Converting a coal cellar into a wetroom

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Michelle Ball and Sean Byrne transformed the damp, derelict coal cellar beneath their Grade II listed terraced house into a functional wetroom-style bathroom.

‘Although our Victorian townhouse is an end-of-terrace property, it turned out to be deceptively small inside when we first came to view it,’ says Michelle. ‘There were two bedrooms and a tiny boxroom upstairs, while the kitchen was a basic extension at the rear of the house.’

There was also a cellar, which had been used as a coal store in the past. The couple were amused to find a small amount of coal still down there when they investigated the space, plus there was a chute beneath the front door to take delivery of the coal.

‘It wasn’t easy making our way down to the cellar because it had a steep, rickety staircase. There was also a large gas meter on the wall, which was awkward to squeeze past,’ says Michelle. ‘Downstairs, we found a small passage and low-ceilinged cellar with a vaulted roof lit by strip lighting.’

The couple were not deterred though – in fact, they were so keen on the house that they put in an offer instantly, believing they could transform it by using Michelle’s interior design skills.

‘We planned to build a proper kitchen extension, but first we decided to convert the cellar into a luxury wetroom,’ says Michelle. ‘We knew it would involve a lot of work but didn’t realise that it would turn out to be such a big project.’

Before work could go ahead they had to apply for Building Regulations consent for structural alterations, insulation, ventilation and the installation of a new front window, fitted with a ladder for fire safety.

‘We then called in the builders to convert the cellar room – but we were in for a shock,’ says Michelle. ‘Although the walls and ceiling were made up of brickwork, the floor didn’t really exist – it was simply builders’ rubble covering earth.’

In order to increase the height of the cellar, the builders dug down 15cm into the earthen floor.

‘Building Regulations didn’t permit us to dig further than the depth of the foundations, so 15cm was as far down as we could go,’ Michelle explains.

The builders cemented the walls, roof and floor to ensure it was completely waterproof, then they installed underfloor heating, with another layer of cement above it to maintain an evenly warm temperature throughout. The couple also asked the builders to move the gas meter to an outside wall and build a new staircase. They had a sump pump installed too, which moves water collected in the lowest point of the basement outside of the house as Warwick is prone to flooding.

‘It was such a big job to make the room watertight and functional that it took around two months – but it seemed so much longer,’ says Michelle.

‘To make matters worse, it was winter and there was mud everywhere,’ she adds. ‘I wanted it finished quickly, so we changed builders and hired another company, Martin Hughes Builders, who took over where the other builders had left off.’

When their electrician removed the original strip lighting, it revealed a new problem for the couple.

‘He told us we couldn’t drill or cut into the vaulted brick roof in any way as it supported the weight of the house, and was therefore quite a delicate piece of engineering,’ Michelle recalls.

Luckily, the electrician came up with the perfect solution for their lighting.

‘He used a traditional industrial outdoor lighting system,’ says Michelle. ‘The wiring was encased in waterproof tubes, which I painted in chrome, then the tubes were clipped on to the vaulted roof in a way that would not disturb it. We were so relieved.’

That wasn’t the end of the hurdles Michelle and Sean had to face, however. The next obstacle involved replacing the macerator, which had been installed to drive out the waste.

‘We made the mistake of choosing a cheap model as we were working to a tight budget,’ says Michelle. ‘However, it broke down after only a month, which meant we had to deal with the upheaval of removing it and installing a new one. We learnt our lesson, though, and bought the best quality macerator we could find.’

The builders had to construct a false wall behind the WC and basin to conceal the macerator and all the pipework.

‘We then had the entire space covered with tiles that are slightly larger than mosaic size,’ says Michelle. ‘The builders needed to work quickly as they were using fast-setting cement, plus they had to cover some awkward shapes, such as the curved half-barrel shape of the vaulted roof.’

Although the floor had been lowered, the ceiling was still only around six feet from the floor. The couple were dismayed when they realised the ceiling wouldn’t be high enough to stand under the showerhead.

‘We improvised with an integrated tiled bench built beneath it, turning it into a sit-down shower,’ says Michelle. ‘Sean and I actually prefer it this way now.’

The couple were relieved when the transformation from dark coal store to stunning wetroom was complete.

‘It had been a long haul,’ says Michelle. ‘The work took about 10 weeks as the barrelled shape of the ceiling presented so many complications.’

She admits that their original budget overshot by twice as much and believes that relocating the gas meter, tiling the barrelled space, fitting the sump pump and buying two different macerators contributed to their overspend.

‘It was a difficult space to work with and we chose the best fittings (apart from that first macerator!),’ says Michelle. ‘Despite exceeding our budget, we wanted wow-factor – and I think we achieved that.’

WORDS VICTORIA JENKINS PHOTOGRAPHS WILLIAM GODDARD
Featured in the February 2012 issue of Real Homes