Wheelchair accessible wet room for mobility grant

Seeger

My friends mother is in need of a downstairs toilet for mobility reasons.

The county engineer has advised that she can build a wheelchair accessible toilet with a shower (wet room) in their kitchen/dining room. This would mean the door would open directly out into the kitchen/dining room with no lobby. When my friend queried the wc opening into the kitchen he said that's fine because it's it's an old house. (50s/60s council house)

Are there any documents regarding the design of wcs for the mobility grant? He told her minimum sizes. Is he referring to the minimum toilet size of a new build accessible toilet?

Will this alteration be planning exempt/exempt from the building regs given the age of the house. I would have thought any changes made now would have to meet current standards? I'd imagine it could problems if you were to sell the house?

I sense he is looking to do this as it will save the council money compared to the price of a wc extension out the back of the house.

I would grearly appreciate any advice on this. I work in an architects office and it's not some thing we have any experience in I'm sorry to say.

Gumbo

Seeger wrote: »

My friends mother is in need of a downstairs toilet for mobility reasons.

The county engineer has advised that she can build a wheelchair accessible toilet with a shower (wet room) in their kitchen/dining room. This would mean the door would open directly out into the kitchen/dining room with no lobby. When my friend queried the wc opening into the kitchen he said that's fine because it's it's an old house. (50s/60s council house)

Are there any documents regarding the design of wcs for the mobility grant? He told her minimum sizes. Is he referring to the minimum toilet size of a new build accessible toilet?

Will this alteration be planning exempt/exempt from the building regs given the age of the house. I would have thought any changes made now would have to meet current standards? I'd imagine it could problems if you were to sell the house?

I sense he is looking to do this as it will save the council money compared to the price of a wc extension out the back of the house.

I would grearly appreciate any advice on this. I work in an architects office and it's not some thing we have any experience in I'm sorry to say.

You have 2 options.
Convert an existing room to a wet room.
Build extension to contain wet room.

I've done both in the past month.
The extension build was 29k and the council are giving 13k of a grant.

The wet room conversion was 12k and the council are giving just under 10k, so not a major difference.

The main thing you have to look at is of the wet room can be integrated into the existing house foot print. Will it look crap basically!

It's ok for it to open into a kitchen or living room (no building regulations against it) but you will have to provide adequate ventilation and extraction from the room if there's no windows etc

It will be planning exempt if you convert an existing room, but it will not be building regulation exempt as you have to comply with part F, Part H etc

The extension can also be planning exempt but you then need sign off as compliant with building regs and certificate of planning exemption by architect or engineer.

The bathroom size is usually outlin d in the OT report which your relative will have to get carried out in order to apply for the grant.

What council,is it?

Seeger

Thanks for your reply.
It's in Co. Wicklow. I think the max they could get for a minor alteration here is €6000. Where the engineer has suggested it goes makes the most sense from a plumbing and cost perspective. It will in my opinion "ruin" the room but the room will still be functional.
They have met with an OT so I'll check if they got a report and if the room size was specified in that.