Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 06, 2012 11:31 pm Hi all, I hope there is someone that can answer my question because my CA did not understand the question... Now I have my "final plans" to sign off on, but my questions aren't all answered!! So frustrating! If we could do this part of the building process in person, it would be a lot quicker and a lot less frustrating! Anyway, my question: Do I have to have sloping sills and reveals in my ensuite shower? I like to put my shampoo, conditioner, etc on the sill while I shower, then I put it away after (I like the window area to be clear of obstructions, when they aren't in use!) I have heard that this is a council/building requirement. Council, because it looks crap from the outside and building, for I don't know what reason!! The reason I object, is because, as you'll see in my photo below, this is not required in the bathroom beside the bath. I've posted this in the bathroom and laundry forum as well.... In case you were having serious deja vu! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ By caz_770 at 2012-02-06 Sloping sills and reveals in shower? (cc'ed) 2Feb 07, 2012 5:06 am I haven't checked the BCA (building code) to see if it is required, but I imagine the reason is to ensure that water drains away from the window and back into the shower recess. It probably isn't such an issue if you have aluminum windows but I can imagine with timber windows you could have a problem with water sitting around. The reason that it wouldn't be required in the bath is that water isn't spraying down from above the sill as it is in a shower. As to whether there is any alternative you probably need someone to check the BCA and find the clause that specifies the sloping sills. In many cases the BCA offers alternative implementations to achieve the same result, but I am not sure in this case. Paul Re: Sloping sills and reveals in shower? (cc'ed) 3Feb 07, 2012 8:33 am Hi Paul, Thanks for your response. I find it interesting as I currently live in a house where the window sill comes in a bit lower in the shower, but is otherwise in the same position as my design. My current home was built sometime in the 60s or 70s (pre-BCA, I guess). I never get water on the sill (unless I place a wet object on it) and the window frames are still well and truly intact! They did use a metal frame. I am really curious now. I tried googling the BCA (NCC) last night, but couldn't actually find any sites with the content of the code. If anyone can help, it would be fantastic!! Thanks for your help! Carol. Re: Sloping sills and reveals in shower? (cc'ed) 4Feb 07, 2012 12:46 pm caz_770 Hi Paul, I tried googling the BCA (NCC) last night, but couldn't actually find any sites with the content of the code. If anyone can help, it would be fantastic!! Thanks for your help! Carol. Hi, Unfortunately you have to pay for access to the BCA, but you can pay a few dollars for a time-limited access. I was having a number of arguments with council over things they claimed were required by the BCA that I ended up doing just that. It isn't the easiest set of documents to find your way around though. Hopefully someone here can provide definitive advise. Paul Re: Sloping sills and reveals in shower? (cc'ed) 5Feb 07, 2012 1:50 pm Carol, we don't have to have our sill sloped at all...and ours is the same as yours! Same council. Hmmm...interesting! They got one of ours wrong...and ours has been approved so they may have missed it on ours?? But I have'nt heard of it before...at all! Hopefully they are wrong on your side, so you can get it changed! Re: Sloping sills and reveals in shower? (cc'ed) 6Feb 07, 2012 2:46 pm Sounds like the builder is using the 'ol "it a BCA requirement" argument when in fact its their maintenance policy. As stated above, the spray from the shower head can cause long term issues with windows if the water pools near the frame. Some builder's are willing to accept this as a potential maintenance issue and others are not. It would seem the construction manager of your building company is not. Tiled recess or niches are often used to create the shampoo shelf you are talking about. But there is certainly additional costs associated with that Re: Sloping sills and reveals in shower? (cc'ed) 7Feb 07, 2012 3:41 pm Hi, Thanks everyone. I addressed it with the builder and they did cite the building code. They went on to say that it won't be sloped so much that I won't be able to put my stuff up there. I've decided to leave it as it was one of those "nice-to-haves" rather than a must have.... If this is the last thing for me to worry about, then I am more than happy with the rest of it!! Have to save up about $2k to make up for the over-runs, but should be fine. Re: Sloping sills and reveals in shower? (cc'ed) 8Feb 07, 2012 3:42 pm Carol, you will find that the slope requirement will be quite minimal and you will still be able to place products on the reveal without any problems. Our shower niches have a degree of slope but you wouldn't even know, they look fairly flat and shampoo bottles sit fine. You are probably thinking of the slope of an exterior window reveal which is usually a lot greater than an internal one. Maybe confirm the angle with your builder/draftie. Re: Sloping sills and reveals in shower? (cc'ed) 9Feb 07, 2012 9:49 pm Thanks radiuz. The contracts admin said that I should still be able to put my products on there (the draftie said so), so they obviously won't be doing it like the sills were done in my parents' house, with the sills having a similar slope to those seen on outdoor bricks. Maybe their bathroom was built when that part of the code was first brought in, or possibly just misinterpreted. I'm feeling pretty happy with my lot at the moment, so thanks to everyone who has contributed! Plasterboard Gyprock is very popular as a reveal liner these days. You need to provide a way of supporting it, we use a modified timber reveal or bracket. You will be… 1 4763 What size are the windows, double or single glazed, can I have a pic of the full windows inside & out? If you can see packers please take a pic. 1 12406 |