Wet Room Installation in Lilyfield

Plumbing Conditions in Lilyfield

Soft water — Pentland Hills reservoir supply

Victorian stone terraces in valleys, older stone cottages in rural areas. With 28% of properties built before 1919, older pipework and drainage systems are common — specialist knowledge of period properties matters.

Wet Room Installation in Lilyfield — Local Expertise

Lilyfield's housing stock throws up some interesting challenges for wet room installations. Edwardian semis — common across many of the older residential streets here — tend to have solid timber floors upstairs, which need careful structural assessment before any tanking or drainage work begins. You can't simply drop a linear drain into a suspended timber floor without addressing the joists, subfloor build-up, and waterproofing membrane properly. Post-war estates often have concrete ground floors on the lower level, which are generally more straightforward to work with, though older pipe runs can be narrow or awkwardly positioned. More modern developments in Lilyfield typically use screed floors that accommodate wet room drainage more easily, but even here, the depth available for the drain and fall is sometimes tighter than you'd expect. Being in a moderately hard water area also matters — limescale build-up on shower glass and drain channels is a real consideration, so the choice of drainage cover, fixtures, and any water softening measures is worth discussing with your installer from the outset.

How We Work

A proper wet room installation in Lilyfield involves several distinct stages, and understanding the sequence helps you plan realistically. The work typically begins with a structural survey of the floor — especially important in Edwardian properties — to confirm whether the existing floor construction can support the build-up required for a tanked wet room. If timber joists need strengthening or the subfloor needs raising, this is done before anything else. Next comes strip-out: the existing bath, toilet if it's being repositioned, tiles, and flooring are all removed to expose the substrate. The waterproofing stage is critical. A tanking system — usually a combination of waterproof membrane sheets and liquid tanking compound — is applied to the floor and walls to a height of at least 1.8 metres, with particular attention paid to corners, pipe penetrations, and the drain outlet. The floor is formed with a pre-graded wet room former or a screed with a fall built in toward the drain, typically around 1–1.5% gradient. Once the tanking is cured, wall boards or tiles go on, and the shower, drain, and any heated towel rails or underfloor heating are connected. The job usually takes between five and eight working days depending on the size of the room and whether you're having bespoke stonework or standard tiling. Throughout the process, a good installer will keep you informed at each stage rather than leaving you guessing.

Why Choose a Local Lilyfield Specialist

Wet room installation is one of those jobs where local knowledge genuinely earns its keep. A tradesperson who has worked regularly in Lilyfield will have encountered the quirks of the area's Edwardian semis, knows the common floor depths in post-war properties nearby, and understands which suppliers can deliver materials quickly to this part of Edinburgh. They're also more accountable — they live and work here, their reputation depends on every job they complete, and you can usually speak to previous customers locally.