And now that I think of it, the gap between the wall and the door is not going to be uniform.

Add a support arm.

Thank you, The Cook's Kitchen, right before you replied, I found one by CR Laurance

https://www.dkhardware.com/brushed-nickel-frameless-shower-door-fixed-panel-wall-to-glass-support-bar-for-1-4-to-5-16-thi-sup06bn-product-20539.html

But what about the gap / warp / bow?

Acceptable and within tolerances, whether Starphire or Clear Tempered Glass. Personally a panel that large should have been 1/2" in my opinion.

Industry minimum standards may not always be your standards. I always strive for better than industry minimum. Sometimes that’s all the budget allows though.

millworkman, I agree it should have been 1/2".

I do not find this acceptable, though, because when I told him I was worried about warp and he assured me that there would not be any warp at all. He said the only reason for warp is improper storage on a truck and to not bother ordering 1/2".

The Cook's Kitchen, when you said, "Sometimes that’s all the budget allows though." what do you mean? I did not skimp on any of our remodel and money was not an issue.

I also showed him our other bathroom door that has a small 1/8" warp and he said it was from improper handling and storage. And that would not happen with him. That's why I hired him

Yes, it is acceptable.The industry standard tells you that glass bows, and by how much. Your very request is impossible. You cannot have perfectly straight glass. The question is how much curve is allowed, and it still meets standard. This is within the allowable, and there is no legal cause to reject. The curve variance meets industry standards.

If you want stiffer and straighter than industry standards, that should have been in your design docs and in the contract that the contractor signed. The thicker glass should have been been in that contract. You specify exact products to be used, or industry standards to be met. You don’t use non standard terms and not write a contract. And you don’t use non specific terms that are not physically possible to achieve. Even had you done that, the glass would still have a bow to it. Because it is glass. That is it’s nature

I keep saying that I was promised "no bowing" and was told there were not be any.

This was direct contact with a glass company in the Phoenix area.

I checked my texts from when we were deciding between 3/8" and 1/2". I stated I wanted to choose the one that was less likely to bow.

His reply:

"Neither will bow. Glass only bows when loaded with shorted glass or when it's tied off improperly."

Now what do I do?

Because of the bowing, the gap been the fixed glass and the shower door is 1/8" wide at the bottom, and then 1/2" wide at the midpoint of the glass.

It looks terrible! How is that acceptable?

Can I reject this based on what he told me and that I have in writing?

So buy a new door, and make it 1/2” this time if that’s what you want. Buyers remorse isn’t free.

live_wire_oak, help me to understand why I should have to buy the door? Why would he not replace when he said it would not have a bow? I trusted him as a knowledgable professional and he is the one who recommended the 3/8".

The door falls within industry standard tolerances. You just don’t like industry standards. You’re the one designing and specifying, and could have specified 5/8” if you’d wanted, and had even lesser chance of it bowing. You took your chances that it would fall on the small bow side. It didn’t. It’s still acceptable in a court of law that you received what you ordered. That means if you want straighter than industry standards, you get to pay to replace it.

It’s like buying a pair of zero return size 8 shoes. They meet size 8 standards, but because the toes are pointed instead of round toes, they don’t fit how you want them to. So you get to buy the 8 1/2 if you really like those shoes and want a pair that fit your specifications.

live_wire_oak,

I did not take my chances. I am not a glazier, so I trusted a professional to be honest with his recommendations.

I had a very specific request and asked many questions. I was given a deceptive answer. If he had been forthright about a bow, that would have been different. Instead, I was reassured that there would be no bow and encouraged to get the 3/8". Had he been honest (instead of overpromising) I would have gladly paid the extra from the beginning for 1/2" glass.

What you are saying is that it is unwise to trust a contractor who makes a promise? That is not how I run my business.

And his recommendation meets industry standards. You want better than industry standards. So, pay for that to happen. Or live with what is.

You as the designer are responsible for the design specifications on the front end. You could have specified that then. That was your responsibility as the job designer to specify then. Then the contractor gives you prices based on your design specifications, and your written scope of work. That’s the role of the designer. To design and instruct what the contractor DOES. . Contractors aren’t designers. You as the designer listen to a contractor’s input, consider its merits, and then insist on what was written into the scope that they should be following. Or not, and do a change order. The buck stops with you.

Industry standards aren’t high enough for some people. You’re obviously one. That’s on you. Design specification in advance would have prevented this. Instead, you get to be reactive in solving it as a problem that could have been prevented. Next time, use a designer. Or do better work yourself as the designer.

live_wire_oak, I would gladly have paid for better than industry standards if I had been informed that there was a potential for a bow. My point is that he was not truthful and now you are suggesting that I should have to pay twice for him not being candid?

You seem to be knowledgeable, so answer this if you can, please. If the fixed panel was attached at 90 degrees to a 4.5" glass panel (for greater stability), how can that be done with a bow in the larger piece?

This is your job to research and figure out the acceptable solution. Learn like any other designer does: by creating issues that come out of your pocket. Acting as the design professional on the job comes with the downs too. You have to own both aspects. You don’t get just the compliments. Not without owning the problems too. Own it.

You didn’t do your research in advance. And you didn’t do written design documents, or a written scope of work. Own it. Figure out your solution.

You have a client here. What’s going to satisfy that overly picky lady who isn’t happy with industry standards? You as the designer get to pay for the solution for the picky lady, because you failed to do the job adequately on the front end. You didn’t set reasonable expectations rations either,

So, what will make her happy? Sounds like she wants all new glass. That you get to pay for for her. Because you didn’t do your research and specify correctly enough to satisfy her. You should know how picky your client is!

Sounds like a burned bridge with that contractor too. You won’t work with him again. But you do have to deal with a lot of frogs before you can find that contractor that you will recommend and trust. That Contractor recommendation is one that designers guard with their life. Good contractors don’t get referrals to homeowners without the design pro doing the design job. And the contractor in turn recommends their design pro partner.

Even so, no one can contravene the laws of physics. You gotta come back to earth here. Have reasonable expectations that can be satisfied. Industry standard is a reasonable expectation. Above industry standards is not. Not without paying for a lot more high end job than mid grade. 100K professionally designed and built bathroom expectations doesn’t get fulfilled with a 50K DIY designed one. You shouldn’t need me to tell you why.

live_wire_oak,

As you stated,

"You as the designer are responsible for the design specifications on the front end. You could have specified that then. That was your responsibility as the job designer to specify then."

I DID specify that I did not want gaps and he said that we would not even have a 1/8" gap. AND, I have it in writing! I am a very detailed person so there is no way I could have been clearer. My problem was that I trusted someone at their word.

In your last sentence

"Next time, use a designer. Or do better work yourself as the designer."

How unkind.

Next time do your research better. Any intern would have. And control your job better. That’s why homeowners pay professional designers. Because contractors aren’t designers. And no one wants the contractor designing the job.

Sorry, live_wire_oak, still unkind.

I designed the shower and told him exactly what I wanted. The specs were/are very clear. My mistake was in believing him when he guaranteed there would be no bow.

Good night.

Yes, we know you designed it. You just won‘t take the responsibilities for the mistakes in the design. There are thousands of things you needed to know. It won’t be the only mistake. Your big mistake was not engaging a professional designer if you weren’t going to do all of the months of research required to do the thousands of aspects correctly and professionally.

What waterproofing system did your tile person use? Was this done as a wet room installation? Does it have a capillary break? Do you have a copy of the permit for the structural alterations and plumbing alterations required for this? What’s the DCOF of the tiles you used? Thermostatic or pressure balancing? The glass is only one aspect of the job that you can have major issues with if you don’t do your research. Did you do your research on any of that ?

Your other mistake is shopping for opinions and discounting any that don’t agree with you.

I agree with the customer. The professional he hired should replace the glass as it is bowed and the customer specifically asked the contractor which thickness to get so it would not bow. Are the negative comments because a licensed contractor would not be expected to have that knowledge? Should the customer have dealt directly with the shower glass company? I don't think the customer needed a designer in this case. He relied on a licensed professional to be knowledgable and truthful. Did the contractor misrepresent himself? Should the customer have better researched the contractor and the contractor's work? I just don't see the customer as being a fault here.

"He said the only reason for warp is improper storage on a truck and to not bother ordering 1/2"."

B******T, glass bows during the tempering process if not the process when it is initially made. 1/2" Glass is just as apt to have a bow it in as well. We have the issue many times, even with 3/4" and 1" tempered glass. It happens and it is within industry standards. If he wanted to lie to you and guarantee no bowing, call him out on it. But just know that his supplier will not make good on it.

If money was not an issue then you should have insisted on 1/2 “ which BTW any good glass shop should have advised. I have had glass shipped from Italy and never had a piece bowed but I have always ordered 15 - 19 mm so probably that is the reason but I have done dozens of showers with 1/2 “ glass and never had one bow so that I could see the bow if it was there. The otehr point is did you get that in writing in your contract? BTW I have always had the glass company install the glass.

Thanks, everyone. The owner of the glass company is here and as soon as he saw the 1/2" gap at the midpoint when the door is closed, he agreed that the fixed panel is bowed. He will be replacing with 1/2" glass.

O.M.G. After they installed the new door, we discovered that there are cracks on the edge of the glass!

To date, this is what has happened:

1. The first time the glass contractor brought out the panel & the door, the manufacturer had drilled too many holes in the door. And the panel was too wide.
2. We discussed that if we used offset hinges on the replacement door, then the panel width would be fine. He said the door would be remade.
3. They remade the glass - and once again - two holes were drilled. But he didn't see that until he arrived at our house.
4. He immediately contacted the glass manufacturer and told them they had to remake the door.
5. He even showed me the CAD drawings where it's circled indicating there is supposed to be one hole. He told me followed up (multiple times) - ONE HOLE.
6. He arrived this morning and installed the new door with a single hole. Yay!
7. After he left I started wiping down to sanitize (according to CDC recommendations) and that's when I saw the cracks on the edge.
8. So now both the fixed panel and the door have to be replaced - again!

The company that makes the glass really needs better quality control or they are going to go out of business.

The glass contractor said that all his last four jobs have had problems so he is looking to switch companies.

FINAL UPDATE with a great result!

The glass installer reordered the fixed shower panel and the door. The panel is in 1/2" Starfire and we kept the door in 3/8" Starfire so that we could avoid any future problems with the weight & sagging. Because of the covid19 lockdown, we had to wait longer and the wait was worth it. The glass was installed yesterday.

There is no warping in the fixed panel. The gap between the panel and the door is less than 1/8". Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and your advice on getting this resolved.

The shower is beautiful and we love it!

Thank you for your comment, just_janni, I agree that customers cannot be expected to know everything. In the end, the glass installer thanked us for our patience. And he reduced the cost.