If you have your heart set on a glass door, don't compromise. Use a tension rod and a shower curtain for the time being and get what you really want when you can afford it. You might be surprised and end up liking the shower curtain, but either way, you're not putting holes in the walls that you can't change. Good luck!

I hate the metal framed glass doors. They always get corroded and look cruddy as the years go by. I don't think compromising on them is "getting it done right the 1st time." But I would never advised taking on more debt than you can easily handle! Definitely go with the tension rod/shower curtain for now and get the $$ frameless glass later on down the road when budget allows (if you still want it). We're doing a doorless walk-in in the masterbath to side step the whole issue, but going with curtains in the 2 other baths (one a tub & one a shower stall).

what area are you eaglemom100?

we're DC metro and in the same predicament.
simple door is 1500-2000, far too much for some tempered glass and hinges.

Having lived in several homes over the years that had glass doors, we concluded that no such beast would be in the home we built. Actually, we're glad for having had those experiences. Had we not, we surely would have designed glass doors (and regretted that decision for many years.) For us, the maintenance "cost" just is not worth however nice it might look. Having said that, I would agree with most replies: do a nice shower curtain for now and defer the glass door until your finances can better allow it. Good luck!

We are in the Dallas / Fort Worth area - more Fort Worth than Dallas. Fortunately the tile guy also "as a plumber" that did the plumbing at almost a quarter of the cost of the local people. Needless to say we sent we've referred several friends to him and he does great work - pride in ownership of his own company and wants everyone to be pleased.

shower curtain with rod - no question about it.
Glass doors with frames are a mess to keep clean. We ripped ours out after 1 year. I absolutely hated the non-stop battle of trying to keep it clean.

eaglemom100, would you mind sharing the name and contact info for your tile guy? i live in fort worth and am in need of a referral for some remodeling i'm doing. thank you!

I got a shower door in the $300-$400 range. The door itself is framless, but there is a metal strip down each side and the bottom. It is about 1.5" of metal, but it was a million times better than the builder grade which had lots of cheap metal and a "sidelight" to provide yet another metal strip and one across the top. I got Kohler, I think it was Fluence, Sterling makes a similar one called Finesse. (I might have them reversed) Check their websites. You can order them through Depot or Lowes with different finishes and glass choices.

I like curtains because they add some warmth, color and pattern to the bathroom.

eaglemom100, could you share the name and contact info for the glass person you used? Thanks!

Get a few estimates. $2,000. sounds like alot. We paid $1165. If you can't afford it now, use a curtain until you can. Frameless glass is really nice! Mine is about 5 feet wide and 6 feet high. Here is the link, I could not figure out how to do it here. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1125411/nbrshower.JPG

umm, seattlemike and sippimom, what do you mean glass is a mess to keep clean? Do you just mean waterspots and soap splash? coz I could live with that, maybe hit it with windex and a squeege once a week. Now, the pink stuff growing at the bottom of my shower curtain that won't bleach out--that's gross to me.

Of course I like the look of crystal clear glass, but if I don't expect it to look that way every day, I think I could live with glass. Years ago I was at a friend's dad's house. He was a very successful businessman and it was a multimillion dollar mansion. Very interesting to see all the do dads inside. He had a spacious 270 degree glass shower. She showed me the squeege he used HIMSELF to clean the shower every morning when he was done. I'll never forget that; all that money, and he still cleaned his own shower every day.

So i guess my question is, if my goal is not crystal clear but just avoiding a mold collage, how hard will maintenance be?

One of the issues with glass doors on the tub/shower combo is cleaning the TUB. I always felt like I had to be Inside to clean.

They do make french door shower doors with no track on the bottom and bifold shower doors, both have narrow fixed panels--these improve access.

I removed glass sliding doors from my tub/shower and it had metal strips bolted into the tile on the sides, and the adheisive for the bottom track eroded the porcelin on the edge of the tub. I realize they have improved glass doors over the years, but I would never again get that style of mounting! Keeping the track clean was a nighmare in addition to cleaning the tub sliding the doors back and forth and it limited me for when I wanted to wash other items in the tub (like window screens, blinds, etc.) So I opted for a cystal clean shower curtain liner ($6) on a tension rod and it keeps the small bath looking bigger. It needs changing about once a year. Never had a problem with mold at the bottom....

So be sure you want this forever.....once installed, if you regret it later on you may be in for more cost for repairs to mounting areas.

Try glasss.com
They are very affordable.
I used them on a previous home, self installation is not too bad, kind of scary but it worked very well.

Best shower/tub doors, shower enclosures, vanities, sinks and much more @ DreamLine Showers

Here is a link that might be useful: DreamLine Shower/Tub Doors