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replacing a Dela jetted shower system...how hard?

14 years ago

The previous owners of my "new" old home installed a horrible (at least to me) Delta jetted shower system in a newly renovated bathroom. It is the Victorian shower in "Venetian Bronze", with two body spray jets incorporated into the very large, apparently plastic, valve trim plate. It also has a handheld shower (no slide bar), which is inexplicably chrome. The matching "venetian bronze" sink faucet set irks me everytime I use it, as well, as it is extremely lightweight and small (plastic?)

I'd like to replace all with good quality oil rubbed bronze fixtures...putting simply a nice largish rainshower head on a long arm in the shower plus a handheld on a slide bar. The thing is, I've no idea what goes on BEHIND the valve trim and shower wall and don't know whether what I'm talking about is a relatively simple, mostly on the surface job or one that will require ripping out a goodly portion of the tile wall. I have only a few spare 12 X 12 tiles. Can anyone shed any light on this? And can anyone suggest a good quality, solid oil rubbed bronze faucet and shower set? I like the looks of the Moen Rothbury in the pics I've seen online, but don't know if they are solid metal or also some sort of plastic casing over metal. Any advice on it, would also be appreciated. Thanks

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If the plastic stuff is the main issue, you can just order a better/fancier Delta trim kit in better or different color materials. But if you want to replace everything (diverter, etc.), you may have extra holes/gaps to cover up, esp. if there's no access from behind the wall, so that means tilework cost on top of the plumbing labor. So let's say a plumber charges 250 or so for labor, you've still got the tile guy to deal with. You may avoid the tile repair with an oversize remodel plate (Moen has one), but you'd probably hate the oversize look.
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when we built our house 6 yrs ago, it was with the intent that we would be living there until we retired. Things in our life have changed dramatically since then. At this point, there isn't anything we are going to do to put in a shower, though I guess its possible. There is 6 inches of empty wall space at the front of the tub where the niche is. You could take that out, rip out the drywall and extend the plumbing to make a shower and finish it off with cement board and tile. There is no way we are going to do that. We do have a hand held shower mounted to the tub with the roman faucet that I use all the time for washing my hair, the dog, and rinsing the tub. 2 of my husbands sisters and their families have tub/shower on the main floor, but all go down to the basement to shower. Now that makes no sense! chisue -- sounds like your tub has airjets? Ours isn't. We do use a water softener. I don't know what we could do to prevent the flakes of whatever coming off the pipes. I would want a soaker tub next time instead of the jetted tub. So..... may the chips fall as they may... not spending anymore money on this house.
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