ᐅ Legal and Technical Requirements for Bathroom Planning?

Hello,
the bathroom renovation on the ground floor is getting out of hand.
Everything has been gutted by now, and we are moving on to planning the new plumbing. For that, of course, we need to know where everything will go, and that's where the problem starts. The elderly gentleman is very stubborn, and the plumber is an absolute professional (seriously, he is really great technically) but when it comes to customer interaction, he is as flexible as an anvil, and I am stuck in the middle 🙁

Problem one: radiator with towel rail. The plumber says that doesn’t exist, but dad found one like that on the internet. After a lot of questioning, I found the issue. The plumber has to guarantee the heating capacity, which apparently wouldn’t be given if towels are hanging on it — I can understand that.

Then dad wants a bidet, which "is not possible" because the wall is too weak. Are bidets really only available as wall-mounted units?

Then the walk-in shower — does it absolutely have to have a folding glass panel? Is it not allowed to use a shower curtain anymore?

The old window is “in the way.” A plastic window will be installed anyway, and the reveal will naturally be tiled with a proper slope, as the whole bathroom will be tiled high up as well.

Am I really thinking this too simply? Or has bathroom renovation really turned into rocket science nowadays?

I don’t even want to start on the mystery piping from the last 70 years — that will bring some very special challenges anyway.

Of course, you are allowed to hang a shower curtain. You can also leave it completely open. That is your choice.

I can hardly imagine the wall being too weak. There are also wall mounting systems for that purpose.

There are also towel radiators. They provide enough heat output even with towels hung over them. Especially with a conventional heating system using radiators, this is not an issue. We even had one as the only radiator in the bathroom, and it was more than sufficient, as long as it is sized appropriately.

So, should we get a second expert to take a look?

Gille D schrieb:

Am I really oversimplifying this?

Or has bathroom renovation really turned into rocket science nowadays?

Answer 1: No
Answer 2: No

Why don’t you share your plan?

Is the floor plan already finalized? Could you sketch it roughly?

What is the size of the bathroom, and has a heating load calculation been done? In addition to a radiator (preferably sized by the heating engineer/plumber), I would also plan a towel warmer. Even if it’s only used to hang towels without needing to turn it on—having it is better than needing it.

Wall-hung sanitary fixtures are installed on pre-wall (or stud) constructions. The cladding or pre-wall is done with gypsum board. Behind the gypsum board, wooden panels are installed—this allows you to hang heavier items securely.

A walk-in shower can sometimes be designed without a door, depending on its size.

Gille D schrieb:

So, should I get a second professional opinion?

Then it will just be different… 😉
The "problem" seems more related to the "older gentleman." If it’s his apartment, he should likely arrange everything directly and alone with the heating engineer; otherwise, you’ll probably only lose out.
If it’s yours, depending on the available space, I would skip a bidet; we can’t see from the plan if you even have a half wall. Of course, there are also floor-mounted ceramic fixtures.
I don’t like folding walls for several reasons; a clear plastic curtain is better—definitely practical and can be adjusted as needed!
I generally think towel warmers are overrated, and here they are pointlessly connected to the heating system (gas underfloor heating) with zero effect. I’d rather use a towel rail or something similar that you can place freely. When I shower in the morning, the towel is dry by the evening anyway, even without a heater.

Gille D schrieb:

Am I really oversimplifying? Or has bathroom renovation really turned into rocket science today?

No, it’s actually done quite often these days.