We are expecting our County building inspector this week, for the steam shower installed by an experienced contractor. The key is both the contractor and the plumber. And the electrician. We used a brand recommended by our plumbing supplier (not Ferguson) because of their 20 year warranty. We installed it behind the shower wall, not under a seat-- do not like hard corners in my shower.
And I don't think it is a "frill" -- if it keeps you in your own home for even one more year -- living under the care of others is the most expensive frill I know -- and when I don't feel well, I have not been going to the gym, just for a steam.
Schluter system -- you can buy a prefab shower floor that I highly recommend if you are going to DIY -- the most difficult first step was grading the shower pan, and the gradient on the ceiling -- Schluter does this for you. My architect says this shower is going to withstand the years.
After demo, you may need to consider raising your floor (heated floors are nice, too, and not so pricey as you might imagine). We don't recommend cutting into your floor supports to lower the shower floor for drainage. I suggest that you consider raising your bathroom floor, not lowering your shower floor. A heated floor helps to do that. We installed a curb less shower, so if you have a curb, it is easier to install a shower that drains well.
Our builder lowered our shower floor due to the size of our shower, and its curb less design, with our architect's approval -- the difference with the heated floor, new tile, is 1.5 inches -- the builder will need to create a transition threshold for us from the bath to the closet and the bedroom -- the 1.5" may no longer be code. We were required to create similar transitions for our foyer when we added a new stone finish and the transitions to the entrances to three rooms were too great -- this project was so successful we don't even think about the differences in the heights of the floors. Transitions take a skilled finish carpenter, but relatively easy -- and better than adjusting your floor joists.
I don't know how much more it would have been if they did not lower the shower floor. For DIY I would design my bath around the SCHLUTER prefab floor- - they also provide custom services. Even if you have a contractor, do not hire anyone who is not familiar with this system. If you have a problem with your custom steam shower, and Schluter, it could be less expensive to correct rather than to replace your entire pre fab steam unit -- that replacement is also likely to require new grading, new plumbing, new electrical due to changes in product design.
Oh, and the cost of the glass for the steam shower -- design your color scheme so that you do not want iron free -- the regular glass has a green tint -- we were not using green, so we paid additional for iron free glass. Another issue: some installers could not manage our 33" aging in place door -- they wanted to make it smaller -- the key is that the hinges (ours were CR Lawrence, but there are other good choices) for the transom (above the door panel that tilts to let out the steam) can carry only so much weight -- 12 lbs. so our transom glass is not as thick as our other glass (1/2 "). A full wall of glass costs as much as a half of a wall of glass -- it is wise to replace your shower before adding more glass-- it's all custom -- be sure to price the glass as well as the steam shower unit when making the decision. It's all about how long you will be in your home.
Your fan: outside the steam shower -- you will need an upgrade just for the shower -- Panasonic has one but it is outside the shower, not inside where it can rust.
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Tiles choices
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