Bathroom remodel tips?

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big_Hitter you will have to do something with that window once you demo everything I'd suggest decora glass blocks or something similar

I like glass block.. in addition to the window it could also could be used for the back and side walls of the shower inside the house. I've seen this done and it is quite attractive to me.

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Right! Although for me it is more like 1. bathroom 2. kitchen I really, really like having my dream shower. Every day when I shower, I feel like royalty.

best option - DW has her "own" bathroom - our master has two separate bathrooms which is pretty awesome I must say

[user5027]

Tips?

Do not install a jacuzzi.

We never had one but everyone I know that does, has problems.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big_Hitter best option - DW has her "own" bathroom - our master has two separate bathrooms which is pretty awesome I must say

That really is!! I love having my own bathroom, and in fact I have two of my own bathrooms since Frank lives next door.

I forgot to mention that one of the reasons my house was so reasonably priced is that the bathrooms are still done in the stereotypical 1960's pastel tiles and supposedly "needed renovation". Despite that, the way the shower is laid out is simply amazing and just exactly what I wanted, perfect for "Queen W2R" both now and later when I am more elderly and infirm. I would never dream of changing a single thing about my bathrooms, and besides I like the tiles.

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by user5027 Tips? Do not install a jacuzzi. We never had one but everyone I know that does, has problems.

I agree with that. We've had one for 9 years, used it maybe twice when DGD came to visit. For most people I think it would be a huge waste of resources.

[Mulligan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley I agree with that. We've had one for 9 years, used it maybe twice when DGD came to visit. For most people I think it would be a huge waste of resources.

+1... 10 years old installed new, and used 3 times... I bet I have cleaned the thing 100 times... When I renovate mine, there is a still a shower/tub combo in hallway bathroom if needed... But I doubt that since it hasnt been used much either.


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[Telly]

I do everything myself, so for what its worth, here are my comments:

TILE - Don't lay tile over tile. If this is over a concrete slab, you have a perfect tile base, so use it. After old tile is taken up, if the previous tile was laid with (eek!) adhesive from a bucket instead of mortar, the old adhesive needs to be scraped/ground off. Then after cleaning floor with just water, let it dry. Specify that Red Gard be used over the concrete slab before tiling. It is a roll-on decoupling membrane, and will reduce the chances of any cracking with foundation movement. It goes on fast, and takes overnight to cure. Directions must be followed to get a thick enough film. If the tiling is not going to occur soon after, then cardboard should be laid over it to keep the Red Gard layer clean and undamaged.
Use only Porcelain tile. Porcelain tile is a vastly superior product for many reasons. And is not that all much more than the garden variety "ceramic tile", which is just a glaze layer over crappy base tile clay.
Don't tile around anything. Pull the vanity, so the vanity will go back over the new floor tile.
Use thin-set mortar, Flexbond is a good one. Do NOT use an adhesive! Adhesive is popular, because: It's cheaper, it's faster, it requires less skill, and its crappy. Water infusion over time can loosen adhesive, and then you've got a real $ mess to try to fix. All those historic sites in the old world where fancy tile has lasted for thousands of years did NOT use adhesive!
Do not (and I see this all over!) grout up to a wall, tub, etc. Use matching color silicone caulk there instead. This avoids the inevitable cracking that will occur due to movement between surfaces. Done properly, the color-matched silicone will look just like the grout. The same problem exists in shower stalls between wall and floor, and wall to wall.

Heated Tile - If this is over a concrete slab, don't waste the $$$. It will not work well. The concrete slab is a giant thermal sink, and will be difficult to heat to any reasonable/worthwhile temp rise in a reasonable time. Sure, you could have a wall timer that automatically starts the floor heater cables up 6 hrs. before you may use the shower, but why?

Toilet - To each his own. The human body was not designed to sit at "chair height" for #2. It was a squat. In many parts of the world, you will find the Porcelain tray... I think the whole "chair height" is a gimmick to sell more fixtures and installation services. If in a wheelchair, I can see its advantages. We all ain't in wheelchairs, that's for sure. Maybe some are just so out of shape (read "too big") to handle a bit of flexing for a regular height toilet. Like I said up top, to each his own. I won't install them. Only regular.

Remember that a contractor will be there only for the job - he or she will not be living with the work year after year like you will. A lot of corner-cutting goes on to make the job quicker and cheaper, and competitive with others who look for a low price.

Well, I've probably done enough damage here, so I'll go away now

[kaudrey]

I read this thread with interest - over the last two weeks, we had three contractors come out to give us estimates to redo our master bathroom (fairly large, 15 years old). They estimated $20-30K!


Yikes. We're now thinking of plan B - deciding if we can cheap out and just replace the shower and tiles, and keep the vanity/counters and tub. Ugh.

[Ronstar]

Tailgate - looks like a fun project. You've got a good start with your list. Put together a written scope of work to include the items in your list, and specify materials, etc. There are probably some good examples online. Submit your plan to contractors for bids. Request written bids and go from there. Houzz and Pinterest are great paces to see photos, etc.

Good Luck!

[rodi]

We're almost done with our master bath remodel. DH did all the work himself - which was good for the budget, but bad for the timeline.

Ours was a down to the studs redo - some plumbing was moved as well. It also included replacing a window and some mold remediation where water had gotten inside the wall below the window. Since the space is smaller than public rooms, we splurged on a few higher end finishes (and chose less expensive things in other spots.) For example, we went with a gorgeous basketweave marble for the floor. Porcelain tile would have been cheaper but we love the floor.

Materials were $7k all in. That's everything from the new window, new subfloors, marble floors, new shower pan, tile for the shower, fixtures, custom vanity countertop w/ integrated sinks, etc. DH built the vanity and storage cabinet/shelves himself.... it was the only way to get it fit to the space exactly how we wanted.

He's almost done - 10 months in... but we were travelling for 2 of those months. The key is it's fully functional now (working sinks, toilet, shower)... it was tough when those weren't working.

He did put in grab bars in the shower and the toilet room. Just thinking long term. We also put in lots of storage so I don't have to schlep down to the garage to get more toilet paper.

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodi We're almost done with our master bath remodel. DH did all the work himself - which was good for the budget, but bad for the timeline.

I have a friend who's very handy and did his entire kitchen.

I think it took over a year and was a bit tough on the marriage.......hey, golf takes priority!

[MuirWannabe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tailgate thanks..yes, grab bars are a must..hadn't thought about the taller toilets-good idea. I totally agree that the current setup is nice enough, however the garden tub is useless to us. The glass framed shower is clouded up pretty bad by hard water spots that we can't remove. It would cost me about 1k to replace the shower frame and glass, but DW is intent on her dream bathroom and she puts up with my crap, so that entitles her.

Tailgate,
Our bathroom is similar to your picture although yours looks nicer. We too are considering a remodel for the two biggest reasons you describe. We would like to get rid of our glass enclosed shower and have a walk-in stone or tile shower. And our garden tub is useless except as a dirty clothes collector so I'd rather have that space for a large shower. But here is the question holding us back.

Does not having a tub in your master bath kill resale? We hear it does. Even though everyone I know thinks its useless. Is this a concern for you? Even if you have no current plans of moving I hate to kill resale potential. Interested in your thoughts since our baths look so identical.

Good luck with your remodel.

Muir

[Theseus]

I fully understand getting rid of the tub and concentrating on building a useful and enjoyable shower. Did just that when we redid the master bath - removed whirlpool tub that was rarely used and yanked the fiberglass showerstall that had developed cracks in the floor. Built a large showerstall with wall mounted body spray (rarely used), rainfall shower head (normal use), and a handheld spray head. DW and I both have both been very appreciative of the handheld and built in corner seating when convalescing from surgeries. Our shower is built with three walls covered with tile, ceiling is also tiled as is the floor of course. Fourth wall is fixed glass and door. Had replaced the water softener so hard water stains are a problem no more.

One thing I had not thought of, and electrician suggested about half an hour before tile installer showed up, was to install can lighting inside shower stall - darn glad he mentioned it, as he had materials on hand to do it and it would be a dark cave if we had not gone ahead with it. Definitely something to think about if enclosing the shower space with floor to ceiling walls.

And we've never missed the tub, although I've still got it tucked into my shop - thought about using it as a hot tub and building a frame to mount it on the deck.

[Big_Hitter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theseus One thing I had not thought of, and electrician suggested about half an hour before tile installer showed up, was to install can lighting inside shower stall - darn glad he mentioned it, as he had materials on hand to do it and it would be a dark cave if we had not gone ahead with it. Definitely something to think about if enclosing the shower space with floor to ceiling walls.

"My" bathroom has a big shower with a bench in it - definitely get a light in there!

[Gumby]

Let me suggest terazzo for the shower base. We put it in ours and it looks and feels really nice.

[TrvlBug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tailgate after spending a lot of time on The University Of Youtube researching, we tried everything that was recommended..and Barkeeper's Friend was the very top suggested product... didn't make a dent. Spots are etched into the glass. Glass company said 'it happens'... they highly recommended using the full strength RainX on all the shower glass every 3 months or so...still need to squeegee some, but not as much and the minerals supposedly won't 'set'. I think the condition of the glass is what turned DW into the full blown remodel...she wants a walk-in shower with no glass. She didn't discourage me from buying a boat a couple of years ago, so the bathroom is ok with me (as soon as I sell the boat..LOL)

We're just finishing a gut remodel of our master bath, one hall bath and the laundry room. Haven't had a chance to try it out, but we did do the underfloor heating. We ripped out an oversized, never used, jacuzzi tub and put in a no door walk in shower, 5' x 5' in its place.

Wrt to shower glass, glass is porous and that clouding is etched into the glass and will never ever come out. We have elected to pay (~$90/sq ft IIRC) for a product called Diamond Fusion. It's applied once by the glass folks and makes the glass much less porous. We put in a pony wall, but still have some glass on the upper part. You still need to clean it, but not like regular glass...we'll see.

We also installed grab bars...google 'designer grab bars' for some that don't look like grab bars.

Good luck. Our kitchen and downstairs bath get gutted on the 24th!

[Tailgate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuirWannabe Tailgate, Our bathroom is similar to your picture although yours looks nicer. We too are considering a remodel for the two biggest reasons you describe. We would like to get rid of our glass enclosed shower and have a walk-in stone or tile shower. And our garden tub is useless except as a dirty clothes collector so I'd rather have that space for a large shower. But here is the question holding us back. Does not having a tub in your master bath kill resale? We hear it does. Even though everyone I know thinks its useless. Is this a concern for you? Even if you have no current plans of moving I hate to kill resale potential. Interested in your thoughts since our baths look so identical. Good luck with your remodel. Muir

Good question Muir... we live in a retirement community 55+ ages, so I think resale here is not an issue (there is a generic tub in the guest bath). I think the tub issue applies to families with kids where the tub is very important. The only times we've used the garden tub is to bathe the dogs.

[TrvlBug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuirWannabe Tailgate, ... ...Does not having a tub in your master bath kill resale? We hear it does. Even though everyone I know thinks its useless. Is this a concern for you? Even if you have no current plans of moving I hate to kill resale potential. Interested in your thoughts since our baths look so identical. Good luck with your remodel. Muir

We did a lot of research on this as not only did we remove the master jacuzzi tub, but will also convert the downstairs bathroom's tub into a shower, leaving one tub in the upstairs bath.

Consensus is that you really only need one tub in the house (in our area anyway).

[Mulligan]

It sure seems like the big shower minus the tub is the "in thing" now. Hopefully it will last too since I am headed that way. Then again my problems begin because jet tubs where the "in thing" when I had my house built.


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[Big_Hitter]

I've got 4.5 bathrooms - (his) one with a huge shower, (hers) one with a jacuzzi tub and a separate shower, and two with single tubs (guests)


I don't fit in the Jacuzzi very well