Let's talk Bathrooms!!

This picture reminds me of something that drives me nuts in my house. My TP dispensers sit way too far back, they probably right at my hip. It is a very inconvenient location, too far back. Proper TP placemennt is key to any great bathroom design.

 

I think my wife has bitched about that too. I think I placed it were the existing one had been and didn't put a whole lota thought into it.

 

Yours doesn't look bad. Mine is way farther back than that.

 

I work for a glass company and we do this stuff all the time. I'm not 100% fluent in the residential side of the company, but I have a decent understanding.

Generally frameless enclosures are just for shower stalls. The space between the glass and sill and the glass and walls are small and negligible anyhow b/c the space normally gets sealed completely with silicone. The stationary side lites get sealed and the door gets a vinyl drip rail on the bottom. Also with frameless the doors are most always mounted directly to the walls because you're normally using 3/8" glass or larger which can get pretty heavy. The hinge side of the door is probably your 'leakiest' part of the whole setup. You also have to make sure you have room for a door to swing out with these.

In your situation with a standard tub/shower combo, the norm is to put in a sliding door. It's framed and sealed everywhere. One thing I've seen with the sliders though is if you have a really tall person they might bang their head on the header getting in if it's not a tall enough frame since you have to step over the sill. Sounds dumb, but it happens lol. I've never seen a frameless in a bathroom like yours; not to say it can't be done, but I don't think it'd be your best solution. Call up a local window/glass shop and see what they can do for you.

 

good point, i learned that in my brief stint in real estate. people just assume because they put a nice pool in the back they will get more money for their home. sometimes they will, but sometimes if theperson really doesnt want a pool they wont pay extra for it. just like modding a truck. alot of the time you just have to accept the loss

 

I cannot help you with the glass doors. The shower I built doesn't have them at all. As for tiling. You will need to completely seal the tile on the floor. Otherwise, yes the stuff will get into the grout and permanently discolor it. Expect to have to reseal every few years.

You can use pretty much whatever tile you want. One that I would avoid would be slate. It tends to flake off, and can be a maintenance hassle. As with the floors, you will be required to seal any stone tiles to keep the water and chemicals out. Porcelain is the lowest maintenance where you only have to seal the grout. What color you decide to use is up to you and your tastes. Pick carefully, as you'll be living with it for years.

I'm not sure of the maintenance behind whirlpool tubs. A whirlpool tub is more desirable at resale, so if you are thinking that you'll move in the future, it may be worth adding.

I would not be afraid to tackle this yourself. I completely stripped my master bath to the studs, and rebuilt it from scratch. I even had the opportunity to build my own cabinets, thanks to a neighbor of mine who is an excellent woodworker, and was willing to teach me how to do it.

When I did mine, I used lots of marble and travertine for the tiles, They tend to be the lowest maintenance of the stone tile choices.

I included pics to give you some ideas as to what you can do. Total build time was three months, and cost was approximately $7,000 for materials.

 

The best analogy for this group is how much do you think I could get for my truck for a relatively quick sale.

I have over 45,000 in to it and the roof has no scratches - two holes (for antennas), pretty much every panel has trail rash on it and it preforms like a champ on the trail! I would probably get half of what I put in including the purchase of the 2009 truck.

This compared to:

Cream puff, you could pick out a peice of pepper from your eyeball using the paint as a mirror, everything is in original condition and the smell is still fresh!

I certainly get more than half and probably get 75% of what I paid for it.


One other thing - USE A SQUEEGEE and dry (at least the glass) every single use of the new shower doors!

 

Mike holmes is a stud, that guy can fix anything.

 

And make it right! I wonder if JDkeller's step dad is Holmes - or maybe JDkeller is Holmes ?

 

Awesome guys!! Thanks!! I love the pictures! Keep 'em coming.

I love the stone looking tiles with earthy colors. Nothing fancy in terms of 'off the wall' design work. I definately want a recessed soap dispensor thing - as I'm always replacing those steal things that hang off the shower head (holds various stuff).

I think my major thing right now, is picking a bathtub style/color and go from there. Probably not a jacuzzi tub. We rarely use the tub at all and maintenance free and long lasting is key for us.

This is gonna be fun!

 

I am better! Pics coming.

 

I sent some to tw live to post in here but they are not showing up. Ill post them when it's fixed.

 

Bingo! I will never do tile again in a place that gets wet. I would suggest looking into resiliant vinyl flooring planks as an option as well if you want to change it up. Also, I swear by the American Standard Champion series right height toilets. They will flush anything and their customer service is great.

My wife and I just sold our house but if we kept it I was planning on overlaying the tile with some resiliant flooring in hopes to avoid dying from slipping and cracking my head on the floor. Either that or put down more rugs but for me it kind of defeats the purpose of doing a nice tile floor.

 

I dont know your budget but if you are going to rip up the floor you might consider radiant heat flooring...................just a suggestion....allot of the remodel work I do includes this and most clients are very happy with it..........

 

It is great!!! You won't get it back when you sell but screw that - It is by far one of the best creature comforts that you can enjoy on those chilly mornings!!!

 

I second that!!! I wish we could have afforded to heat our entire home that way. It is such a nice even heat (no cold spots in the room). It is especially nice when it's 10 below outside but the floor is nice and warm.

 

I'm getting ready to sell a ocean front condo in La Jolla that has radiant floor heating through out - soooooo nice... ... and it was built in the early 60's. I had a friend back east that had it in his basement floor and it was the best place to watch a movie - on the tri-color shag carpeting!

 

thats pretty cool looking - i'd poop in there.

 

Not to derail the thread but I didn't know you could have it under carpeting. We were told to definitely not put it under the hardwood floors because it would make the wood split or something (from the heating/cooling cycle).

 

In that shower?