Advice from a professional

We finally bit the bullet, and decided to get a professional round to have a look at the bathroom project. He agreed that we were in a difficult situation with the ceiling, and also that we had the right idea with regards the direction of the bath over the joists.

However, he has said that any spark who looks at our electrics will suddenly develop the 2mm gap between his front teeth for making that whistling sound when he draws breath upon seeing something he doesn't like. To install an electric shower, we would need to get a spark in to install the power ring for it - and that would have meant replacing the consumer unit. The whole thing would spiral out of control and we'd end up having to have the whole building re-wired. We can't afford that. Personally I'd like to have got the bank we bought the house from to do the wiring to bring it up to scratch. But there you have it. So it looks like the nice easy job of putting an electric shower in is not going to happen.

The plumber we had round instead suggested installing a power shower instead. They are probably twice the price, and will involve a lot more plumbing. You have to use cold water from the tank, rather than cold from the mains. And I'm going to have to plumb the hot water straight off the tank, rather than off the 15mm pipe that runs conveniently past my bath and basin.

These guys describe the system far better than I can:
DIY Doctor: Powershowers

In the mean time I'm going to continue to fit the bath and basin, so we can fit the shower when we've got the money etc together to do the work.

Our professional also advised us to get a builder to do the soil pipes for the toilets. It's a messy job, and it's all got to be done to building regulations. What we have at the moment may not even be legal, as there's supposed to be an air vent - which we don't have.

Worryingly, he also suggested that the downpipe from the guttering was currently being directed straight into the ground, meaning all the rain water would end up in the foundations.