Kohler's DTV system has more control features, higher volumn and will also control the steam generator, so you'll only have one control to worry about. You'll have to use a Kohler steam generator though.

Thank you so much for the responses. Sorry, I didn't reply sooner.

antss - I'll check out the Kohler. Thanks for the heads up.

mongoct - thanks for the detailed reply. I really appreciate the time you took.

I agree that it doesn't look like we have much storage in the bathroom. However, the closet near the shower is 8 1/2 feet long and the other one is a little over 13 feet. Rather than add another door for a linen closet in the bathroom, we decided we would just have shelving in one of the closets for the excess linens. I think it will work for us given all that space & the fact that we have additional storage for off-season clothing.

Yup, already got "beaten up" about the 2' doors on the new home forum (reposted there since I wasn't getting nibbles here & that is more my "home".) Anyway, I thought it was OK since we have a 2' door in our current powder room. Upon reflection, I think we will increase those to 2'4" to avoid banging knuckles when carrying a laundry basket.

The WC compartment in our current master bath is 2'8"x5'2" with an in-swinging door which is on the side. I don't know if code is different in TX or the spec builder just got away with it. These plans were drawn up by an SC designer to build in SC. I'll ping the builder about code so we don't have any surprises.

I was more than beaten up about this on the other forum with claims that 3 feet wide was absolutely insufficient to exist in. We must just be weird because our current room is fine & this is a touch bigger. We have used our WC room as a "mockup" & measured where the door would swing on the new one. Well, you have me there about the open door. ;^) Like I said, we're weird.

I know that I won't be seeing much when its steaming, I was more interested in the sense of light I would get when sitting there. I want to maximize that. The steam shower is mostly for me (& our future septic tank). I take very long showers because I just stand there daydreaming & thinking. We had the idea that if I could sit in the shower surrounded by steam, I wouldn't go through so much water.

I do think the seat is a problem. I couldn't get the designer to put in a bench deeper the 12", so I finally gave up & asked for a corner seat. Its seems like a bench should be between 15"-18" deep & long enough so I could lean against a wall & stretch my legs out along it. (I'm only 5'2" so that's not much length.) Do you have suggestions about height, length, depth & which wall to put it along?

I've never had a rainshower experience so I don't really know what I want. In our current shower, we replaced the fixed showerhead with a Waterpik, so that is the extent of my direct experience with shower fixture technology. Pretty sad, right? I know we have to have a handshower, but that can also be what we use for general washing, right? I'd like body jets to be able to direct to parts that get sore (my shoulder & DH's elbow). I think if we are going to have a rainshower is should be the real deal as you described it.

I was looking at Moen because that is what the plumbing supply house quoted as the basis for our builder's bid, but we're not limited to Moen. Also, our builder has no issue with us providing fixtures & our allowance will be credited. Since I have the quote sheet, I know that the builder's discount brings us in line with what we could get off the internet, so I have no problem going with the supplier for most things.

I agree that the Moen system looks like a mess, but DH is leery about the digital alternative which is much sleeker. (And, we're both EE's; go figger.)

Thank you so much for the advice about the Hansgrohe. I think that is exactly what I need. I did a quick look online & the (cheapest) trim kit + rough-in is ~$350. I read through the installation manual so I can start thinking about what fixture I want to go to which port. I assume that I can get whatever fixtures I want to work with the Hansgrohe, right?

Again, I really welcome the advice & I understand what you were saying about the doors. I will quiz the builder on the WC room swing & code.

Thanks - Jo Ann

I owe you an apology if the toilet compartment door swing isn't an issue in your locale. I'm in CT, it came into effect here because of folks becoming incapacitated in and trapped in toilet compartments. Having someone unconscious on the floor can block the door swing.

For a toilet compartment, 30" wide is the minimum, 36" is recommended. I think 36" is fine so I didn't comment.

If you can't get a warm-fuzzy regarding shower bench size or location, you might want to consider having a removable teak bench in the shower instead of a built-in. Or two teak stools for a couple. The teak bench/stools can be removed for more shower space, or for cleaning, or moved around within the shower as needed for shaving, for best light, for whatever.

FWIW, my own shower is 5' by 8' so I had plenty of space for a built in bench. Instead I built a teak bench for ours. We love it, it goes where we want it when we want it. something to contemplate. Plus wood is warm to the skin compared to tile.

re: the ioDigital and getting zapped...it's low voltage, I want to say 5v for the controller. So less voltage than carrying a 9v battery into the shower with you. The valves are 120v though, but isolated. Funny thing is your husband probably grew up in a house that had the house's entire electrical system grounded to the house's copper water supply lines!

The Hansgrohe...yes, the thermobalance III valve is a stand-alone. It can supply water to whatever body sprays and shower heads you choose. Do be aware that as with all valves, there are volume flow restrictions through the valve, meaning the valve can only pass so many gallons per minute. The TBIII is 6gpm. Shower heads pass 2.5gpm, body sprays are all over the place, some 1gpm, some up to 2gpm. So if you ran 4 low-flow body sprays and a shower head at the same time you're right at the valve's spec'd max flow rate. Just something to consider when you select components to mix and match.

If you think you might want water bazookas firing at you from all angles, then consider upping your supply lines to 3/4" copper and using 3/4" valves. 3/4" valve pass more water than standard 1/2" valves.

If not, then the 1/2" TBIII will likely suit you just fine.

The possibilities can get confusing, which is why some folk prefer all-in-one systems like the Moen. Just read the fine print on the moen system to make sure that the valve doesn't have any funky flow restrictions that could limit how you want to use that setup.

I might have a link to a Hansgrohe shower guide that might help you with possible layouts. Or it might just confuse things more. Lemme see if I can find a link...

Hansgrohe Helper

I also am doing a steam shower and DTV, although I opted for Mr. Steam for the steam portion, so there will be two controls inside. Our shower config is 3 body sprays, one rainfall, and one handheld the flipside on a slide bar which will double as a showerhead

mongoct - you are extremely helpful & patient. Thank you so much!

You've just convinced me to make the door an out-swing. Safety is of paramount importance to us & I hadn't thought about a disabled body blocking the door.

I think two teak benches is a brilliant idea. I could leave one in there semi-permanently for leg-shaving, etc. & the other could be brought in when we both wanted to steam or I could use it as a footstool solo. We planned to have a bench under the window by the shower for a place to sit down to dry off feet, so that can just be the auxiliary teak bench. I'm sure teak feels better on the b&tt than tile.

Oh, DH isn't worried about getting zapped by the ioDigital; he's worried about it failing & needing to dig it out of the wall. I really like that Hansgrohe & think that is an elegant mechanical solution.

Thanks for the heads-up about the flow rate. I'll put together a spreadsheet of my various combinations & make sure I have a column to track the total flow rate.

Ummmm, part of me would love water bazookas, but I'm trying to keep this within reason, so I will try to stick with 1/2" valves. There's a plethora of body sprays out there. Any suggestions? I think being able to change angles with them would be a good feature since DH is a foot taller than I am.

To my eye, the Moen system looked like too much stuff. It has the advantage of being able to control 3 (actually 4 with the required rough in) things in any combination, but I think I can live with the Hansgrohe setup. The guide helped. Thanks.

Oh, yes, ceiling height ... the floor of the shower is just under 25 sq ft, so I back calculated from the size of the steam generator quoted (225 cu ft) & figured that the intended ceiling height is 9'. Does that sound raesonable? I know enough from reading many of your posts over the years to make sure it is angled.

culater94 - It sounds like you have the same set of things I want: body sprays, rainfall & the Kohler flipside used at the shower head. Which body sprays & rainfall are you using? I think I would configure the Hansgrohe to allow the body sprays & handshower to operate simultaneously and then each of the 3 can be independently turned on.

Thanks, again, I'm really grateful for the help.

Jo Ann

For sizing the steam generator, most manufacturers have a sizing calculator. It's not just based on the physical size of the room itself, but also on a few other construction details; the materials that make up the wall coverings, if the walls are interior versus exterior walls, for example.

So take a look at one of those calculators before you commit to a unit.

You're welcome!

And best of luck with your project.

Mongo