Patricia-thanks for responding. Yes the supply lines would still be in the wall but i thought they might be less likely to freeze than another part of the shower especially if they are pex rather than copper. My husband is not convinced and prefers the false wall. I was thinking I could justify the cost of the exposed shower system if we didn't have the expense of the wall....

I guess the only way to be sure would be to have the supply lines enter through the floor and also be exposed. Currently the supply lines are in the floor because the shower is going to be placed where a vanity was in the old layout. I have a pic of a similar setup but the lines in the pic are in the wall. They could enter through the floor.

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You really want to spend 20K on not even a steam shower by moving plumbing around and selecting premium fixtures? And that’s the bargain version with cheepchinesecrapola.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5324956/contraband-and-illegal-faucets-on-houzz?n=79

Hi Sophie-thanks for responding. The highest bid i received for plumbing the entire bathroom was about $3000 and that was for them doing everything. It will be lower since my husband will do the plywood floor removal and reinstall. The shower location we chose has water supply and a drain. We certainly will not spend anywhere close to $17000 on tile and fixtures for the shower.

So here's the deal:
In general, it's good to avoid putting pipes on outside walls.

You put the pipes on the heated side of the insulation and you are going to be fine with R21 as long as you are paying attention to where the pipes are. For example, you don't want them resting on a sill plate that would conduct the cold.

What you don't want to do is "insulate the pipes" -- meaning you want the pipes to be exposed to the warm side of the wall and insulated from the cold side of the wall. It doesn't help if you have insulation all around the pipe.

If you use R-max insulation board between the pipes and the outside wall you will get the most insulation for the given amount of space.

What is the coldest it gets where you are?

Kohler and Grohe make a very affordable version of an exposed pipe look. Not quite as fancy as the one you posted, but still very attractive

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https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

I live in SW PA. Yes most of the pipes are in interior walls. With that being said our last house that we lived in for 24 years the supply lines and drain ran up the outside kitchen wall to the 2nd floor bath. But they terminated to an inside wall. We never had them freeze. The problem I see is that you will have no access panel to the plumbing false wall or not. If you do have a rupture or leak or just need to work on the plumbing how are you going to get to it. There is no where to put shut off valves with access to them. You would have to rip the shower out to access them. If the shower is on the first floor and the pipes are coming up from the open ceiling basement you might be able to put the shut off valves there. But then you will probably be shutting down the whole bathroom.

HI Function, Thanks for commenting. We are keeping the current access panel with shutoff valves which is accessible from one of the MBR closets. Talked with my husband some more on the topic and he is set on a false wall. Does not want the risk and hindsight regret if the supply line would freeze. With the exposed pipe shower system the only thing we have to worry about is the supply line and working on it through the ceiling below would be possible if needed.

Madden-Thanks for commenting. The Kohler system you referenced is alot less expensive but it is not an exposed pipe system. The shower valve is in the wall and the water supply to the showerhead is then also in the wall. The pipe you see is just a slider to hold the handheld.

I'm not sure why you believe fixture choice has any effect on supplies freezeing but if you explain we can better advise. Meanwhile,everything you need to know,Jake told you,regardless of fixture,,,,,,,,I think. ):

I would go with the false wall like hubby wants. "I told you so" is a bitch. lol

I think the coldest has been single digits but that is rare. Perhaps a couple days per winter. This past winter range was teens to 30s.

I guess you’re not in the southwestern part of the state, because where I grew up (suburban Pittsburgh) below zero temps were not uncommon. And then there was the time the temperature dropped to -22. :/

You are correct...we are in Southeastern PA.

klem1-I agree that fixture choice does not have any effect on supplies to the shower valve freezing. But if the valve and the pipe that feed the shower head are exposed then they are not at risk of freezing. Certainly the plan would be to only insulate the exterior wall side of the supply lines but in the end my husband is not willing to take the risk and we will proceed with a false wall. Thanks everyone for your comments.

I believe that what pipes are showing in your inspiration pic are supposed to show.

"But if the valve and the pipe that feed the shower head are exposed then they are not at risk of freezing. "

That is absolutely right but why can't supplies be ran up inside of existing wall? The false wall is where I'm loseing your idea. For what it's worth,I think copper supplies should be used,Pex would look weird.

So here's the thing:

The pipes can be put in the wall without a false wall if done properly. I have done it on my own plumbing and it has survived -22 F just fine. It does require attention to detail to be sure that you don't have a problem.

That said, Hubby has made up his mind and so the rest of this is moot other than the type of fixture.

Older post ... so: How did your shower/wall turn out?

An afterthought to a "false wall", depending upon if it would suit your build: Some people build an outdoor "closet" for yard tools so, if whatever situation you ended up with froze, that might be worth considering.

HI suezbell!!

Sorry I missed your question. I was deleting old emails and found your inquiry.

What happened to the exposed pipe shower system?

Husband hated the idea.

I really like your shower. I am in the process of trying to figure out plumbing lines - and have been worrying about having them located in an exterior wall! Your tile is nice - would you mind posting other photos of your bathroom? Also, if you have vendors for tile/fixtures/glass, that would be great! Thanks!

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5851979/before-and-after-master-bath-remodel-pics-details-on-resources This is a link to a post I made last year that has more pictures and all the vendor details.