A shower with no step,because there is no hob.
The floor re-graded, waterproofed, and re-tiled so the shower drains without a lip to step over — the permanent answer, built into the room.
The hob is the wholeproblem.
Almost every older shower sits inside a raised lip of tile — the hob — which is what stops the water running out across the bathroom floor. It works, and it is also the reason a shower chair cannot get in and the reason people fall stepping over it.
A stepless shower does away with it by changing what is underneath. The floor is taken up, the substrate is re-graded so it falls to the waste across the whole wet area rather than only inside a box, the room is re-waterproofed, and it is re-tiled to that new fall. There is then nothing to step over, because there is nothing holding the water in but the slope of the floor itself.
That is a genuinely different job from anything in our minor range, and it is worth being plain about why: the waterproofing membrane has to be cut and remade. Once that is opened up, it is a bathroom renovation whether or not anything else changes.
Safe, practical,and compliant.
The three things that make a level-entry shower work rather than simply look flat.
A genuinely level entry
No hob, no lip, and no threshold strip. A shower chair or a commode rolls straight in, and nobody is stepping over anything in the wettest place in the house.
Slip-resistant flooring
Floor tiles specified for grip when wet, to the rating your occupational therapist or funding body requires. We give you the manufacturer’s documentation for the tile actually used, rather than a number on a web page.
A self-draining floor
The fall is set across the whole wet area to the waste, so water leaves rather than sitting in a low spot. That is what keeps the room dry between uses and it is the part that has to be got right at substrate level.
Vital Ease at a glance
- Projects completed
- 300+
Projects completed
- Agreements with Home Care Package and NDIS providers
- 100+
Agreements with Home Care Package and NDIS providers
- Valued customers
- 200+
Valued customers
What the jobactually includes.
A stepless shower is a set of trades in sequence, not a product. This is what is in the scope.
Asbestos inspection, and removal if needed
Bathrooms in houses built before the late 1980s frequently have it in the wall sheeting. It is checked before anything is opened up, and removed safely by licensed operators if it is there.
Carpentry
Floors, walls, and surfaces strengthened and adapted to carry the new fall and the new fixtures. On a timber floor this is where the level entry is actually achieved.
Waterproofing to AS 3740
The floor and the wet-area walls are waterproofed to the Australian standard for wet areas in residential buildings. This is the single most important part of the job and the one that is invisible when it is finished.
Plumbing to AS/NZS 3500
Water, waste, and sewer lines relocated or upgraded, with a tempering valve and backflow protection where required. Carried out by a licensed plumber and certified.
Electrical to AS/NZS 3000
Switches, power points, and circuits altered to suit the new layout and to put controls within reach. Carried out by a licensed electrician and certified.
Plastering and wall linings
Cement sheet to the wet areas behind tiling, and moisture-resistant plasterboard elsewhere and to ceilings. Using standard plasterboard in a wet area is the commonest way a cheap bathroom fails.
Door widening
Where the doorway will not take a chair. Internal widening, a cavity slider, an external slider, or a new hinged door, quoted with the rest so it is one approval.
Painting and making good
The areas affected by the work are finished so the room is complete rather than patched.
Finishes andfittings.
Selected with you at the design stage and set out in the quote, so the funding body sees the full scope before anything starts.
Floor and wall coverings
Vinyl or tiles to the floor, and tiles or lined panelling to the walls. Floor tiles are specified for slip resistance in the wet, which is the one selection that is not purely cosmetic.
Choosing your own tiles
You can, with two conditions we will not bend: the floor tile must meet the slip rating your occupational therapist or funding body requires, and unusual tile sizes cost more to lay. Delivery to site is yours to arrange unless you ask us to.
Grab rails
Concealed-fix stainless rails, set out to the person rather than to the tile grid. A range of finishes so they read as fittings rather than as hospital hardware.
Tapware
Quarter-turn lever taps or mixers at the basin and the shower, including extended-lever versions where grip is limited.
Toilet suite
Standard and over-height pans, and adjustable-height suites. Pan height is one of the details an occupational therapist will specify outright, so it is confirmed at design rather than chosen on site.
Vanity or wall-hung basin
Including wheelchair-accessible wall-hung basins with clear space beneath to roll under, and semi-recessed or wall-hung vanities where storage matters more.
Shower seat, rail, and handheld shower
A fold-down seat, a handheld head on a sliding or weight-bearing rail, and a wall-mounted basket at seated reach. These three decide whether the finished shower is usable.
Glass panels and mirror cabinet
A fixed or frameless panel to control spray without closing the entry in, and a mirror cabinet sized to the wall it goes on.
Before you book,two things to know.
The bathroom is out of use for weeks, not days
Stripping out, re-grading, waterproofing, curing, tiling, and fitting off cannot be compressed. We tell you the realistic duration at the quote and talk about what you will use in the meantime.
A portable toilet and shower can bridge the gap
A self-contained cubicle can be set up in a bedroom or a garage for the duration. For a household with one bathroom, that is usually what makes the job possible at all.
It starts with drawings, not a tradesperson
Major work is designed and documented before it is priced — that is what a funding body approves and what keeps the build from changing halfway. Our draftsperson measures on site first.
Asbestos may change the programme
If it is found, removal is a separate licensed step with its own timeline. We check for it early rather than discovering it with the walls open.
Brochuresand guides.
The documents an occupational therapist, a plan manager, or a funding body usually asks us for. We are preparing these now — ring or email in the meantime and we will send what you need.
Product brochures
- Stepless shower modificationsComing soon
- Fixtures and finishes scheduleComing soon
- Grab rails and shower seatsComing soon
Specifications
- Typical stepless shower floor detailComing soon
- Slip resistance and compliance documentationComing soon
Quote request requirements
- Stepless showers — what we need to quoteComing soon
How the jobactually runs.
Draftsperson visit and design
Our draftsperson measures on site, works through the layout with you and your occupational therapist, and produces drawings that meet AS 1428.1 where the space allows and the National Construction Code throughout.
Documentation and a fixed price
Drawings and a scope of works set out so a plan manager, case manager, or funding body can approve them without coming back to us. Funding is approved before anything is ordered.
Strip-out and rough-in
The old bathroom comes out, asbestos is dealt with if present, and the carpentry, plumbing, and electrical rough-in set the new levels and services.
Waterproofing and tiling
The membrane goes on to AS 3740 and is left to cure properly before tiling. This is the stage that cannot be rushed and the one that decides whether the room lasts twenty years.
Fit-off and handover
Fixtures, rails, seat, screens, and tapware installed and tested, the room cleaned, and the certificates handed over with it.
Bathrooms we haverebuilt.
All photographs are of our own completed work in Melbourne homes.
No hob, and a fall set across the whole floor Finished, with everything within reach of the seat A seat and two rails, set out to the person A wall-hung basin leaves room to roll under Accessible does not have to look clinical Pan height is specified at design, not chosen on site
If the room does notneed rebuilding.
Plenty of bathrooms do not. Where the floor is sound and the entry is the only problem, a removable shower base insert produces a level entry over the floor you already have, in a morning and with nothing drilled.
We would rather fit that than sell you a renovation you do not need.
Questions
What people ask aboutstepless showers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a shower "stepless"?
How long will my bathroom be out of action?
Can I choose my own tiles?
Do I need drawings before you can quote?
Will the NDIS or my Home Care Package pay for a stepless shower?
Can’t see your question? Call us on +61 3 8658 1358 — we’re happy to talk it through.
More from Vital Ease
The rest of whatwe do.
Let us make your homework for you.
Ready to start your modification journey? Contact our team.
Ready to make your home safer and more accessible? Our team is here to help from your first consultation through to the final handover. Let’s talk about what’s possible for your home.