We plan to have a regular showerhead, a handheld on a bar and possibly a rainshower head. I think we've decided against body sprays. I'd also like to work in a bench, possibly in one of the corners.

Where would you put the controls? Each of the shower heads? I assume that the drain would need to be centered(?)

I'm planning to straighten my 1/2 wall to eliminate the small piece. This should allow the shower door to be hinged directly to it to avoid having a header and a pivot door.

We'll have a towel warmer on the wall between the shower and the water closet.

I'd love to hear any ideas or suggestions that you have.

Thanks!!!

Well, when I previewed my post, the photo of the room layout was there... now it is just a link. Can anyone tell me how to include a photo in the actual post so people don't have to click on a link to get to it? THANKS!!

Here is your pic..for photobucket, just click on the html code and paste it into the body of the post. Or sometimes click on the Share this photo then copy the html.

Thanks, Olychick!

Thanks, John, I like the idea of using larger tiles in the shower. We are using 18" tiles on the diagonal in the room and had planned to use 4" squares (also on the diagonal)on the floor of the shower as that was the largest recommended to us, for traction, and (I assume) for slope to a central drain. My porcelain tile isn't super slippery but I was told that the grout lines would provide needed texture for traction.

Anything is going to be a huge improvement after losing the cleaning battle on all the grout lines of my 1" tiles!

Smaller tiles for traction is a good call if the tile is going to be wet under foot. I advise my clients to bring a sample tile into their current shower and try it out first hand.

Tile can be made less hazzardous with products like Slip Nix but the smaller the tile and wider the grout the safer the floor gets.

The tile tope drains we install are very popular and my tile setters cut down the large format tile to the same size of the drain and then add in a slightly smaller tile in the center.

Here is a few examples of the tile top.

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These tile top drains can work with just about any UPC certified compression drain. Make sure you get a detail outline on how your shower will be built and waterproofed.

Insist on a flood test. If you have the drywall and backer board going on after the flood test inform the drywalling and boarding crew that you plan to re flood test your shower when their done.

Simple steps that can save you thousands of dollars and a massive head ache down the road.

Good luck with the renovation! No chance this in my hometown of Vancouver is it? If your close I can drop of some of my samples...

Let us know if you have any more questions.

I think the fact that the door to the toilet and the bathroom entry door meet is a bit of a poor design. I might consider installing a pocket door into the bathroom so this can be avoided.

I would also consider making the wall between the vanity (WC) and the shower out of 2"x10" studs and building in a large shampoo niche for the shower. This will keep the clutter out of sight. Don't make the shower smaller but the WC room. That is a huge space for it's function.

Plan the niche out early so the framing can be done right. make sure the plumber off sets the vent line and does not run it straight up through the niche.

If planned right you could make a really nice medicine cabinet with storage on the toilet side and a killer soap and shampoo niche on the shower side.

Check out this link for ideas below.

My thoughts.

JW

Here is a link that might be useful: Shower Niches - Where and How Many?

Here is our corner shower. The original stall was phone-booth square, so we decided to bump it out during the reno.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Why do you have a sink in the WC when you have the his & hers? That's just overkill. If you want to add additional fixtures change it to a bidet, otherwise lose the sink and expand the shower to add body jets and a rain showerhead. Also I noticed there was no consideration for a towel area around the tub, unless the plan was you were going to put the towel on the vanity top while bathing. According to the drawing you show the control on the kneewall with the door hinged off the knee wall(costs more in glass fabrication btw, and if your door is hinged left you don't need a header and can use pivot hinges if your wall is plumb and that's your preference.). Controls should be located closest to the handle unless you have an exterior control panel. Stay away from the double acting door intent,you never get a proper seal and it "will" result in leakage especially if your showerhead is angled toward the door as pictured.

I really appreciate all of the input, suggestions and questions. The room is a big, ugly shell right now so now is the time for all major design issues to be addressed!

John, thanks for the info on the drains and the flood test. Waterproofing is definitely a priority since our project has been complicated by uncovering evidence of water leaks that were previously unknown. We're in Michigan, unfortunately, too far away to take you up on your kind offer! I know that our door situation isn't ideal but it's one that we feel we can live with. We had considered using a pocket door but we're not able to relocate electrical switches to allow for it. I didn't try too hard to work around that issue though because I'm not a big fan of pocket doors personally. I'm definitely going to plan for niches right away, before the framing and plumbing is done.

Emknc, thanks for posting a photo... You have a very spa-like room and I love your accent tile!

Jglassdude, thanks for your input. I know that a 3rd sink would seem to be overkill but we (ok, mostly my micro-biologist husband!) prefer to wash our hands inside the lav area, before opening a door to come out and use a sink. Originally, the water closet fit within the square outline of the room and once we realized that we could bump it out and orient the toilet in the new space, we then added the sink where the toilet was planned to go. It's funny that you mention a bidet because we just tore one out... I used to use it for in-home pedicures and as a mop-sink for the floor! Lol!

I should have mentioned that the shower head and control were shown on our drawing prior to the decision to hinge the door on the right. She correctly put the showerhead on the little corner piece because we can't run plumbing on an exterior wall but, as you pointed out, it angles straight at the door. We were thinking of instead having the NE corner of the shower built to accommodate a shower head that could angle more straight across the shower, especially since the door would swing away from it. It would seem that our controls then would be best on the south wall of the shower. Could you explain what you mean by "double acting door intent"?

I'm not planning to hang towels in the tub area but there are raised areas on each end of the tub where towels can be placed while we are bathing. We've designed towel niches on either end of the tub step for extra rolled towels. We're planning to put a Runtal Solea towel warmer on the wall between the water closet and the shower.

This is pretty much what the room looks like now... You can look right down into my kitchen and my dining room(!)

The bifold door to the left of the ladder is my old linen closet door and will be walled off.