Is a hobless shower a good idea?

A hob is a small dam. It is unglamorous and it works. Removing it makes the room more usable and much better looking, and it transfers all of the responsibility for containing water onto the floor design.

What has to be right

• Adequate and consistent fall across the whole wet area, not only immediately around the waste.
• A step-down or a graded set-down in the substrate, so the shower floor sits lower than the surrounding floor.
• Waterproofing extended well beyond the shower zone, since the containment is no longer physical.
• A screen detail that sheds water inward rather than wicking it out along the track.
• Sufficient waste capacity, since there is no reservoir to buffer a heavy flow.

The accessibility angle

The livable housing provisions in the construction code point toward step-free showers in new homes, so this is increasingly the default rather than a design preference. It also happens to be the arrangement that suits ageing in place, which is worth weighing if you intend to stay in the house.