Bathrooms in these houses were built at a time when rooms were tall and fittings were sparse, so they are generously proportioned with very high ceilings. That produces one question that does not arise anywhere else: how high the enclosure should go, given that matching the ceiling is neither possible nor useful.
How tall an enclosure actually needs to be
A shower enclosure has to be taller than the spray reaches, which is a little above head height, and no taller.\n\nIn a room with a four metre ceiling, glass at two metres leaves a large open gap above, and people worry that steam will escape.\n\nIt will, and in a room this size that is an advantage rather than a fault. The volume of air above dilutes the steam and the room dries quickly. Chasing the ceiling with glass costs a great deal and makes the room harder to ventilate, not easier.
Old plumbing behind a wall that is now tiled
Pipework in these houses has usually been replaced at least once, and the routes are rarely recorded.\n\nSo a fixing into a bathroom wall here carries a real risk of finding a pipe that nobody expected to be there.\n\nWe scan before drilling and, where the reading is ambiguous, we move the fixing rather than proceed. In a house of this age there is no drawing to consult and no one to ask, so caution costs a few minutes and the alternative is a wall opened up.
Fixing into walls that may be original
Original walls in these bungalows are thick and solid, which sounds ideal and is not always.\n\nLime plaster and old brick behave differently from modern masonry: a standard expansion anchor can crumble the material around it rather than grip.\n\nSo we use a resin anchor in that situation, which bonds along the length of the hole and spreads the load instead of pushing outwards. It costs a little more per fixing and it is the correct fixing for this construction, which is not something a general supplier will tell you.
How the job works
- Tell us about the jobSend a few photos, rough sizes and what you need. Use WhatsApp or the form. For a repair, a short video of the door moving helps a lot.
- We call you back in about 2 minutesWe confirm what you need and a time to visit. Where we can, we give you a rough price on the call.
- We come and measureWe measure the opening and check the walls, floor and ceiling around it. Anything made to size is made to these measurements, so they must be right.
- You get a written priceIt lists each item, with GST as its own line. If anything about the job changes, we tell you before we go ahead.
- We fit itYou approve the price and pay the advance. Our own team fits the work, checks that every door and window opens and closes properly, and clears up. Most jobs are done in 3 to 4 days.
