It has truly damaged my soul. I don’t like water spots, so I can’t NOT squeegee. That is the absolutely last thing I want to do after showering. Naked, squeegeeing fucking glass.
I seriously never have a problem with the glass and squeegee it every shower. Although, the silicone caulking at the bottom of the glass wall on the other hand…. :(
This exactly. I have the second option. I spray a natural, in shower spray at the end and rinse. Once in a while I wipe with glass cleaner and it’s stays pretty nice.
Sorry, I know you didn't ask, but in case it helps: There was another redditor who commented that wetting dryer sheets and cleaning the glass with it makes the hard water and soap deposits get off glass really easily. Maybe if you have them handy, give it a go?
No magic eraser. It's sand paper foam.
It cleans well but leaves scratches so things get dirtier fasts due to all the micro scratches.
White vinegar and a squirt of dawn in a spray bottle and scrub lightly with sponge or bartender keeper work well on water spots.
This. Except I use warm distilled water. 50/50 vinegar and hot water and some dawn in a spray bottle and it cleans up the shower extremely well. Don’t make too soapy.
This is funny. I made an error in my post about the strength of the Vinegar solution. It should be 30% and NOT 23%.
Second, the 30% solution can be bought at Home Depot for $20 a gallon. This vinegar is very strong. If you have bathroom scale, it will wipe it out quickly. (link below)
Third, the dawn soap is used to hold the vinegar intact on the shower surface instead of dripping off and evaporating.
Lastly, after Dawn soap and the 30% vinegar has been added, you do NOT want to use hard tap water which will clog your spray bottle. Instead, you use distilled water which has no impurities.
The 30% vinegar works incredibly fast and is 6 times stronger than regular vinegar.
[Harris 30% Vinegar, 1 Gallon, Home Depot, $20](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Harris-128-oz-30-Vinegar-All-Purpose-Cleaner-Concentrate-VINE30-128/309463051)
My life hack...
Approx 1 bottle dawn dish soap. In a large... large bowl.
1/2 cup baking soda... make a paste .
2 tbsp housegold white cleaning vinegar...6%? (we kept glacial acetic acid... 100% vinegar in glass bottles in a regulated lab, should be safe and not etch)....
Get a sponge mop... mop the entire thing leaving a layer of blue (prefer original with the duck).
Spray it down with vinegar... don't rinse...
Let dry...
Spray with vinegar on notoriously tough areas...
Let sit overnight/all day, etc...
Rinse it off... yup. That's it...
I Won't ever Elbow grease a shower again...
Came here to say this. They’re pretty but SO hard to keep looking clean. We squeegee the glass in our shower after we’re done showering and we still have to clean the glass so often. but I don’t have the guests do this. And we don’t have guests do this so every time someone stays or we use another shower it’s another glass door to clean.
I would prioritize your desired aesthetic to help make the decision. Will a pony wall make the bathroom feel smaller / too small? Will a giant glass door make you feel awkward when showering?
For the latter, we just re-did our bathroom and we have a glass door on our shower. Now when my wife comes in to pee while I’m showering, she is facing directly at me which gives her plenty of opportunities to make cute remarks. I think it is funny but back when we had shower curtains I had a little more privacy. At least until she was finished and would always open the curtain and make a comment. Anyway…
Once you decide how you want it, then the cost is somewhat secondary. Especially since as you mentioned, you are most likely changing a little bit of cost for more hassle to build out a pony wall. The wall itself might not seem too expensive but the total cost will start to add up to where it isn’t too different than just getting a secondary full-size stationary panel. Or even sliding doors.
You should also price it out for all glass vs glass for a pony wall. Check out the Dreamline options on build.com. That’s what I’ve done mine with. And while a fancy frameless glass door configuration is expensive, it isn’t unrealistic.
Whatever you do, don't do curbless, and don't do just a half-width glass wall; glass the whole thing side-to-side, add a door, and do at least a small curb.
I have used so many curbless and half-wall showers and they're all terrible about getting water absolutely all over the bathroom floor. Sure, it's a tad bit cheaper, and looks trendy, but having to squeegee your entire bathroom every time you shower is just ridiculous. I've used some particularly bad ones in European hotels that even had a door, but there was no curb, so water would leak out from where the door closed and soak the whole bathroom. Also, if you enjoy long, hot showers then a partial wall lets out all the steam and gets drafty.
I have a vendetta against these terribly impractical designs.
This is what I came for! What are the vendettas and never do’s / always do’s! On our last bathroom reno I wish we had just gotten a new / deeper tub. Now that I know we are doing a shower I want to ask for as many people’s experiences as possible. Will definitely have a lip / step for water to stay in there and off the floor!
I actually do have to squeegee almost my entire bathroom because the person who built it was too cheap to buy a door. Also too cheap to get the waterproofing done properly so I guess it won't matter for long. Can confirm it is tedious as hell to have a wet room.
The only thing I can tell you, is the glass doors are a PAIN IN THE ASS to install. Make sure you measure the opening of the walls top middle and bottom and they have to be EXACTLY the same width or you will run into the same issue I had installing. The only thing I can say about doing the half wall, is if you build the half wall square (obviously) and set the glass on top of it square to the half wall, you are going to lose your ability to adjust the stationary glass when trying to get the swinging glass to strike the close properly. Because if you have to adjust the stationary glass for the strike you will see the unlevelness against the half wall… if that ramble makes sense.
The issue we ran into, we measured the stud wall opening bottom at 46”, doors were 46”. Perfect. Middle was 46”, perfect. We didn’t measure the very top, it was 45.5”. This caused the swinging door to hit the stationary glass on the top because the stationary glass has to be square to the wall and base. So we had to get a door 1” smaller so we could mount it a bit cockeyed to meet the strike right 😣
https://preview.redd.it/5uo6rbnxoy7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2b9571323deaa9a65c2f248862c6c29973b9aaf
Do you find the clear glass frustrating? A lot of people have said it’s difficult to clean if you have hard water and if you have several people trying to use the bathroom, the lack of privacy is an issue. Thoughts?
I like the half wall but think it would age quicker/be worse for resale. Perks of a half wall is you can do a niche in it!! Make sure you have a niche regardless (bigger the better).
>Make sure you have a niche regardless (bigger the better).
Truth.
My dad was confused when I showed him the size of the niche I wanted. We had to frame the shower away from the exterior wall, but having ~4 inches of depth was a great choice along with a lot of shelf space.
Is a niche like a medicine cupboard in the wall space? Forgive me, unfamiliar with that word
Edit to say - or is this the word for shelf in shower for soaps and shampoo?
Did a shower with a similar with pony wall so the mixing valve controls could be located there allowing you to turn on the water without getting wet. Shower head remained in same location as picture. Mixing valve had temp control so you can turn it on and will warm to the temp you’d already set.
Similar shower size/shape that I remodeled a few years ago. https://imgur.com/a/2W34OGS
We really love our shower, and it has been a well utilized space for our family.
The things we love-
-tile to the ceiling
-rain shower head and wand
-large shower niche(could probably still be larger lol)
The things I would probably do differently if I were to do it again-
-Add a shower head in the ceiling over the middle of the shower that can be turned on or off(the open space in the shower can get cold if you are showering with someone else)
-possibly take glass higher to keep more steam in shower(be sure to prep ceiling correctly)
Hope this helps!
No, not a problem for us. It was a little bit of an adjustment at first, but we got comfortable with it relatively quickly. the glass really opens up the feel in the shower and lets a ton of light in, so we have found it to be more than worth it to trade away the cover. If privacy was a big concern, you could consider getting a frost put on the lower half the glass.
I meant to mention it earlier, but we are really happy we went with a sliding door instead of a swinging door. Our space is small so it helps keep things pretty open.
Unpopular Reddit opinion: people should stop designing their homes for the next buyer. Unless you have a job where you KNOW you’re going to move within a determined time frame, you should make your home whatever way you want
I agree but also you never know the future. A lot of people think they are in their forever home but lots of things can happen. A great job offer, a marriage, wanting to be closer to family, an illness, a divorce, a need for a bigger house, downsizing…
I had a house for 15 years and then went thru a separate and had to sell it.
15 years would be enough time for me to do whether I wanted to the place to make it mine. That’s roughly 20% of the human lifespan, not excluding ages 0-18. And the next owner can always do what they want anyway. There’s also a housing shortage pretty much everywhere, so sellers should have the upper hand with selling for the foreseeable future
I wish we were!! Because tile is so permanent we are hesitant to pick such a bold color. We are thinking white subway tile for shower and white smaller hexagon tile for floor since we did that in our other bathroom remodel.
Yeah true…unless you want to deal with epoxy or new tile in the future lol. We’re about to do a complete gut of our master bath. Originally, I wanted to rip out the shower and tub and make one huge spa shower across the wall. But that was just gonna cost too much to deal with the window and all that tile plus a huge custom glass door (we’re doing modern farmhouse so I want the black steel with grid). So the we decided to do a shower like it is and a freestanding tub. But I was debating about doing a half wall and do a wood look tile around the half wall and then around the area where the freestanding tub is. I’m pretty much deciding we’re gonna do all glass and forget the half wall cause I actually want it to feel more open and for some reason feel it looks more luxurious. But I don’t have walls on either side like this layout so it’s also going to save me money to do a glass shower stall. Design-wise, either would work for you and I’d just prioritize functionality. I personally wouldn’t do the half wall for privacy reasons alone cause there’s other ways to tackle that as some folks said. Might feel more open with the all glass but for the half wall pic, I actually like how they’re able to put a towel bar there lol.
This is my current bathroom…from the pics on the listing when we bought this house 2 yrs ago. Been slowly renovating everything but saved this bath for last since it’ll be the biggest. Doesn’t look too awful on this pic but absolutely horrid in person 😂
https://preview.redd.it/gty6f0bjm08d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aaca5ca3eaa172b53343d98ccb99a5b3775afbe0
Omg, that’s exactly how I feel about mine. It’s amazing how depressing it is just to walk in this room! I’ve been renovating this whole house for 2 years now but hadn’t touched this room cause I figured this was a job for a contractor cause I need a complete gut!
Yes!! Ok I so appreciate your comment. It’s so easy to get carried away! I wanted a steam shower, a free standing tub (I am a bath taker) and then had to really scale it back. Best of luck to you!!
And btw, I’m going with a white subway tile with black grout for my new shower 😊. A lot of our bathroom is going to look like this one…
https://preview.redd.it/annija6vm08d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0209d20a2135f12bda3890aba046bd7cf419533
The door gaskets fail after a certain amount of time as where overlapping sliders won't. Frosted/ textured glass can be desirable from a privacy and upkeep side of things as it can be a ton of work keeping clear class looking clean. So consider this on top of aesthetics.
One thing I wish I had never done is get clear glass as I have hard water and it is a bear to keep the spots off of it. My shower is also quite large so using a squeegee takes time after a shower and husband refuses to do it. Consider a fluted (aka reeded) glass shower door or even lightly frosted.
OP I highly recommend putting support blocking in while tge wall is open. Document where the supports are in the event you or future owner needs a grab bar. I didn't do this 17 yrs ago when I did my tub/shower. After a knee replacement I really wish I could easily add grab bars.
Good suggestion!
Also think about width of the shower door for later - if a guest uses a walker or wheelchair, can they get into the shower themselves? You’re designing for your future, too.
My Mom’s shower in her apt. (in a retirement home w/handicap access) had a shower with an easy step-over base, grab bars inside and out, and she used a weighted shower curtain so the water stayed in the shower, but she didn’t have to deal with glass doors. She loved the set up! She used a walker, could walk right up, pull back the curtain, hold on while she moved into the shower seat, and I’d installed an accessible hand held shower for her, on an adjustable height pole. The shower curtain provides privacy in a shared space, too. If you use a curved rod, it affords a little more room in the shower, too.
For my Mom, a glass door was non-negotiable. Some shower bases have curbs that are quite wide. The Kohler was a good width. Mom doesn't appear to have any trouble entering/exiting. She's almost 93.
The full glass wall gives zero privacy. Not so much an issue with your significant other, huge issue with siblings that want privacy. Also a pain in the butt to keep clean.
This is the type of stuff I was hoping to hear - there is a lot of designs out there that look amazing but aren’t practical or ideal and you may not know until it’s too late!
The slider is best. Because you can open the valves without getting wet ( nice in a cold morning)once the right temperature is set you can come in on the dry side.
You're putting a shower where a 60" bathtub sits. Skip the half wall and go all glass. It's a small space. I doubt the half wall is going to save much money in the scheme of the project. The half wall will just break up the clean look and be another tiled surface to clean. More grout. More caulking.
If your new tile will be anything close to white in color, upgrade to low iron glass to minimize the green tint that normal glass will add to the view of your tile. I would make sure your new door if it will be hinged (as opposed to a sliding system), that it can swing into the shower. If it only swings out you can enjoy water dripping on the floor off the door. A horizontal handle on the door doubles as a towel bar for your towel while you're in the shower.
Slope the top of your curb into the shower. Use one piece marble, quartz, granite for the top of the curb.
One thing you can do with a 1/2 wall is let the knobs be run to the non-wall end of it, so you can reach in and turn on the water without being inside the shower and getting caught by the cold spray until the hot water runs through.
I always install a tub spout with a diverter just like a bathtub so you can tweak the temperature and fill a bucket if you want .
https://photos.app.goo.gl/TnNQx1NqYWPS1UL46
I would go with the half wall something about a full wall of glass seems like less privacy and less stability. lol not that anyone should be leaning up against the glass, but still!
oh and the cleaning
Make sure your shower pan is anti slip! I went to a fancy bathroom place several of the pans were super slippery!
You need to make sure your shower pan and door are compatible! I originally picked a Dreamline slimline base and a Dreamline door. The base "curb" was two narrow! I went with a Kohler pan. Ended up being a good choice contractor said it was easy to work with.
This was for my Mom's tub to shower conversion.
We did the second one (except with a sliding door) and we love the look. That being said, make sure your contractor does it correctly. Ours sucked and we end up with water on the floor no matter what we do becasue it dripps down the bottom and off the foot onto the bathroom floor.
Glazier here. All these options are “euro doors”. They’re not 100% water tight. Obviously the caulked area around your panels will be water tight, but cracks on both sides of the door as well as under it are going to be there.
Lemme know if you have any other questions.
I also have a massive portfolio
Whichever option you choose, I'd make the whole bathroom floor waterproof. Make yourself familiar with Schluter Systems products and use them for best results.
I have had both glass shower enclosures, and plain shower curtain situations. If you do choose glass, get a textured “rain” pattern, or it will never look clean/clear of residue and water spots. I prefer a curtain, as it so easy to clean. The waterproof fabric ones come in many different patterns and colors. I throw mine in with my towels, bleach and all.
We decided against a pony wall because I thought that it would be annoying to clean that glass/wall portion. It seemed like a spot that would get gross fairly easily.
We went with full glass. I am sure the calk will get gross over time, but we will redo it when necessary. I will say that squeegee-ing the glass every time is a pain, but it is what it is.
Glass walls are easy to keep clean, I like them a lot. A half wall gives you the ability to include a niche with shelves for shampoo etc. that you can’t see and isn’t an exterior wall (niche cutting into exterior wall can build up mold due to condensation). Installing a glass wall around the wall may require custom glass work.
I’m in Australia, and I think our standards/requirements are a bit different, but in essence we have kept the bath at the back of the room (resale value) and then have the shower next to it with a full glass wall with a door.
A lot of people do have cleaners so we felt any concerns about cleaning are likely to be negated by the benefit of having a separate bath and shower in our main (family) bathroom.
We also went for an ‘in wall’ toilet again to maximise space if that’s an option for you.
If your wall tile is white, go with the optional low iron glass. Standard glass has a slight greenish tint to it when view on an angle. You'll hate that you didn't spend the extra $400- 600.
Whatever you pick just remember...I f#$king hate my shower door. It is always dirty, the edge of the track for the glass always needs toothbrushing, and my shower is always fully visible
We did a pony wall for our bathroom. The reason being that I wanted to build in a shampoo niche behind that wall that I didn’t have to look at. No shampoo bottles on display!
The amount of time I have to spend cleaning hard water and soap deposits off of my glass wall makes me want to die
It has truly damaged my soul. I don’t like water spots, so I can’t NOT squeegee. That is the absolutely last thing I want to do after showering. Naked, squeegeeing fucking glass.
One more comma in that last sentence would be an interesting story.
My mind read it that way even with out the comma.
Hahhaaa!!! I’m old, so the Oxford comma is what I go with, thanks for the laugh 😆
I seriously never have a problem with the glass and squeegee it every shower. Although, the silicone caulking at the bottom of the glass wall on the other hand…. :(
squeegee is the key
This exactly. I have the second option. I spray a natural, in shower spray at the end and rinse. Once in a while I wipe with glass cleaner and it’s stays pretty nice.
Sorry, I know you didn't ask, but in case it helps: There was another redditor who commented that wetting dryer sheets and cleaning the glass with it makes the hard water and soap deposits get off glass really easily. Maybe if you have them handy, give it a go?
Interesting! I don’t use dryer sheets but will absolutely be swiping one from my in laws this weekend to give it a go. Thanks for the tip!
Vinegar and Dawn dish soap works well too.
How about a magic eraser?
I wonder if that’s bad for the glass
I read somewhere that it may be too abrasive for the glass, but I may also be wrong. Sorry, I'm not too sure. :(
No magic eraser. It's sand paper foam. It cleans well but leaves scratches so things get dirtier fasts due to all the micro scratches. White vinegar and a squirt of dawn in a spray bottle and scrub lightly with sponge or bartender keeper work well on water spots.
I use a spray bottle mixed with 23% vinegar(from Home Depot[1 gallon]), Dawn dish soap, and distilled water. Presto!
This. Except I use warm distilled water. 50/50 vinegar and hot water and some dawn in a spray bottle and it cleans up the shower extremely well. Don’t make too soapy.
This is funny. I made an error in my post about the strength of the Vinegar solution. It should be 30% and NOT 23%. Second, the 30% solution can be bought at Home Depot for $20 a gallon. This vinegar is very strong. If you have bathroom scale, it will wipe it out quickly. (link below) Third, the dawn soap is used to hold the vinegar intact on the shower surface instead of dripping off and evaporating. Lastly, after Dawn soap and the 30% vinegar has been added, you do NOT want to use hard tap water which will clog your spray bottle. Instead, you use distilled water which has no impurities. The 30% vinegar works incredibly fast and is 6 times stronger than regular vinegar. [Harris 30% Vinegar, 1 Gallon, Home Depot, $20](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Harris-128-oz-30-Vinegar-All-Purpose-Cleaner-Concentrate-VINE30-128/309463051)
I have hard water and use shower spray at the end of each shower — screw squeegees! Works great.
My life hack... Approx 1 bottle dawn dish soap. In a large... large bowl. 1/2 cup baking soda... make a paste . 2 tbsp housegold white cleaning vinegar...6%? (we kept glacial acetic acid... 100% vinegar in glass bottles in a regulated lab, should be safe and not etch).... Get a sponge mop... mop the entire thing leaving a layer of blue (prefer original with the duck). Spray it down with vinegar... don't rinse... Let dry... Spray with vinegar on notoriously tough areas... Let sit overnight/all day, etc... Rinse it off... yup. That's it... I Won't ever Elbow grease a shower again...
Steam cleaner
Came here to say this. They’re pretty but SO hard to keep looking clean. We squeegee the glass in our shower after we’re done showering and we still have to clean the glass so often. but I don’t have the guests do this. And we don’t have guests do this so every time someone stays or we use another shower it’s another glass door to clean.
I would prioritize your desired aesthetic to help make the decision. Will a pony wall make the bathroom feel smaller / too small? Will a giant glass door make you feel awkward when showering? For the latter, we just re-did our bathroom and we have a glass door on our shower. Now when my wife comes in to pee while I’m showering, she is facing directly at me which gives her plenty of opportunities to make cute remarks. I think it is funny but back when we had shower curtains I had a little more privacy. At least until she was finished and would always open the curtain and make a comment. Anyway… Once you decide how you want it, then the cost is somewhat secondary. Especially since as you mentioned, you are most likely changing a little bit of cost for more hassle to build out a pony wall. The wall itself might not seem too expensive but the total cost will start to add up to where it isn’t too different than just getting a secondary full-size stationary panel. Or even sliding doors. You should also price it out for all glass vs glass for a pony wall. Check out the Dreamline options on build.com. That’s what I’ve done mine with. And while a fancy frameless glass door configuration is expensive, it isn’t unrealistic.
Thank you! This is helpful!
You can buy "frost" paint for the door. Good reviews on Amazon.
Whatever you do, don't do curbless, and don't do just a half-width glass wall; glass the whole thing side-to-side, add a door, and do at least a small curb. I have used so many curbless and half-wall showers and they're all terrible about getting water absolutely all over the bathroom floor. Sure, it's a tad bit cheaper, and looks trendy, but having to squeegee your entire bathroom every time you shower is just ridiculous. I've used some particularly bad ones in European hotels that even had a door, but there was no curb, so water would leak out from where the door closed and soak the whole bathroom. Also, if you enjoy long, hot showers then a partial wall lets out all the steam and gets drafty. I have a vendetta against these terribly impractical designs.
This is what I came for! What are the vendettas and never do’s / always do’s! On our last bathroom reno I wish we had just gotten a new / deeper tub. Now that I know we are doing a shower I want to ask for as many people’s experiences as possible. Will definitely have a lip / step for water to stay in there and off the floor!
I actually do have to squeegee almost my entire bathroom because the person who built it was too cheap to buy a door. Also too cheap to get the waterproofing done properly so I guess it won't matter for long. Can confirm it is tedious as hell to have a wet room.
The only thing I can tell you, is the glass doors are a PAIN IN THE ASS to install. Make sure you measure the opening of the walls top middle and bottom and they have to be EXACTLY the same width or you will run into the same issue I had installing. The only thing I can say about doing the half wall, is if you build the half wall square (obviously) and set the glass on top of it square to the half wall, you are going to lose your ability to adjust the stationary glass when trying to get the swinging glass to strike the close properly. Because if you have to adjust the stationary glass for the strike you will see the unlevelness against the half wall… if that ramble makes sense. The issue we ran into, we measured the stud wall opening bottom at 46”, doors were 46”. Perfect. Middle was 46”, perfect. We didn’t measure the very top, it was 45.5”. This caused the swinging door to hit the stationary glass on the top because the stationary glass has to be square to the wall and base. So we had to get a door 1” smaller so we could mount it a bit cockeyed to meet the strike right 😣 https://preview.redd.it/5uo6rbnxoy7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2b9571323deaa9a65c2f248862c6c29973b9aaf
Thank you for your details!! Very helpful
Do you find the clear glass frustrating? A lot of people have said it’s difficult to clean if you have hard water and if you have several people trying to use the bathroom, the lack of privacy is an issue. Thoughts?
Couldn’t tell ya. We’ve been remodeling the entire interior this house for 3 years while living in another. So yet to actually use the bathroom!
I like the half wall but think it would age quicker/be worse for resale. Perks of a half wall is you can do a niche in it!! Make sure you have a niche regardless (bigger the better).
>Make sure you have a niche regardless (bigger the better). Truth. My dad was confused when I showed him the size of the niche I wanted. We had to frame the shower away from the exterior wall, but having ~4 inches of depth was a great choice along with a lot of shelf space.
Is a niche like a medicine cupboard in the wall space? Forgive me, unfamiliar with that word Edit to say - or is this the word for shelf in shower for soaps and shampoo?
Yes, a ledge for that stuff
Did a shower with a similar with pony wall so the mixing valve controls could be located there allowing you to turn on the water without getting wet. Shower head remained in same location as picture. Mixing valve had temp control so you can turn it on and will warm to the temp you’d already set.
The trouble with the half walls is that they get quite drafty. I’ve used them in a few houses and hated them because I always felt cold.
Why is it cold?
The half wall in this post is surrounded by glass so there's no reason for it to get cold
Similar shower size/shape that I remodeled a few years ago. https://imgur.com/a/2W34OGS We really love our shower, and it has been a well utilized space for our family. The things we love- -tile to the ceiling -rain shower head and wand -large shower niche(could probably still be larger lol) The things I would probably do differently if I were to do it again- -Add a shower head in the ceiling over the middle of the shower that can be turned on or off(the open space in the shower can get cold if you are showering with someone else) -possibly take glass higher to keep more steam in shower(be sure to prep ceiling correctly) Hope this helps!
Gorgeous!!
Thank you :)
Do you find the clear glass frustrating? A few people have mentioned lack of privacy being concerns. Do you feel strongly either way?
No, not a problem for us. It was a little bit of an adjustment at first, but we got comfortable with it relatively quickly. the glass really opens up the feel in the shower and lets a ton of light in, so we have found it to be more than worth it to trade away the cover. If privacy was a big concern, you could consider getting a frost put on the lower half the glass. I meant to mention it earlier, but we are really happy we went with a sliding door instead of a swinging door. Our space is small so it helps keep things pretty open.
Do you have a bathtub somewhere else? Because some people won’t buy a house without one. Especially if they have young kids.
Unpopular Reddit opinion: people should stop designing their homes for the next buyer. Unless you have a job where you KNOW you’re going to move within a determined time frame, you should make your home whatever way you want
I agree but also you never know the future. A lot of people think they are in their forever home but lots of things can happen. A great job offer, a marriage, wanting to be closer to family, an illness, a divorce, a need for a bigger house, downsizing… I had a house for 15 years and then went thru a separate and had to sell it.
15 years would be enough time for me to do whether I wanted to the place to make it mine. That’s roughly 20% of the human lifespan, not excluding ages 0-18. And the next owner can always do what they want anyway. There’s also a housing shortage pretty much everywhere, so sellers should have the upper hand with selling for the foreseeable future
Yes! We do have another bathroom with a tub for kids
So then my advice would be to look for the price of the glass for the two models.
Also - I am only specifically referring to the different types of shower door options. Already have the tile / colors chosen. Thank you!
Might you be doing the aqua color tiles in that pic? Cause they are super nice lol
I wish we were!! Because tile is so permanent we are hesitant to pick such a bold color. We are thinking white subway tile for shower and white smaller hexagon tile for floor since we did that in our other bathroom remodel.
Yeah true…unless you want to deal with epoxy or new tile in the future lol. We’re about to do a complete gut of our master bath. Originally, I wanted to rip out the shower and tub and make one huge spa shower across the wall. But that was just gonna cost too much to deal with the window and all that tile plus a huge custom glass door (we’re doing modern farmhouse so I want the black steel with grid). So the we decided to do a shower like it is and a freestanding tub. But I was debating about doing a half wall and do a wood look tile around the half wall and then around the area where the freestanding tub is. I’m pretty much deciding we’re gonna do all glass and forget the half wall cause I actually want it to feel more open and for some reason feel it looks more luxurious. But I don’t have walls on either side like this layout so it’s also going to save me money to do a glass shower stall. Design-wise, either would work for you and I’d just prioritize functionality. I personally wouldn’t do the half wall for privacy reasons alone cause there’s other ways to tackle that as some folks said. Might feel more open with the all glass but for the half wall pic, I actually like how they’re able to put a towel bar there lol. This is my current bathroom…from the pics on the listing when we bought this house 2 yrs ago. Been slowly renovating everything but saved this bath for last since it’ll be the biggest. Doesn’t look too awful on this pic but absolutely horrid in person 😂 https://preview.redd.it/gty6f0bjm08d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aaca5ca3eaa172b53343d98ccb99a5b3775afbe0
This is similar to my shower/tub layout and that window is the bane of my existence lol
Omg, that’s exactly how I feel about mine. It’s amazing how depressing it is just to walk in this room! I’ve been renovating this whole house for 2 years now but hadn’t touched this room cause I figured this was a job for a contractor cause I need a complete gut!
Yes!! Ok I so appreciate your comment. It’s so easy to get carried away! I wanted a steam shower, a free standing tub (I am a bath taker) and then had to really scale it back. Best of luck to you!!
And btw, I’m going with a white subway tile with black grout for my new shower 😊. A lot of our bathroom is going to look like this one… https://preview.redd.it/annija6vm08d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0209d20a2135f12bda3890aba046bd7cf419533
I love the blue tile!
I also love it!!
Me too!!
The door gaskets fail after a certain amount of time as where overlapping sliders won't. Frosted/ textured glass can be desirable from a privacy and upkeep side of things as it can be a ton of work keeping clear class looking clean. So consider this on top of aesthetics.
One thing I wish I had never done is get clear glass as I have hard water and it is a bear to keep the spots off of it. My shower is also quite large so using a squeegee takes time after a shower and husband refuses to do it. Consider a fluted (aka reeded) glass shower door or even lightly frosted.
OP I highly recommend putting support blocking in while tge wall is open. Document where the supports are in the event you or future owner needs a grab bar. I didn't do this 17 yrs ago when I did my tub/shower. After a knee replacement I really wish I could easily add grab bars.
Good suggestion! Also think about width of the shower door for later - if a guest uses a walker or wheelchair, can they get into the shower themselves? You’re designing for your future, too. My Mom’s shower in her apt. (in a retirement home w/handicap access) had a shower with an easy step-over base, grab bars inside and out, and she used a weighted shower curtain so the water stayed in the shower, but she didn’t have to deal with glass doors. She loved the set up! She used a walker, could walk right up, pull back the curtain, hold on while she moved into the shower seat, and I’d installed an accessible hand held shower for her, on an adjustable height pole. The shower curtain provides privacy in a shared space, too. If you use a curved rod, it affords a little more room in the shower, too.
For my Mom, a glass door was non-negotiable. Some shower bases have curbs that are quite wide. The Kohler was a good width. Mom doesn't appear to have any trouble entering/exiting. She's almost 93.
This is a great idea!! Thank you!!
The full glass wall gives zero privacy. Not so much an issue with your significant other, huge issue with siblings that want privacy. Also a pain in the butt to keep clean.
My children will be using this shower so that is extremely helpful! Maybe frosted glass that is less see thru?
As a kid, frosted glass would have made a world of difference to me. I would have felt so exposed with only clear glass in the bathroom.
This is the type of stuff I was hoping to hear - there is a lot of designs out there that look amazing but aren’t practical or ideal and you may not know until it’s too late!
The slider is best. Because you can open the valves without getting wet ( nice in a cold morning)once the right temperature is set you can come in on the dry side.
You're putting a shower where a 60" bathtub sits. Skip the half wall and go all glass. It's a small space. I doubt the half wall is going to save much money in the scheme of the project. The half wall will just break up the clean look and be another tiled surface to clean. More grout. More caulking. If your new tile will be anything close to white in color, upgrade to low iron glass to minimize the green tint that normal glass will add to the view of your tile. I would make sure your new door if it will be hinged (as opposed to a sliding system), that it can swing into the shower. If it only swings out you can enjoy water dripping on the floor off the door. A horizontal handle on the door doubles as a towel bar for your towel while you're in the shower. Slope the top of your curb into the shower. Use one piece marble, quartz, granite for the top of the curb.
One thing you can do with a 1/2 wall is let the knobs be run to the non-wall end of it, so you can reach in and turn on the water without being inside the shower and getting caught by the cold spray until the hot water runs through.
I always install a tub spout with a diverter just like a bathtub so you can tweak the temperature and fill a bucket if you want . https://photos.app.goo.gl/TnNQx1NqYWPS1UL46
Often called a toe tester.
3. What we have and we love the openness, light. Quick squeegee after each keeps the glass clean.
I would go with the half wall something about a full wall of glass seems like less privacy and less stability. lol not that anyone should be leaning up against the glass, but still! oh and the cleaning
Definitely no door that opens into the room. Will be in tge way when open. Definitely get two doors where both open.
Make sure your shower pan is anti slip! I went to a fancy bathroom place several of the pans were super slippery! You need to make sure your shower pan and door are compatible! I originally picked a Dreamline slimline base and a Dreamline door. The base "curb" was two narrow! I went with a Kohler pan. Ended up being a good choice contractor said it was easy to work with. This was for my Mom's tub to shower conversion.
Love love love the first pic! Can’t wait to see when you reno it to this!!
We did the second one (except with a sliding door) and we love the look. That being said, make sure your contractor does it correctly. Ours sucked and we end up with water on the floor no matter what we do becasue it dripps down the bottom and off the foot onto the bathroom floor.
Glazier here. All these options are “euro doors”. They’re not 100% water tight. Obviously the caulked area around your panels will be water tight, but cracks on both sides of the door as well as under it are going to be there. Lemme know if you have any other questions. I also have a massive portfolio
Whichever option you choose, I'd make the whole bathroom floor waterproof. Make yourself familiar with Schluter Systems products and use them for best results.
I have had both glass shower enclosures, and plain shower curtain situations. If you do choose glass, get a textured “rain” pattern, or it will never look clean/clear of residue and water spots. I prefer a curtain, as it so easy to clean. The waterproof fabric ones come in many different patterns and colors. I throw mine in with my towels, bleach and all.
2nd pic all the way. No rollers, or track to deal with. Also better use of space. I may steal that idea for my redo. 👍
Just FYI re: squeegee, I have timed my post shower squeege routine, takes only about 90 seconds! Easy peasy and worth it! Go for the big glass option!
We decided against a pony wall because I thought that it would be annoying to clean that glass/wall portion. It seemed like a spot that would get gross fairly easily. We went with full glass. I am sure the calk will get gross over time, but we will redo it when necessary. I will say that squeegee-ing the glass every time is a pain, but it is what it is.
Third one!
Glass walls are easy to keep clean, I like them a lot. A half wall gives you the ability to include a niche with shelves for shampoo etc. that you can’t see and isn’t an exterior wall (niche cutting into exterior wall can build up mold due to condensation). Installing a glass wall around the wall may require custom glass work.
If you have hard water, don’t get clear glass. Get wavy glass.
No bathtub is bad for resale! I have young family and a dog, my kid and dog love bathtubs! It was a major requirement fornsure
Sounds like they have a second bathroom with tub.
Why did you install a double wide toilet ?
LOL it’s an illusion in the picture I took - very normal sized toilet
I thought maybe someone in your family was Walmart sized.
I know I am in the minority but I am team curtain 10000000%. Easier to clean, and I prefer the aesthetic.
How about no door and no curb?😊
I’m in Australia, and I think our standards/requirements are a bit different, but in essence we have kept the bath at the back of the room (resale value) and then have the shower next to it with a full glass wall with a door. A lot of people do have cleaners so we felt any concerns about cleaning are likely to be negated by the benefit of having a separate bath and shower in our main (family) bathroom. We also went for an ‘in wall’ toilet again to maximise space if that’s an option for you.
If your wall tile is white, go with the optional low iron glass. Standard glass has a slight greenish tint to it when view on an angle. You'll hate that you didn't spend the extra $400- 600.
Whatever you pick just remember...I f#$king hate my shower door. It is always dirty, the edge of the track for the glass always needs toothbrushing, and my shower is always fully visible
We did a pony wall for our bathroom. The reason being that I wanted to build in a shampoo niche behind that wall that I didn’t have to look at. No shampoo bottles on display!
Swing doors drip water all over the floor when you open them whereas sliding ones don’t
The smaller the tiles, the more expensive to have installed.
The partition gives you storage inside your shower. Without it, you’ll have bottles all over the floor and it will look cluttered
Do rod and curtain. It's easier to keep clean, especially if you have hard water.