Wet rooms are increasingly popular across Dundee, but they aren't right for every home. Here's the honest comparison to help you decide.

What a wet room actually is

A wet room is a fully waterproof bathroom where the shower drains directly into the floor — no tray, no enclosure. The whole floor is graded toward a linear or point drain. It creates a clean, open, contemporary feel.

Most wet rooms still include a single glass panel to keep the rest of the room drier, though fully open wet rooms work in larger spaces with strong ventilation.

Where wet rooms win

Accessibility — level access, no step, no enclosure to climb into. Best bathroom format for ageing in place or anyone with mobility issues.

Small bathrooms — counter-intuitively, an open wet room often feels larger than the same space with a shower enclosure.

Modern aesthetic — clean, minimal, easy to clean. No tray seal to fail, no enclosure to wipe down.

Family bathrooms with two showers — a wet room can accommodate a separate bath and a fully open shower area in the same room.

Where a traditional bathroom wins

Resale value if it's your only bathroom — buyers generally expect at least one bath in a property. A fully open wet room as the only bathroom can put some buyers off.

Cost — a wet room is around 10–20% more expensive than the equivalent bathroom because of the tanking, grading and quality drainage.

Older properties with poor ventilation — wet rooms need strong extraction or the moisture stays in the air longer.

Some upper-floor flats — the structural floor build-up needed for grading isn't always available.

The best of both: hybrid layouts

In medium-sized bathrooms, a hybrid layout — freestanding bath on one side, fully tanked walk-in shower with linear drain on the other — combines the best of both. You keep the bath for resale, plus get the wet room shower experience.

This is the most popular master bathroom format in our luxury installations across Newport-on-Tay, Wormit and Broughty Ferry.