Bathroom Remodel

[Ann]

I am looking for words to the wise on what you did, wish you had done, or would change on your last bathroom remodel.

Back story: we bought this house earlier this year, moved in a few months ago. It took exactly one shower to recognize this master bath was not going to work for us. 

Hubby wants universal design, expanded doors (the current ones are 30"), and curbless shower. I want no tub (yes another bathroom has a tub) and medicine chests. (WTH is it with the south and no medicine chests to hide your crap!?)

The only thing "extra" I plan on is a heated towel warmer. I nixed the idea of heated floors as soon as one of our contractors told me exactly how they were made. 

Any input is welcome!

[Nanker]

Tile the shower enclosure and put in at least one sconce and corner shelves to hold your consumables. Grohe is a great brand of fixtures. 
Think about trying to get a constant temperature shower valve.

 

We have a tankless water heater and had to put in a recirculating pump because it took several minutes to get the hot water to the far end of the house.
 

The RC pump makes the water that has chilled in the cellar a minor issue. We could take hour-long showers (our daughter would have been ecstatic for that). You might not have the save issue in FL though. 
 

We don’t have medicine cabinets either - just a bank of cabinets and center drawers that holds all our meds and consumables.
 

Double sinks are an imperative and if you get Granite or marble, make certain it’s sealed to protect it from the all too occasional drink glass or other acidic stone etching object that will bring a pout to your face, as they have to mine. 

[Ann]

11 minutes ago, Nanker said:

Tile the shower enclosure and put in at least one sconce and corner shelves to hold your consumables. Grohe is a great brand of fixtures. 
Think about trying to get a constant temperature shower valve.

 

We have a tankless water heater and had to put in a recirculating pump because it took several minutes to get the hot water to the far end of the house.
 

The RC pump makes the water that has chilled in the cellar a minor issue. We could take hour-long showers (our daughter would have been ecstatic for that). You might not have the save issue in FL though. 
 

We don’t have medicine cabinets either - just a bank of cabinets and center drawers that holds all our meds and consumables.
 

Double sinks are an imperative and if you get Granite or marble, make certain it’s sealed to protect it from the all too occasional drink glass or other acidic stone etching object that will bring a pout to your face, as they have to mine. 

We had Grohe with thermostat controls on our last master shower. Changing the cartridges could be a challenge for the plumbers, but the contractors said they have gotten better. They are steering us towards Delta’s premium brand (Well, Delta’s parent company) so we shall see.
 

I asked Hubby if he wanted to go tankless (the hot water heater should be replaced). I am not sure what his plans are. Do you like it?

[Nanker]

1 hour ago, Ann said:

We had Grohe with thermostat controls on our last master shower. Changing the cartridges could be a challenge for the plumbers, but the contractors said they have gotten better. They are steering us towards Delta’s premium brand (Well, Delta’s parent company) so we shall see.
 

I asked Hubby if he wanted to go tankless (the hot water heater should be replaced). I am not sure what his plans are. Do you like it?

Love the tankless. However we have a neighbor plumber who is not the contracted plumber for our neighborhood. He told us hat the tankless WH brand has an exclusive relationship with the initial installer for any maintenance. We HAVE to go back to the original installer for the key to unlock the system.
 

Go figure. $$$   

[KD in CA]

I forget where you bought (how far south), but radiant floor heating can’t be beat in the bathroom if you have cold mornings.

 

Everything cost $, so I’d say spend based on how long you envision living in that house.  If this is the final stop, don’t skimp….you only live once.  Create something you’ll enjoy.

[Nanker]

12 hours ago, Nanker said:

Love the tankless. However we have a neighbor plumber who is not the contracted plumber for our neighborhood. He told us hat the tankless WH brand has an exclusive relationship with the initial installer for any maintenance. We HAVE to go back to the original installer for the key to unlock the system.
 

Go figure. $$$   

Likewise here. Our neighbor plumber said the same thing. The original installer has exclusive rights to any and all maintenance on those things. Anything else - you’re good to have anybody work on them. But not so the tankless systems. We didn’t really have a choice. 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Nanker
AC

[Foxx]

I have installed a good number of new bathrooms, each build is different. Everyone has their own idea of what they think works.

 

For the shower, it depends on what type of experience you are looking for. Do you just want to get wet and get out or do you want to rejuvenate. If you want to rejuvenate, you may need to run additional water lines to supply body sprays and an/or an additional shower head.

 

What about a spa experience? There are many types of steam systems available, from a complete self sustained enclosure to one that seals to your tile.  I would just recommend that if you are doing a tile enclosure that you stay with a ceramic or porcelain tile as it retains the heat better and not allow the moisture to penetrate and get through to the substrate (possibly causing damage that you cannot see) that will occur if one uses stone tile. You would also want to use an epoxy grout.

 

Other shower thoughts - Tile showers really should be squeegeed and wiped down to protect against mold and mildew growth on the grout. Grout can be compromised by it and can eat away at it to the point that you would need to redo the entire shower. Of course this is an extreme condition but it is a good practice to get into and doesn't take as long as one might think. Another item here with regard, is that all 90 degree angles should be caulked and not grouted. All grouted 90 degree angles will crack. Caulking in a shower will ultimately have to be dug out and replaced on a regular basis (depending upon usage, for two people, 5 years maybe? light plays a part in this as well) but you will be secure in knowing that the shower substrate is not compromised by water penetration. Squeegeeing the glass on an enclosure will also prolong the period between glass cleanings.

 

I did one shower where the customer wanted soapstone. The finished product was nice, hardly any seams but it was a bear to work with, heavy. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

You don't have to warm an entire floor you can have different zones and just heat in front of the sink, commode or shower if you don't want to do the entire thing.

Panasonic makes the absolute quietest exhaust fan I have ever installed. Don't forget lighting, lighting can make the bath a special experience. 

 

If you have the space, two sinks are a must. A separate commode room off the bath is a nice feature as well (installing a pocket frosted glass door can be a nice touch). This way, if discretion is an issue, you allow two people to use the bathroom at the same time. Also, I don't care if your a guy or a gal, a bidet is nice. 

[KD in CA]

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

 

If you have the space, two sinks are a must. A separate commode room off the bath is a nice feature as well (installing a pocket frosted glass door can be a nice touch).

 We did both of these, and did 3’ of frosted glass on the shower door.

[Ann]

2 hours ago, Foxx said:

I have installed a good number of new bathrooms, each build is different. Everyone has their own idea of what they think works.

 

For the shower, it depends on what type of experience you are looking for. Do you just want to get wet and get out or do you want to rejuvenate. If you want to rejuvenate, you may need to run additional water lines to supply body sprays and an/or an additional shower head.

 

What about a spa experience? There are many types of steam systems available, from a complete self sustained enclosure to one that seals to your tile.  I would just recommend that if you are doing a tile enclosure that you stay with a ceramic or porcelain tile as it retains the heat better and not allow the moisture to penetrate and get through to the substrate (possibly causing damage that you cannot see) that will occur if one uses stone tile. You would also want to use an epoxy grout.

 

Other shower thoughts - Tile showers really should be squeegeed and wiped down to protect against mold and mildew growth on the grout. Grout can be compromised by it and can eat away at it to the point that you would need to redo the entire shower. Of course this is an extreme condition but it is a good practice to get into and doesn't take as long as one might think. Another item here with regard, is that all 90 degree angles should be caulked and not grouted. All grouted 90 degree angles will crack. Caulking in a shower will ultimately have to be dug out and replaced on a regular basis (depending upon usage, for two people, 5 years maybe? light plays a part in this as well) but you will be secure in knowing that the shower substrate is not compromised by water penetration. Squeegeeing the glass on an enclosure will also prolong the period between glass cleanings.

Our old shower had eight sprayers, I think they got turned on once. LOL I am happy with two shower heads (we will probably end up with four total sprays).  Because we like clear frameless doors, a squeegee is a must. We do the shower door protectant twice a year, and while most of the water simply beads off the doors, a little help from a squeegee goes a long way.

This current shower is horrible. It has channels and even though we squeegee away the water from the doors, walls, and floors, some sort of brown stuff likes to form in the corner. It gets sprayed twice a day to keep it at bay (the current fans are underpowered for the bathroom size), but Florida...

Hubby already warned them that epoxy grout (terrible to work with) is a must. We don't want to be playing with grout, especially on the floor. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Foxx said:

If you have the space, two sinks are a must. A separate commode room off the bath is a nice feature as well (installing a pocket frosted glass door can be a nice touch). This way, if discretion is an issue, you allow two people to use the bathroom at the same time. Also, I don't care if your a guy or a gal, a bidet is nice. 

Oh, we have the space. This is a ginormous bathroom. 

 

There is currently a water closet that I would like to keep. Since the doorway needs to be expanded, I doubt the current pocket door would work. I love that idea of a frosted glass door.

As far as a bidet - let me tell you about the time hubby cold washed some clothing in the bidet in our hotel room at the St Regis in Rome....


 

[Alaska Darin]

We did a granite shower (3 walls).  While it was heavy and somewhat painful to put in, the result is magnificent and there is literally zero maintenance.  It probably cost 200% more than tile but not having to deal with grout is totally worth it.  I kind of look at it the same way as composite decking versus wood.

 

[Ann]

22 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

We did a granite shower (3 walls).  While it was heavy and somewhat painful to put in, the result is magnificent and there is literally zero maintenance.  It probably cost 200% more than tile but not having to deal with grout is totally worth it.  I kind of look at it the same way as composite decking versus wood.

 

Did you put the slabs up vertically or horizontally? What did you use in between the slabs? 

[Foxx]

1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said:

We did a granite shower (3 walls).  While it was heavy and somewhat painful to put in, the result is magnificent and there is literally zero maintenance.  It probably cost 200% more than tile but not having to deal with grout is totally worth it.  I kind of look at it the same way as composite decking versus wood.

 

The stone sealer I use is good for literally 15 years. Just had to reseal our shower here for the first time since redoing it.

 

[Alaska Darin]

6 minutes ago, Foxx said:

The stone sealer I use is good for literally 15 years. Just had to reseal our shower here for the first time since redoing it.

That's just outstanding.  I am a handy person but I'm lazy AF.  Anything I can do to put off doing something is generally worth spending a lot more money on.  I'm pretty sure my house would fall down around that shower.

 

My dryer vent is at the end of about 20 feet of pipe.  Last weekend I took it apart for the first time in 17 years because our new dryer has an airflow sensor on it and it was reporting less than ideal movement.  I could have built 10 dogs from the shit that I got outta that run.

 

[Foxx]

1 minute ago, Alaska Darin said:

That's just outstanding.  I am a handy person but I'm lazy AF.  Anything I can do to put off doing something semi-permanent is generally worth spending a lot more money on.

 

My dryer vent is at the end of about 20 feet of pipe.  Last weekend I took it apart for the first time in 17 years because our new dryer has an airflow sensor on it and it was reporting less than ideal movement.  I could have built 10 dogs from the shit that I got outta that run.

 

Wow. That is one long run. hopefully you don't have any 90's in it. If so, you are about at the recommended limit.

 

As for that sealer, if you are thinking of utilizing it, they have different ones for travertine/marble and granite (or some combination of the three, the exact of which escapes atm). Two different hardness's. 

[Alaska Darin]

4 minutes ago, Foxx said:

Wow. That is one long run. hopefully you don't have any 90's in it. If so, you are about at the recommended limit.

 

As for that sealer, if you are thinking of utilizing it, they have different ones for travertine/marble and granite (or some combination of the three, the exact of which escapes atm). Two different hardness's. 

I think it's like 17.5 feet in total.  One 90 (it comes straight down to the basement, then across to the outside wall.  I tested it after I cleaned it and there was good movement at the outside vent.  It's probably been an issue for a long time but I generally don't do laundry because my wife doesn't work anymore.  She can't really do anything that involves lifting/reaching/bending after the surgery, so now I'm Mr. Mom as well.

 

We actually sold the granite shower house but we're getting ready to remodel the master bath in this one.  I haven't done any research on what's new/good yet.

[Foxx]

1 minute ago, Alaska Darin said:

I think it's like 17.5 feet in total.  One 90 (it comes straight down to the basement, then across to the outside wall.  I tested it after I cleaned it and there was good movement at the outside vent.  It's probably been an issue for a long time but I generally don't do laundry because my wife doesn't work anymore.

 

We actually sold the granite shower house but we're getting ready to remodel the master bath in this one.  I haven't done any research on what's new/good yet.

You could have 4 45's and they would still be better than one 90.

[Alaska Darin]

9 minutes ago, Foxx said:

You could have 4 45's and they would still be better than one 90.

I can pretty easily replace that one.

[Foxx]

3 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

I can pretty easily replace that one.

I'm sure you're good. They just like to stick to the shy side of what is good practice. 

[Ann]

1 hour ago, Alaska Darin said:

 I haven't done any research on what's new/good yet.

The look with the tub inside the shower.  It isn't for me, but people like it.

I asked about lighting because I would like 3' tall medicine chests with lights around the sides. Apparently, they do make them. I also like the outdated Hollywood make-up lights. I gotta figure out an upgrade that gives that kind of great lighting. 

[Alaska Darin]

14 hours ago, Ann said:

Did you put the slabs up vertically or horizontally? What did you use in between the slabs? 

Vertically.  They're glued to the sheetrock behind them and anchored at the top.  Just a standard bead of shower caulk.  They rest at the bottom on a granite pedestal that was custom made with the drain hole cut in it.