With almost every quote that I complete these days the first question someone will ask you is “Can I have a shower niche?”. It is generally a 50/50 on whether it can be done or if the owner wants to go above and beyond to get the recess into the room, such as building a wall to house it in. Most of the time it requires a double brick wall to home the box so external wall showers are perfect for this. If wanted to read about the wonderful world of niches but this post is about that 50 % that can not or won’t go through the hassle to have one Do not stress though below are the best two alternatives for not having a shower niche.
Wall To Wall Wall
Exactly as the weird title states, this is a wall that goes between the shower walls or across the entire bathroom. The key to this getting the heights right and understanding the placement of the items it effects. Below I’ll give some quick notes to look for when attempting the wall.
The ideal height is around at least 1200mm to 1300mm High
If you can always have the wall mixer in the built wall opposed to above it as it allows for it to be at a reasonable height opposed to an awkward look above.
Remember the wall will affect the mirror if you have it outside the shower area as often you will want to use it as shelving.
The Nib Wall
The nib wall is a bricked and tiled wall that goes between the space of the vanity and shower. It is built to the height of the vanity and just slightly short of the width to allow for the shower screen trim in most cases. The reason it is done to the same height is to create a seamless look, often tiling the nib wall in the wall tile so it almost looks invisible. You can build them as high as you like but the purpose we recommend it for is one of being practical not a feature. The nib wall allows for a custom screen to go over and down the wall eliminating the pesky gab previous spoken about.
Tile Them In The Wall Tile As It Often Makes It A Nicer Finish
Nib walls are great for eliminating the gap you cant clean.
If you wanted to know the pros and cons of a nib wall versus having just a gap click here.
Of course, there are always shelving such as glass shelves, long shelves, and corner shelves but often these bricked typed shelving will last longer.
