Accessible bathrooms
Bathrooms that give someone their independence back
Most of these calls come from a son or a daughter, often in a hurry, often after a fall or a hospital stay. We understand the urgency and we work quietly and tidily.
If this cannot wait
Somebody coming out of hospital?
Say so when you ring. An accessible adaptation is usually quicker than a full refit, and we will do what we can to get to you first.
One phone call and a free home visit tells you the three things you actually need to know:
- Whether the room will take itWhether that floor and that layout will take a level access shower, and what the alternative is if it will not.
- What it will costA fixed written price, free, with no obligation and no salesperson.
- When we could do itThe real next start date, not a lead time off a web page. How far ahead we are booked moves week to week, and we would rather tell you honestly what we have free than promise a date we cannot hold. If you are working to a discharge date, say so and we will tell you straight away whether we can hit it.
Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm. If we are on the tools and cannot pick up, leave a message on 07876 859365 and we will ring you back.
What usually changes
Level access shower
The bath comes out and a flush or very low threshold shower goes in, so there is nothing to climb over.
Seating and rails
Fold down seat, grab rails fixed into proper noggins rather than plasterboard, positioned for how the person actually moves.
Non slip flooring
Safety flooring that still looks like a bathroom rather than a hospital.
Height and reach
Raised height toilet, basin at a usable height, lever taps, controls where they can be reached from the seat.
Wider doorway
Where a frame or a chair needs to get in, and where the wall allows it.
Thermostatic controls
So the water cannot suddenly run hot. On this kind of job it is not optional.
Before the grant, check this
You may not have to pay the VAT at all
If the work is needed because of a long term illness or a disability, the fittings and the labour that goes with them can usually be zero rated rather than charged at 20 percent. On a job like this that is a fifth off the bill.
It is not a grant and it is not means tested. There is no application, no assessment and no waiting: you sign a short eligibility declaration, and the VAT simply is not charged in the first place. It applies to a great many of the people who ring us about this page, and most of them have never heard of it.
Bring it up at the survey. We will tell you what we think applies to your job and what does not, and if we are not sure we will say so rather than guess. The rules are HMRC's, in VAT Notice 701/7, and the declaration is yours to sign.
One for Telford Bathrooms to confirm. Whether the zero rating is operated, and on which parts of a job, is a decision only the business can make. This section states the relief that exists; it is on the list of items to confirm before the site goes live.
If the VAT relief is not enough
Disabled Facilities Grants
If the work is needed because of a disability, your local council may contribute through a Disabled Facilities Grant, usually after an assessment by an occupational therapist. It is means tested and it is not quick, but for a lot of families it makes the difference.
We are happy to quote in the format the council asks for. Telford and Wrekin Council handle applications for the Telford area, and Shropshire Council for the rest of the county. Ask us at the survey and we will tell you what we know.
Level access work we have done
Straight answers
Questions we get asked
How quickly can you do it?
Faster than a full refit, because there is usually less to it: four to seven working days on the tools for most adaptations. When we could start is the part that moves, and it moves week to week, so ring and we will tell you the real next date rather than a lead time off a web page. If somebody is coming out of hospital, say so on the phone. We will tell you honestly whether we can hit the date, and if we can we will do what we can to get to you first.
Do we have to pay VAT on this?
Often not. Where the work is needed because of a long term illness or a disability, the fittings and the labour can usually be zero rated instead of charged at 20 percent, which is a fifth off the bill. It is not means tested and there is nothing to apply for: you sign a short eligibility declaration and the VAT is not charged. Ask us at the survey and we will tell you what we think applies to your job.
Will it look like a hospital bathroom?
Not unless you want it to. Rails and seats come in finishes that look like fittings rather than equipment, and the photographs on this site show the standard we hold ourselves to.
Can you work around the person living there?
Yes, and we are used to it. We keep the route clear, keep the noise to sensible hours and get the toilet back in use as early as we can.
Do you deal with the council?
We can quote in the format they need for a Disabled Facilities Grant. The application itself is yours to make, but we will not make it harder than it needs to be.
What happens if something goes wrong afterwards?
You ring the same number you rang the first time and you get the same people. Every trade in that room was ours, so there is nobody to pass you on to and nothing to argue about between trades. On this kind of job that matters more than most, because the person using the room often cannot wait a fortnight for somebody to take responsibility.
Get a price for your bathroom
Send a photo on WhatsApp for a same day ballpark, or call and we will come and look at the room.
Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm. Sunday by appointment.