I have a very similar design happening, large format tiles, curbless with trench drain, floating vanity etc. I am very close to the glass install. Curious about your glass install. How is it secured so that it does not wobble? Floor to ceiling, wall brace, or? I am considering a panel about 72" high by 54" long, the length of the shower, fixed to the wall and secured to the floor without screws because of danger of puncturing membrane. Panel would be stabilized by a return panel 8-12" across the shower opening. We were going to try it first without a door. Thanks.

Yeah, so, the web sites are next to useless. Forgot - I gave up trying to figure it out on Build.com and went to the Moen site, which isn't much better. After I selected, went back to Build.com to buy. My alcove is 58 & 3/8". If you filter on 'Shower Rods' and 'Chrome' (if that's the finish you want - see link below) you get 11 choices. (Note, if you filter on 'Curved Shower Rods' you only get 1 choice - go figure.) With the link below, you throw out the bottom two because they're tension rods and the double rod if you don't want that. Leaves 8. What's the difference besides the price and the end cap? When you check the description, it will say "adjustable for 5' to 6' alcove" - that's the tube within a tube kind. The ones that say "designed to fit a 5' surround securely" means it's a fixed size and you have to cut it if it's too big. Since 5' is 60", I went with CSR2165 and will have to cut off a little less than 2". CSR2166 is the same only for 6' opening (72") or less. With the curved rods, you don't want to be too far away. Cutting off too much won't work, unless you maintain the angle, although the pivoting mounting on some helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Moen Chrome Shower Rods This post was edited by DreamingoftheUP on Sun, Apr 6, 14 at 16:39

Me I have ALLERGIES, HAY FEVER, CONGESTION and SINUS Problems.. I AM 59 NOW BUT i was 55 when I had my home remodeled and was initially going to put a Jacuzzi 48 '' shower thingy in with a bench. When my framer said let me build you a real shower..Something that 5 years from now you will be happy I put it in for you. So he put in a 5 ft by 6 ft by 7.5 ft framed in shower with a 3 ft bench. I followed the John Bridges forum [online] and bought a kerdi kit online from EBAY . The I helped direct my master carpenter into putting up cement board and then Kerdi. Then got a plumber involved and finally then the tile contractor came in and did his thing as well. I got an appropriately sized Thermasol Steam Shower Unit from Craigslist.. believe it or not .. for only 200.00 That user was remodeling his bath and wanted the faster on model call Thermasol- PRO which is an instant on/always on model. I found the older Steamer controls from Clearance sales at plumber supply stores on ebay/Internet. All IN I think I spent 2000.00 more then if I had just done a regular shower. that includes the cost of the 500.00 kerdi kit and floor. Now fast forward to 5 years later.. that was the best 2000.00 I EVER spent too... no more SINUS HEADACHES... It is the perfect next step after being on the treadmill and bicycle exercise to wind down. It only uses 2 gallons of water as opposed to our Jacuzzi which uses 67 gallons of water to take 1 bath..Meanwhile the least often used Jacuzzi cost 4500.00 then and is not used as often now. We got the extra thermasol control unit [outside the door] that allows us to cut the steam unit on 10 minutes before I get in it so it is at a temperature around 80 degrees upon my entrance. I have it on a 'cycle' that goes up to 100 degrees for 10 minutes and the unit cuts off in 30 minutes. [Enough for me...] had a tight fitting glass door 34 '' X 72'' and a 4inch vent glass above the door. [These door measurements are items your framer needs B4 building one.and whether it will have a vent] Ours has the fan outside the vent door. We chose the PANASONIC fans that are almost commercial use.. They get the moisture out in 10 minutes when humidity is 50 percent or lower. Found the fan on EBAY for 200. We are happier with the steam shower then the 6 ft JACUZZI we purchased and installed at the same time. NO MOLD PROBLEMS EITHER... Pre planning and careful reading of that John Bridges website is the information I got right here off of GARDEN WEB. i'd highly recommend you see what other DIY'S are doing and saving money doing it..

Disclaimer - We are the contractors in this story who saved the day, testified in court, and established a great relationship with the homeowner. An educated consumer is our best customer. On GC's and subs- 1- Give me a good price on this job and I'll shovel you tons of work. This is an old tactic used by GC's to drive the cost down / raise profits. After the first job the sub is fired and quickly replaced. Subs who haven't been burned by this before, or are hungry, are young, or didn't know this happened to them are easy prey to this scam. If the sub stays on and wants to get paid his full amount, he is quickly replaced. 2- My subs have been with me a long time. What is a long time? Months or years? Did you speak to the sub himself? 3- Most GC's have bare general knowledge about what their subs do. They don't have the specific knowledge of the trades. If you have specific concerns about waterproofing, it's best to ask the sub directly before the job starts. Having done your homework on John Bridge, or Fine Homebuilding will help you immensely. 4- GC's are salesmen who add 25% to 35% to what the sub is charging to make their living. IMHO most GC's view subs as commodities not skilled craftsmen and are not willing to pay a skilled craftsman the rates they deserve. The best craftspeople I know around the world are all self employed and don't work for GC's. Most work aside the GC, directly for the HO. On the rare chance I do work under a GC, the HO is actively involved in the process and has usually brought us in specifically. 5- GC's prefer to price items by the square foot or some easy (brainless) method. I find this a great disservice to the HO. If I am tiling the floor of a car dealership (wide open space) the price per sf will be lower than a dentist's office (tiny rooms and hallways) IN these instances a per sf price would be useless. Then we get into prep work, access to the jobsite, working conditions, and a myriad of variables unique to each jobsite. Is there a gate that needs to be kept closed all the time? Limited hours we can be on the site? Is the building heated and cooled? There is no way a flat rate of $/sf is useful when it comes to certain trades. 6- GC's are not inclined to pay for prepwork. They pay for finished product. While we all want the finished product to be gorgeous, prep work is critical. Certainly in a shower, waterproofing is what you are really buying. Tile is just the pretty surface. This is why so many showers fail. I've actually had a GC say to me - "I don't pay you for prep work, I pay you to install tile" Prep work usually drives up the cost of a job considerably. Customers sometimes don't want to hear this or think we are adding to the scope of work unnecessarily. We don't work for such folks. 7- Why don't contractors just tell HO's they are busy and will have to wait? When a potential customer calls, asking when they want the work completed is my first or second question. This comes with a lot of risk, mainly losing the job all together. My 40 years experience has taught me that most HO's call contractors when the HO is ready to start the project and is eager to get things rolling. Telling a HO they will have to wait a few months in the first phone call is usually the kiss of death. My thought is - Would you want to hire a contractor who isn't busy? Granted there are job delays and cancellations, but a good businessman knows how to keep his schedule full and workers busy. It takes some sales skill (and empathy) to save that first phone call from going down in flames and losing the opportunity to educate a customer on the process of hiring a qualified contractor. 8- Not so news flash - Not all great contractors are great businessmen. Makes sense once you think about it though. The manufacturers have reps to show us their products, there are trade schools and unions, but teaching a contractor how to run his business is woefully lacking. Being a craftsman in any trade doesn't make you a good businessperson or a good salesperson. Some good contractors become subs as to have the business side of their job taken care of by the GC who feeds them a steady stream of work and a reliable paycheck. Pounding the pavement, making sales, maintaining a website, and giving estimates all take effort, skill, and time not everyone has. 9- Not so news flash #2 - Not all great salesmen are great contractors. This is the hard part for the average HO to sort out. A slick talking young man in a pressed shirt can have all the right sounding answers. So what's a HO to do? Start by asking; Who will be coming into my home? Will they have seen the jobsite in person or pictures before they knock on my door? Or are they just given my address that morning? Ask what products will be used and why. Talk to the manufacturer's reps for those products. It's a good sign when the rep knows your contractor. It's a good sign when the rep backs up what your contractor claims. Ask the Rep about any installation tricks/hazards to watch for. Every manufacturer has YouTube videos giving detailed instructions which MUST be followed. An educated consumer is our best customer. 10- Not so news flash #3 - There are good people on YouTube and then..... there is the rest of the crowd. As mentioned above, the John Bridge Forum and Sal Diblasi's videos are spot on. So are the videos made by the product manufacturer or a trade association. A HO will have a hard time discerning the good from the bad YouTube videos without trade knowledge or a trained ear which is why I recommend the manufacturer's videos and talking with their reps. The reps get paid for this, its their job. When you find a good contractor who provides excellent service the best compliment is to recommend them, give a good Google / Angie's List / Yelp review. This will also help other HO's in their search. I could go on for pages, but y'all are probably bored by now. If you have specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.