Wet Room vs Traditional Bathroom: Pros and Cons

The Big Bathroom Decision

When it comes to renovating your bathroom, one of the biggest decisions you'll face is whether to go for a traditional bathroom setup or take the plunge (pun intended) and install a wet room. Both have their merits, and the right choice depends on your home, your budget, and how you actually use your bathroom.

We're Scott and Fraser from Blimp Plumbing, and we've fitted both wet rooms and traditional bathrooms in homes across Portsmouth and Hampshire. Here's our honest take on the pros and cons of each, based on years of hands-on experience.

What Exactly Is a Wet Room?

A wet room is a fully waterproofed bathroom where the shower area is open — there's no shower tray or enclosure. The entire floor is tanked (waterproofed) and gently sloped towards a floor drain. The shower is typically a wall-mounted rainfall head or a handheld unit fixed to the wall.

It's a step beyond a walk-in shower. With a walk-in shower, you still have a tray and usually a glass panel. In a true wet room, the shower area flows seamlessly into the rest of the bathroom floor.

Wet Room: The Pros

Sleek, Modern Look

There's no denying wet rooms look stunning. The open, minimalist design gives even a small bathroom a spacious, luxurious feel. If you're after that boutique hotel aesthetic, a wet room delivers.

Perfect for Small Spaces

This is a big one for Portsmouth homes. Lots of terraced houses and flats in Southsea, Old Portsmouth, and the city centre have tiny bathrooms. Removing a bulky shower enclosure or bath and going open-plan can make a cramped bathroom feel much more usable.

Accessibility

Wet rooms are brilliant for accessibility. No step over a bath edge or shower tray means they're ideal for elderly family members, anyone with mobility issues, or wheelchair users. If you're future-proofing your home, a wet room is a smart choice.

Easy to Clean

No shower doors to descale, no awkward corners around a shower tray, no bath panel to clean behind. A wet room with good tiling is remarkably easy to keep clean.

Wet Room: The Cons

Higher Installation Cost

This is the main drawback. A wet room costs more to install than a traditional bathroom because of the tanking (waterproofing) process. The entire floor — and often the lower portion of the walls — needs to be fully waterproofed with a membrane system before any tiling goes on.

Expect a wet room installation to cost £5,000 – £10,000+ depending on the size, tile choices, and fixtures. A traditional bathroom refit might be £3,000 – £7,000.

Waterproofing Must Be Perfect

This is where it really matters who does the work. If the tanking isn't done properly, you'll get leaks — and because the water is going directly onto the floor rather than into a tray, any failure in the waterproofing can cause serious damage to the room below.

The Floor Gets Wet (Obviously)

The clue is in the name. When someone's having a shower, the bathroom floor gets wet. If you share a bathroom with others, this can be annoying — nobody wants to step onto a soaking wet floor to brush their teeth. Good drainage and a slight gradient help, but it's something to consider if this is your only bathroom.

No Bath

If you're converting your only bathroom to a wet room, you're losing the bath. For families with young children, that can be a real downside. Kids need baths. And if you ever come to sell, some buyers (especially families) will want at least one bath in the house.

Ventilation Is Crucial

With all that water going onto an open floor, good ventilation is essential to prevent damp and mould. You'll need a decent extractor fan and ideally a window. Most Portsmouth bathrooms can accommodate this, but it's worth factoring into the cost.

Traditional Bathroom: The Pros

Versatility

A traditional bathroom with a bath, separate shower (or shower-over-bath), basin, and toilet covers all bases. Baths for the kids, quick showers for busy mornings, and a relaxing soak after a long day.

Lower Installation Cost

Standard bathroom fitting is generally cheaper than wet room conversion. The plumbing is more straightforward, and you don't need specialist tanking.

Familiar for Buyers

If you're thinking about resale value, a well-fitted traditional bathroom appeals to the widest range of buyers. Not everyone wants a wet room, but everyone understands a nice bathroom.

Traditional Bathroom: The Cons

Can Feel Cramped

In a small bathroom, fitting in a bath, shower, basin, and toilet can make the space feel crowded. This is a common issue in older Fareham and Chichester homes where the bathrooms were designed for a different era.

More to Clean

Shower screens, bath panels, grouting around trays — traditional bathrooms have more nooks and crannies to keep clean.

So Which Should You Choose?

Here's our advice based on fitting hundreds of bathrooms:

Choose a wet room if:

• You have a small bathroom and want to maximise space
• Accessibility is important (now or in the future)
• You have a second bathroom with a bath for the kids
• You want a modern, high-end look
• You're prepared to invest in proper waterproofing

Choose a traditional bathroom if:

• It's your only bathroom and you have (or plan to have) young children
• Budget is tight
• You want maximum versatility
• You prefer a more classic look

Consider a compromise: A walk-in shower with a low-profile tray and a single glass panel gives you much of the wet room aesthetic without the full tanking requirement. It's a popular middle-ground option that we fit regularly.

What to Expect from a Bathroom Refit

Whether you go wet room or traditional, a full bathroom refit typically takes 5-10 working days depending on the scope. That includes stripping out the old bathroom, any necessary pipe work, waterproofing (for wet rooms), tiling, fitting the suite, and connecting everything up.

We handle the full job from start to finish — plumbing, tiling, and finishing touches. We work across Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Waterlooville, and Chichester.

Ready to Start Planning?

If you're thinking about a bathroom renovation, the best first step is to get a professional round to look at the space. We'll measure up, discuss your options, and give you an honest quote — no pressure, no hard sell. Give us a call or drop us a WhatsApp.