You’re ready for a new bathroom, and if you’re like most people, your new bathroom will include removing a jetted tub or increasing the size of your shower.
In remodeling, the shower has become the number one most requested item in the bathroom. Gone are the days of sticking to code with a 30 x 30 fiberglass enclosure and in its place is the handcrafted walk-in closet.
There’s so much to designing a shower that it’s hard to know where to start, especially when you have to consider a budget. With over twenty years of design experience and nearly eight years of field work, I know a thing or two about showers. Before you call in a professional like me, you will find it very helpful to familiarize yourself with building a custom shower.
Let’s start with the basics of the shower: the tray, the walls, the plumbing, and the door. Next we have accessories such as niches, decoration, shelves, tiles and benches.
Each of these will contribute to the cost of your overall project and it is important to understand all of the options so that you have a better idea of what your vision will cost.
To get started, you’ll need to determine the size of your shower. If it is standard, you will have the option of using a prefabricated or fiberglass shower tray. This option will save you money compared to other options.
If you want a sleeker look or your shower is custom sized, you might want to look at a tiled tray. With this option, the basin can be manufactured to any size and tileable with stone, ceramic, mosaic or marble. A few things to consider here. When tiling a tray, you also need to think about what material will be used for the curb. Quartz is often a favorite curbside option and is cut to size. If you are looking to save money, a cheaper material would be tile. Often in the design, if quartz is not used, the tile that is on the shower walls is used on the curb. A side note to consider is that when using tile on your curb, you should have a product to finish the tile edges. Bullnose is one way to achieve a clean finish and a cheaper solution for tile edge is to use a metal/plastic edge. I’m not a fan of plastic, but I often select metal over the rounded tip because it can actually enhance the design.
The other consideration is the tile. The shower floor gets its fair share of abuse, so staying away from marble (albeit beautiful and elegant) will keep your shower looking new for years and years.
Moving on, let’s talk about shower walls. Shower walls can be finished with tiles of any size and any type of tile, but not all are within the same budget. Marble, the king of any bathroom, is the most expensive both in terms of labor and materials, and requires a lot of maintenance. Travertine is next on the price list. Although travertine is one of my favorite materials to work with, the tolerances for laying this tile are tight and care must be taken with the materials used behind the scenes so as not to stain this stone. Since marble and stone are more labor intensive and expensive to purchase, using any of these materials in your bathroom will put your project at the higher end of the bathroom remodeling price scale.
If you’re looking for custom tile but low maintenance, and yet want a more modest budget, I’d consider ceramic or porcelain tile in a large 12×24 format, or plank tile in any size. Both tiles are easy to work with and can often be cut without the use of a wet saw, saving labor time.
Looking for something right in the middle? The best choice for the middle of the road is ceramic or porcelain subway tile. The Subway tile is my favorite tile to work with for a number of reasons. The first reason is that I consider it “evergreen” since it never goes out of style. I love that this unassuming tile can look more glamorous than stone and marble if styled correctly. It comes in a variety of sizes, colors and can be installed herringbone, 1/2 set, 1/3 stacked set and more. The possibilities with the subway are endless and the cost is affordable. If you want a great design but don’t have the budget for the marble subway, it might be the tile for you.
Other materials to consider are glass and shapes like the hexagon. Both will be executed on the higher side, but still nowhere near the price of marble or travertine. Often these tiles are used as accents to give the shower a little wow factor.
As with the curb, thought needs to be given to how the edges of the tile will be finished with rounded or metal edge options. Just like the curb, metal trim on the wall will save you money compared to rounded trim.
Now let’s talk about plumbing! It may seem like you don’t have much to think about here, but in fact you do. Let’s start with the most important piece of plumbing, besides the obvious rough pipes, the valve. By code, you must use a pressure balanced thermostatic mix or a combination of the two. From there you need to decide on accessories such as the rain shower with standard shower head and body jets. Each component you add to your shower will require thought to ensure the correct valves are used to provide the necessary pressure based on the accessories used. To save on both material and labor, a standard pressure balancing valve with a standard shower head will help keep your budget in balance.
Another way to save money is by selecting a standard drain. If you’re looking to create a little more glamour, the drain through will do the trick. It will cost a bit more for both labor and material, but the final look is well worth the upgrade.
The final main piece of the shower is the shower door. Shower doors are not all the same. There are standard doors that require their opening to be a specific size. They come in a variety of finishes, as well as types of glass. They require assembly but will save money in both material and labor.
My preference is the custom door. Available in almost all finishes and made to order. These doors will have thicker glass and can be treated to resist watermarks. The heights can be increased for a more dramatic look and they come both unframed and framed. Doors can be hinged to swing both ways or can be ordered as sliding. Finally, these doors can have wraparound glass, allowing designers to create stunning showroom showers.
With the main shower components already discussed, it’s time to explore the features that will enhance your shower. These features will add to your overall shower experience, but they can also add to the overall cost of your project.
My favorite accessory to add to any shower is the shower niche. Adds dimension to tile and is ideal for storing shower essentials while keeping showers tidy. Shower niches can be made to any size and are often clad in a different material, such as mosaic.
Benches are another classic accessory. The code requires a 30 x 30 shower clearance and the NKBA requires a 36 x 36 clearance before a shower seat can be added. Shower seats vary in size, but the most common is 15″ deep and 17″ to 19″ off the floor. The benches can be covered using the same tile as the shower wall to save money or be you can order a piece of quartz to cover the top of the bench.
Other accessories include niche lighting, grab bars, waterfall mosaics, corner shelves, and boxed-in walls. The possibilities for creating a unique shower are endless, and no matter what your budget, there are options available to enhance your space.
Now that you’re familiar with the basics, it’s time to call a professional and get started!
