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Walk-in Shower -- Adding a Door Later?

16 years ago

We are in the midst of our master bath remodel, which will include a walk-in shower with frameless 3/8 inch glass. It calls for no door at this time, and will have a rain head as well as a handheld showerhead on a bar (each with separate controls so that both can be used at the same time).

I haven't been too worried about being cold in the shower, or catching a chilly breeze. The bathroom itself isn't too large (8x10 at best) and the house is well-insulated with efficient gas heat. But then, this morning, as I was showering in the guest bathroom, my husband flung open the curtain while I was drying off and ... brrrrrr! (And then he accused me of being grumpy ...).

Anyway, my thinking is that I would like to continue with plans to go without a door in the new shower, and if experience proves that it is chilly, we'll just add a door later.

Am I fooling myself? Is it difficult and/or expensive to add a door later? Should I suck it up and make another change order in anticipation of a problem I may not have?

Thanks for any advice!

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Comments (5)

MongoCT
16 years ago
We don't have a door on our walk-in, no worries.

However, just plan your design so you can possibly include on at a later date.

Most glass hardware is fairly traditional and basic, but if you're going with some sort of not-to-common finish on your glass brackets, then you might want to order what brackets/hinges/handles that you might need down the road now. But only if you think you'd have a problem matching what you're going with.
sewnice50
16 years ago
I had the same thought with my bathroom, I wanted glass but decided to wait also. I had the area where glass doors would be hung reinforced when it was remodeled. My bathroom is also a small room, 8x8. I ended up using a white nylon, hotel style, water proof shower curtain and put it on a chrome, shower rod I bought at a linen store. I used the chrome hooks with the little roller balls at the top of the hook and I love it. I can open the curtain completely when we are not using it so it almost disappears, it so thin. It would be very cold with out it, and it dries really quickly too. I am so happy with this curtain option, I will not get the glass. I am complete satisfied with my decision. The curtain is so much easier clean!
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I tried using the shower without a curtain or shower door before and I didn't like it. It was too drafty to me. If your space is so big maybe the doors would not get wet. I think if my shower were a tad bit bigger it would get steamy but not soapy. We squeegee ours and it's not so bad. And someone on here mentioned microfiber for cleaning and I wish I knew who it was so I could thank them. Cause they work great. It works just like magic eraser. Terrific ! I once did a new model house tour years ago and they had a walk in shower that went around a corner so the opening was small and then opened up to larger shower and it was tiled. It had no door and the way it was put together I am sure no draft.
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Okay, there is just a whole lot wrong there, and it is not just the shower pan, thus some of the harsh comments. The tiles do not overlap the pan, providing no mechanism to channel water from the walls into the pan. Water will get through the grout on the walls. It should then travel down a waterproof membrane, into the pan and down the drain. Your installation can't do that. The water will go down the waterproofing (assuming it exists), outside your shower pan and into lower walls and/or your floor. Even if your tile DOES overlap the shower pan, water can still wick out side the pan area, then down the wall, into the floor, because your pan isn't big enough. Simply purchasing a new enclosure to sit on top of the pan will not solve this problem Your existing glass panel doesn't even reach the end of the shower pan, providing an easy avenue for water to reach outside the shower "enclosure. Even if you increase the size of your shower pan to cover the entire area, if the waterproofing wasn't done correctly, you will still have water in your walls. Unless your entire bathroom floor is constructed like a wet area, with waterproofing and a drain mechanism, then this is destined to be a problem no mater what you do with the enclosure. Given all of that, we are back to, "This is beyond stupid." Reality is, you will replace this now for a large fee, OR you will replace this and repair the water damage for a really large fee. Pay now or pay more later - it's as simple as that.
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jakkom
16 years ago
If you think you might need to add a door later, be sure that there is a stud EXACTLY where the door will be hinged or screwed into the wall. We weren't told this until the last minute, and fortunately we could go through the closet on the other side of the wall to put the new stud in!
callaloo
Original Author
16 years ago
The sides which would frame a door are full-height glass, so any door we add would be glass to glass. This rules out a shower curtain or attaching a door to a stud. Does this change anyone's advice?

(The hardware will be basic chrome, so it shouldn't be a problem to match.)
vern1
16 years ago
I was told to make sure my shower threshold is higher then my tile floor for the door clearance I can't remeber exactly how much but I think it was 3/8 to 1/2 inch

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