bathroom shower help - controls on entry?

4 years ago

We still haven’t even started the bathroom yet as can’t face thinking about it and having to make decisions on tiles etc, urgh.

However I do need to decide on the shower control placement because the plumber will be moving all the pipes from one end to another and this will make a difference.

Photo is a mock up of the internal bathroom. The wall opposite the shower head will be a stud.

Options are to either go for a standard mixer shower with the bar controls on the shower itself

Have the control panel to turn it on/off on the stud wall so you don’t get wet.

The shower will be 1600 long with a shower screen of 1100.

Are there any pros/cons to having the control panel separate? Ie having to keep walking to it to change the temperature when in the shower?

I know they are more expensive to buy than a standard shower but then it might cost us less not having to move all the pipes ;0)

Anyone recommend one they have that has a separate shower head which is handy for washing the dogs etc?

Featured Answer

julesbird2014

4 years ago

This is our set up. Valve place on the way into the shower so don’t have to get wet. Top control turns right for shower head and left for hand held, bottom one sets the temperature. Hope this helps.

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Comments (30)

PRO
Adams+Collingwood Architects
4 years ago
The separate control panel is my preferred option, so you don't get wet and I find it makes the elevations in the shower look better.

Most of the manufacturers who offer this have the mixer temperature controls so once you have you preferred temperature for your showers you don't have to adjust it, only turn it on and off.

Good luck!
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
Ah so is the control panel just for on/off ? Can you recommend any particular shower that has this feature ie separate on/off panel but also with temperature control on the shower itself?
I get so confused what to look for in the sea of Google :0/
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PRO
Adams+Collingwood Architects
4 years ago
Thermostatic Shower Valve Three Controls is what you are looking for. Crosswater Kai Lever do a nice one. https://www.cphart.co.uk/crosswater-kai-lever-thermostatic-shower-valve-three-controls/

I suggest you find a friendly show room and go and talk to them as there are so many options for shower controls!
Anthony (Beano)
4 years ago
I’ve the mike pro version of the above, very good quality valve set.
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
Oh I’m a bit confused now though because I thought you said I would be better with a panel that has on/off with the temp controls on the actual shower unit?
Ie so I can alter the temp at the shower itself?
Or is the control panel basically a duplicate of the shower and you can control it from both points?

We did go to one local bathroom place but they didn’t have many showers in so will try the other couple as one is much larger :0)
Anthony (Beano)
4 years ago
Mine is a two valve unit, it has three knobs, top one turns the overhead shower on and off, the bottom one turns the wall mounted hand shower on and off and the middle one controls the temperature, you initially set it up as to how hot you want it at maximu, it operates rotational, the further you turn it round the hotter it gets to the stop point which is what you set your max at! I can run both hand shower and overhead at the same time but the temp will be controlled to both at the same time, you can’t have the overhead a diff temp to the hand held.
Gabby Wong
4 years ago
Are you wanting essentially 2 switches for the shower, so you can control it outside as well as in? or just 1? what about having the switch on the wall opposite the entry way, so you lean over the width of the shower to turn it on, but you don't have to properly leave the shower to adjust it from inside?

I did a quick scroll through on a couple of online places, and I couldn't see any with controls both at the shower and remotely.. but did find these...

so maybe if you put in an electronic one near the shower you could then add a 2nd remote? near the entrance?

Definitely agree about having a shower head you can pull off the wall and move as well... good for the dog, good for cleaning the shower etc.
julesbird2014
4 years ago
Should say the screen is nearly 1200 and width is 850.
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks for that image @jules!
Our back wall is solid and can’t make it a stud as no spare width so we can’t put the control panel on it unfortunately. It either has to be at one end or the other where both studs are.

@Gabby - ah thanks for looking. Yes I thought it would be a 2 unit system as you said but I might see if there are showers with a controller like that as it can be preset before getting into the shower so I don’t have to faff around with the switches etc. Lots to think about!
minnie101
4 years ago
Hi Tani. I've got a Mira platinum digital shower so the temperature is preset. I had the aqualisa version in my old house with their shower head. I hadn't realised these could work off any old shower though (or assume they do) so have used it with a crosswater shower. This negates the need for the control panel that comes with the shower although in hindsight I wish I'd got the plumber to put it in anyway! This wasn't in the budget tbh and it was dear but I'm sure there are more budget ones around. Just check with your plumber that the digital control can work as mine does in case I'm wrong!
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
@Minnie - so do you mean I just get the shower head and hand shower and then the digital display panel rather than the manual one? (Or both if I could afford it)
minnie101
4 years ago
Well that's what I did but it was a big ouch. The Mira thing was £689 off the top of my head for the pumped system one, think the normal one is around £489. I was really hesitant but my husband loved the aqualisa one in our old house, no keep testing the water etc so said just do it. It would obviously be a lot more economical just to have the control panel outside!
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
Eek. That’s a lot of money! My OH definately won’t go for that, ha ha. Doh
kwg kwg
4 years ago
I think it's better to have the controls at the other end of the shower head because -

1. You don't have to walk into the shower to turn it on ( you have long shower area ) which could be annoying for the second person that uses the shower as they will have wet feet, especially if they want to turn it on, come out and do something else before they get in.

2. You won't get wet once you've turn it on, or wet and cold if you are the first one to use it.

3. I don't think it's too far to walk to change the controls, I have a 1200mm long shower and I can probably reached out to the other end just by stick my arm out :-). For 1600mm, I think just on step forward should be ok lol...unless you are really tall and have long arms in which case you can just reach out.

4. You can also wash your dog without getting in.

Question is where do you plan to put the separate moveable shower head? If you have the shower head attachment near the fixed shower head, how will you wash the dog without getting in yourself? If you have it on the opposite side of fixed shower head, will you ever need to use it on the other end for washing the shower? Guess you could have an extra long attachment?
Sarah U-S
4 years ago
Hi, your plan looks good - but I’m a bit confused - I understand that you want the shower valve on the stud wall (which makes sense, as there will be depth to put it in), however you said the long wall and the opposite wall are solid. Are you intending to chase out the solid walls to sink the pipe work in for the shower rose?? Another option may be to run the pipe work through the ceiling space and have the shower rose coming down?? This would save all the chasing out.
Brenda Mullan
4 years ago
Def do as Julesbird did and build area into stud wall for the shampoo etc- it is invaluable... I did this in en-suite... only when the main bathroom was tiled that I realised thy e builder had “forgotten” to do this...it annoys me greatly!
obobble
4 years ago
Wish my dogs would submit to being showered without me having to get wet too!
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
@Sarah - only the long back wall is solid. The 2 ‘ends’ are both stud ;0)
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
@obobble - the pug is good at being washed as my OH used to take him into the shower when he was a puppy so he suffers it quietly, ha ha.
The ShihTzu, on the other hand, just shakes a lot and tries to escape. Bless her.
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
@kwg
He he, we are short so definitely don’t have long arms.

Re the moveable shower head - that is a question I’m trying to figure out. If we got a controller with a separate control for that head (as Beano has) and on a long cable then we can walk in and turn it on at the far end.
However, the shower will be a walk in one so we would just stand the dogs by the shower end and hold the head on a longer cable (maybe have the fixing lower down on the wall?) to wash them that way?
Sarah U-S
4 years ago
Tani H-S, how are you doing with your decision making???
We’ve just refitted a bathroom and have swapped the old shower (bar type external fittings) for an internal two-way valve with a permanent shower rose coming out of the wall and a separate hand-held one. It’s great, and we’re glad that we made the change because it looks a lot neater. It also gives more options because the valve can go in different spots to the two shower heads - the pipe work is simply chased into the walls from the valve to wherever you want the two heads.
Victoria
4 years ago
With our setup you can easily reach the hand held shower or overhead control from outside. We have the two valve system.
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
@Victoria - ah that would be because you have a door that you can open to access them. Ours would be a 1.1 meter fixed glass panel so we have to walk into the shower to access the controls if they are next to the shower like yours
Tani H-S
Original Author
4 years ago
@Sarah -I’m rubbish. Just too much to think about and I can’t decide as everything is always so complicated and expensive :0(
Been trying to do this bathroom for a year and I still can’t face it, ha ha.
kwg kwg
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Tani H-S, you are not the only one who has been trying to do their bathroom for one year :-). I realised I have mis-read your post, I thought you were having a shower door as well rather than a just a fixed shower screen, in that case, it doesn't make sense to have the separate shower hose on the opposite side of the fixed shower head.

How about having the separate shower hose and outlet come out of the same wall as the fixed shower head ( pipes behind same wall ) but with the outlet as near as possible to the corner of where the short wall and long wall meet and then have an additional 'hook' on the long wall ( like julesbird2014 ) so that when you are washing the dog, you can move the shower head to the side hook and you won't get wet when you put the water on as the water will spray away from you towards the glass. When you are shampooing the dog, you can put the shower head on the side hook rather than having to reach over the dog and put the head on the hook of where the fixed shower head is or leave it on the shower floor which means the water will spray everywhere unless you turn the water off.

Keep the controls on opposite side of fixed shower head ( stud wall ).

Are you sure a 1.1m shower screen is sufficient to prevent water coming out? I was told by several shops that it was best to have a 1.2m screen if having walk in shower and minimum 1.7m long shower. I know space could be limited to 1.6m hence the reason for a 1.1m shower screen but if screen is too short then it would be really annoying if you find that water keeps coming out after you have used it. Have you considered looking into having frameless sliding doors instead? Sometimes the glossy photos look amazing with fixed shower screens but if they are too short, it's not practical.
Alicja Hughes
4 years ago
Why don’t you position the control panel in the wall opposite the shower screen just where the screen ends. You could turn it in without getting wet and at the same time wouldn’t have get out the shower to change temperature. That’s what we have done
Alicja Hughes
4 years ago
Sorry just realised someone has already suggested that. The wall where the controls are in this shower is solid too. Some plumbers don’t like doing it this way though.
PRO
Sara Levy Designs
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
If you can, I would put the control and a handheld shower by the entrance to the shower. That way you don't have to go all the way in to wash the dogs, and you don't have to get wet until the water is the right temperature!
Gabby Wong
4 years ago
I think I'd also go for controls where you enter. If you have a separate control that adjusts the temperature, chances are you'll infrequently change it, and you'll know which position you want it in before you put the water on.

Therefore unless you're someone that adjusts the temperature or turns the shower on and off frequently whilst showering, you shouldn't need to frequently walk to the opposite end whilst showering anyway. :-)

bathroom shower help - controls on entry?

julesbird2014

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