10 Things to think about before you buy a shower

Maybe you might also want to incorporate a hand-held shower too (Image: Archant)

#1 Your lifestyle

Before you jump straight in think about how you shower and who will be using the shower…

#2 Your options

You might like the look of an overhead shower (hotel-inspired designs are big news after-all) but think about your options, maybe you might also want to incorporate a hand-held shower too, perfect for those of you that don’t want to get your hair wet and is essential for rinsing out the shower afterwards.

#3 Your Water Pressure

Before you consider which shower you’re going to opt for, think about your water pressure. Do you have a gravity fed system, combination boiler or pressurised system? Also consider the size of your water tank, is it large enough to meet your water needs?

10 tips for buying a shower - and they're not all that obvious... (Image: Archant)

#4 Your Future

If this is your forever home then you certainly need to think about futureproofing the shower. You should be thinking about non-slip tiles, grab

bars (which you might be shocked to hear can actually be surprisingly stylish) and maybe even a seat area in your shower. To give your seat a more luxurious feel, top with mosaics or stone.

#5 Your space

Create the biggest shower you can out of the amount of space you have, it really is as simple as that. Whether that’s a walk-in shower or a shower enclosure, both can be designed to look exactly how you want them.

#6 Your layout

Does modern showering do it for you? (Image: Archant)

Think about the layout of the whole room, if you’re going for a walk-in shower then place furniture away from the shower so you minimize how wet items get.

#7 Your approach

To the shower, that is. If you can avoid it, try not to have a step in to your shower instead go for a flush level floor, which can be achieved with a very shallow tray, or a tiled gradient floor.

#8 Your heating

Think about adding under floor heating and wall heating (yes really) to dry up moisture, this will give off a low level heat and heat your tiles. Now when you step out of the shower you won’t fill a chill but thanks to heated floors and walls your room will remain warm. Luxury redefined.

#9 Your storage

Think about creating a shower recess to store your bottles that might normally clutter the floor of your shower (Image: Archant)

Think about creating a shower recess to store your bottles that might normally clutter the floor of your shower. Stylish and practical.

#10 Your lighting

Maybe you want lighting that changes at the click of a button, lighting placed on a timer or on a PIR sensor (so that when someone steps in the shower, it automatically comes on), these are all options.

Advice courtesy of ripples.ltd.uk