to €8,000Mobility Aids Grant for a level-access shower
€500 to €1,500if the waste has to move

Real bathrooms

Before and after

Real bathrooms, before and after the work.

Before: A narrow bathroom with a bath under the window, and the same room with a glass walk-in shower — Bath out, walk-in shower in. A narrow bathroom: the bath under the window replaced by a walk-in shower, with a heated towel rail and a vanity unit.

After: A narrow bathroom with a bath under the window, and the same room with a glass walk-in shower — Bath out, walk-in shower in. A narrow bathroom: the bath under the window replaced by a walk-in shower, with a heated towel rail and a vanity unit.

Before: The bathroom stripped to bare brick, and the same room with the shower tray in and the walls tiled — The same room, mid-job. Stripped back to the brick, then a low shower tray, tanking and the walls tiled before the glass goes in.

After: The bathroom stripped to bare brick, and the same room with the shower tray in and the walls tiled — The same room, mid-job. Stripped back to the brick, then a low shower tray, tanking and the walls tiled before the glass goes in.

Before: An old corner basin with cracked tiles, and a new vanity basin with a lit mirror — Basin and vanity. The old corner basin out, a vanity unit with storage and a lit mirror in. The walls are still in primer here.

After: An old corner basin with cracked tiles, and a new vanity basin with a lit mirror — Basin and vanity. The old corner basin out, a vanity unit with storage and a lit mirror in. The walls are still in primer here.

The short answer

Walk-in showers in Cork: the short answer

Taking out the bath and fitting a walk-in shower costs €4,500 to €8,000 in Cork. It takes about a week. If the shower waste can go where the bath waste was, the plumbing stays simple; a new run adds €500 to €1,500.

The job

What a bath-to-shower swap involves

The bath, the panel and the tiles around it come out.
A shower waste goes in where the bath waste was, or a new run if the shower moves.
The floor and walls of the shower are tanked, then left to dry.
A low tray or a level floor, a glass screen, the valve and the head go in.
Tiling, silicone and a clean. A Registered Electrical Contractor does any wiring and gives you a completion certificate.

Tray or level floor

A low tray or a level floor

A low tray is quicker and cheaper and suits most homes. A level floor, like a wet room, has no step at all, which matters if someone uses a wheelchair or a frame. It costs more because the whole floor is tanked and laid to a fall. Wet room or shower tray sets the two side by side.

Which shower

Electric, mixer or pumped

Electric: heats its own water from the mains and needs its own circuit.
Mixer: takes hot water from a combi boiler or a cylinder.
Pumped: boosts the pressure from a gravity-fed cylinder.

Tell the company which you have now. Changing type changes the price.

Tanking

How high the tanking goes

In a walk-in shower the walls are tanked to at least 1.8 m, and the floor of the shower all the way to the screen. Waterproofing adds €200 to €400 up front and is never the place to save.

Price guide

Walk-in shower prices in Cork

Typical prices for bathroom work in Cork, from what jobs here cost. Your own price comes in writing, after the company has seen the room.

By bathroom

Bathroom	Typical cost	What moves the price
Family bathroom, full renovation, 5 to 7 m²	€7,500 to €18,000	A bath, a shower or both, tiles floor to ceiling, a new floor.
Bath out, walk-in shower in	€4,500 to €8,000	The rest of the room stays. Moving the waste adds to it.
Wet room	€5,000 to €12,000	Timber or concrete floor, where the drain goes, the tiles.
Accessible bathroom, level-access shower	€5,000 to €12,000	Rails, a seat and the door width. Council grants can pay for most of it.

Labour and materials together. Ask for the VAT to be shown on your written price: the council grants don't cover VAT.

Questions

Questions people ask us

How much is a walk-in shower in Cork?

Taking the bath out and putting a walk-in shower in its place is €4,500 to €8,000 in Cork. A new shower on its own, where one is already, is €600 to €1,500.

How long does it take?

About a week. The tanking has to dry before the tiles go on.

Does a walk-in shower need tanking?

Yes. The floor of the shower and the walls around it are tanked before any tile goes on. That's what stops a leak into the room below.

Should I keep a bath in the house?

If there's a second bathroom or an en-suite, a bath in one and a walk-in shower in the other suits every buyer if you sell.

Is there a grant for a walk-in shower?

For mobility, yes: the Mobility Aids Grant pays up to €8,000 for a level-access shower, from Cork City Council or Cork County Council. Apply and get approval before the work starts.

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