Many homeowners feel that the shower options for remodeling a small bathroom are too limited and that they can’t have the features they want in a shower to fit the available space. There is good news for these owners. Actually, you can have everything you want in a shower and still make it fit in a small bathroom, maybe even with room to spare. With careful planning, a little imagination, and a little attention to decorating detail, your remodeled small bathroom can include a walk-in shower that incorporates everything you want.
The small bathroom you plan to remodel will most likely have a tub/shower combination at one end of the room. This bathroom is probably about five feet wide and the tub/shower combination is set up against three walls. Or, you may have an old freestanding tub at one end of the bathroom. If your house was built at the right time, you may have a square tub/shower that fits in one corner of the bathroom. You may think your options are restricted to a newer model than what you had.
These kinds of apparent limitations are frustrating for many homeowners who see large, luxurious, fully-featured bathtubs and showers in model homes, remodeling books and magazines, and even in home improvement stores. But these are not the only options available. What you see in stores can be extremely popular. They can also be very expensive or very cheap. But they don’t represent all of your shower options for remodeling a small bathroom.
The most common and inexpensive shower setup in a small bathroom is a tub/shower combination. If you’ve used them, you know they can be difficult to clean, cumbersome and less safe to use. Some have outdated doors that leak and build up mildew, not to mention making them even more inconvenient. Shower curtains and their drawbacks are another conversation entirely.
The first decision about a shower when remodeling a small bathroom is whether you want a custom designed and installed shower or a prefab shower. Here are the most important things to consider when making this choice:
— Cost: Custom design and custom installation generally translate to higher cost.
— Materials: If you want a custom stone, metal, or tile job in your shower, you should look into custom design and installation. If you’re considering fiberglass or acrylics, you may be able to save time, cost, and labor by considering a precast model.
— One Day Installations: There are several companies that advertise heavily on TV and will install a shower or tub liner in one day. Most of these companies use high quality acrylics, which can be molded into any shape and size. They can also have finishes that mimic ceramic tile, stone, or other materials in a wide variety of colors.
— Water supply: As you add special features to any shower, you need to think about the amount of water they require. You may want to consider a larger water heater or an additional water heater dedicated to supplying your shower. A booster pump might also be needed to move enough water to the shower fast enough.
— Green Considerations: Worried about using as little water as possible? If so, you’ll want to look into a low flow shower head. If you want some of the special streams but also want to conserve water, you may need to look into a low-flow body spray option. If you are serious about low water and energy use, you may want to install a separate solar powered water heater that will draw rainwater from a dedicated rainwater harvesting device.
Some homeowners hear the word built-in shower and end the conversation. If you are one of these homeowners, you must know that prefab showers have come a long way in recent years. Some of these pre-made models are very inexpensive and very basic. This could be exactly what you want. But you should also know that some prefab showers have all the luxury features of custom showers. Many of these high-end prefab showers can match many decorating styles and enhance the appearance of a small bathroom. If you want to consider these models pre-made in fiberglass or acrylic, you can base your design on a height of 73 inches, a depth of 36 inches, and a width of 32, 36, or 48 inches. In fact, there are affordable prefab showers that include all of these features in a size that’s perfect for a small bathroom.
You can enhance the appearance of your shower and make a small bathroom appear larger by considering options such as glass shower doors, glass shower enclosures, glass block partitions, or stained glass frames. Luxury features available for your small bathroom shower include multiple shower heads, body sprays, multiple massage jets, steam capabilities, chromotherapy options, in-shower TVs, DVD players, radios, and CD players.
There are also a number of installation options ranging from a step lip about four inches high, to a lip or two inches to retain water, to a completely flat inlet that simply dips slightly into the drain. There is also some variety in the types of seats, grab bars, etc. that can be included for accessibility or security.
In short, the shower options for remodeling a small bathroom are surprisingly great. In most cases, a homeowner can find a high-quality prefabricated shower that offers all the desired features at a lower cost than a custom designed and installed shower. But if you’re planning something particularly beautiful and luxurious, custom design may be perfect in your small bathroom.
Copyright 2010 by ABCD Publishing