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Bathrooms Remodeling Design Dilemma

Should I extend shower or leave space for freestanding tub & towel bar

5 years ago

Right now my shower is going to be 48” by 72”. This leaves 12” of space on the side of my freestanding tub (have plenty on other side but need tub where it is to be centered under window) and gives me room for a 18” towel bar. If the tub were a few inches away and I used a hook instead, the shower could be 57x72. Keep in mind I’m planning on having a 16” deep bench on the 48” or 57” side. Thanks for your help!

Featured Answer

Judy Mishkin

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

yes its great, we can rinse the chlorine out of our bathing suits and hang them up without them dripping everywhere. dry towels and robes on the hooks at the end.

Comments (16)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
We need at least a plan to look at .I dislike really huge showers they always have cold spots so I would keep the shower as is and use a hook or hooks for towels instead of a bar . When thinking of a freestanding tub the big issue is the space to clean around it and IMO if you are centering it under a window then the space around needs to the same so drawing will be great.
Lauren Ruiz
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank You for your help! This is basically the layout
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You don't need the NKBA 21" minimum on All sides, only the side you are entering or exiting the tub from. On the other three sides I think you would want at least 4" between the outside edge of the rim and the wall so you could clean around it and easily retrieve anything that fell between the tub and wall. (Which is the purpose for the measurement for sinks that do not abut the wall directly).
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My friends have this set up in their home in Kyoto. You take a shower first so you are clean then you get inside the soaking tub. The soaking tub is not drained for days and has a heater inside so the water stays hot, similar to a hot tub but without the jets. Toilet and sink are in a separate closet nearby. It's been awhile since I've visited but I recall the "shower" part was a wall with multiple hand sprayers (so multiple people could wash up at same time). It included stools you could sit on while you washed up. The soaking tub was quite large with a deck around it and could fit multiple people. I don't remember the floor being slippery. I do remember feeling icked out when I learned the tub was drained infrequently -- until I realized everyone took a shower before soaking. Basically to answer your question, in such an arrangement, you aren't wiping it out everyday. It stays wet and gets drained and cleaned once a week.
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Not being centered under the window would not bother me because the window isn't centered on that back wall. But I know it may bother some people. Personally I don't care for freestanding tubs. But if you really want a freestanding one, you have room to put a little wooden stool or something like that next to it for your shampoo and such. If you like the idea of a toilet room (a lot of people love them, and just as many hate them), it also looks like you have room for one and still have room for a long vanity. I think that wall is the 118" one. If a toilet room is approx 3' x 5' or even a little wider, you'd still be able to have a vanity that's approx 72" or a little longer. You could also clip the corner of the shower. We needed to do that because of how the room is shaped and to accommodate a large linen cabinet. Our door is on the angled part. That would enable you to open the door without hitting the tub. We also used a teak corner bench instead of a built in stone one, mostly because we like how it brings in a visually warm element. You could put your shower controller on the other pony wall (nearest the tub). We have our door able to swing inward and outward because we like to leave it pushed in a little so that the steam can get out faster. Ours is a steamer, so that mostly why, but it also aides in easy-reach to the controls.
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Here are some ideas to think about. You want storage for items like towels, candles, TP, etc. What about a free standing cabinet? Part (or all) can be glass fronted where towels, candles, bath bombs, even TP and less attractive things can be stored in baskets. By putting the shower door opening toward the vanity, this would free up the area at the tub end of the shower. An attractive cabinet against the wall next to the closet door would be a good location (see my edits). Then, a nice bench can be placed next to the tub to hold a burning candle, a fresh towel, a book, and a glass of wine to enjoy your bath with. What mystifies me is when people comment that the toilet is being seen as something terrifying or revolting. Nobody here said that about this toilet. There was just a desire to minimize it's view while using the tub to improve the tub area aesthetic. No need for such hyperbole.
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Lauren Ruiz
Original Author
5 years ago
Our tub is only 62”. 72” would have really eaten into our shower. 62” only eats in 7” past the window.
Judy Mishkin
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
my shower is about 60 deep x 96" long.... what the extra depth bought was no need for a door. just the 36" glass panel to keep the adjacent vanity from getting water spatters. at 72" you'd still have 36" of open space.

upkeep is simple. we have an auxillary heater in the ceiling (part of the vent system, you either have it switched to 'heat' or 'vent' ) and its plenty toasty in winter.

i'd move heaven and earth to not have a lot of glass, or a door. i'd go for a freestanding teak bench instead of a big built in one.
Lauren Ruiz
Original Author
5 years ago
What a beautiful shower! And I hadn’t even thought about not having a door but nice idea and would save me some good $ on glass I’d bet! Bench is already costing me a lot since I need a top and don’t have any countertop material...maybe I skip it and lose the door...my husband would like to save that $ :) and I like the look without the door. Thanks for the idea!
Lauren Ruiz
Original Author
5 years ago
I like in Miami so no winter lol...I’m guessing an exhaust fan nearby might be enough? Do you happen to know?
Judy Mishkin
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
does your bathroom have another heat source? if not, i'd say i'd still want a heater for the odd chilly morning. my shower is in RI and having the ceiling heater (as well as the central heating) keeps us from having to turn up the heat for the whole second floor 'to get it to run' while showering.
Lauren Ruiz
Original Author
5 years ago
We just have the central heating.
Judy Mishkin
5 years ago
i have to say, MY SHOWER IS BLISS. this is our vacation house, so we're there most weekends through the summer and just walking in and shower and not having a curtain or a door and drying off still in the shower is amazing.
Judy Mishkin
5 years ago
you'll be fine then, no need for a second heater as long as you have central heat already.
Lauren Ruiz
Original Author
5 years ago
My plumbing would have to be on the back wall to the right of your plumbing. I think it would still work without the door. What do you think?
Judy Mishkin
5 years ago
you'd need to nudge your shower head back toward the end if you dont have a door. our rain head is about 15" from the end.
Judy Mishkin
5 years ago
do a hand held shower as well as a rain head... you aim the spray away from you til it comes to temp. and use it to rinse down the tiles... and to shower when you dont wish to wash your hair.

mmmm miami.....
Lauren Ruiz
Original Author
5 years ago
I see you have a towel bar inside the shower? That would be great for me too since I could make shower deeper without need for towel bar outside shower...
PRO
Anthony Perez
5 years ago

Lauren Ruiz I can tell you that taking a shower in a generous size shower is a very pleasant experience , a frameless fixed glass panel or enclosure also helps so it does not feel confining

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