Starting With a Small Change in Your Own Bathroom
There are numerous ways to positively impact the environment, and one of them is by starting in your own bathroom. There are a broad range of home technologies that doesn’t compromise on style. If you happen to be considering a bathroom renovation, particularly installing a walk in shower, then this guide will help you make the best possible choice to complete your bathroom renovation.
It is so easy to get confused out there with so many options in the market. But by knowing a few key tips, you can find the best walk in shower that provides you the eco-friendly specs. Whether you’re on the quest for a prefabricated unit or a custom job order, one thing is for sure, installing a walk in shower in your bathroom will make it look larger. The reason is this creates an optical illusion of adding more space; at the same time, it gives your bathroom a steam-line and clean look.
Furthermore, those who prefer to take quick showers to long soaks in the bathtub will benefit from having this unit installed. However, before you rip out your old, traditional bathtub, it is critical to read up on possible designs, what installation entails, and how much it costs to get this done. You need to find a reputable supplier like us at Eco Minded Solutions so that you’re guaranteed to receive nothing but the best products that do not compromise the environment. By thinking about these things, you set your project up for complete success.
The Perks of Installing a Walk in Shower
Unlike those standard stalls you often see, these walk-in showers won’t require you to install a curtain, a curtain rod, or a door to deter any water from spraying out. Because of this, your bathroom will have a more spacious ambiance because it is open. With no doors or curtains to block your eyes, you get this optical illusion that there is more area in your bathroom, even if there are no concrete changes in the actual floor area.
Consider these: prefabricated units have shallow curvatures that will prevent the excess water from messing up and making a puddle on your bathroom floor, and we have crafted custom walk-in designs without any curbs. The latter style has no slope at all on the floor, which translates to better accessibility, especially for those who are not mobile or those with issues on their joints that find it difficult to bend their knees.
Moreover, we outfit walk-in showers with a standard multi-nozzle spray. We base this on your preference, and you can choose to have us install a maximum of ten spray nozzles in your walk-in. All of these will direct the water all over your body, ensuring you are squeaky clean.
Most of all, a walk-in shower conserves more water than a long soak in the tub. You will be saving Mother Nature if you don’t waste water. On top of that, this means less fuel burned because you consume less amounts of heated hot water for your bath. A shower is always much quicker than a long soak in the tub.
Possible Drawbacks of Going All Walk-in
If you are thinking of taking out the tub in all your bathrooms and converting them into all walk-in showers, you may need to hold your horses. Ideally, your house must have a standard sized tub for it to be tagged as a having a full bathroom, so the resale value of your home will not be affected.
It is known in the real estate industry that home appraisers and agents give the labels of the bathrooms based on their amenities. For your house to be tagged as possessing full bath, it needs to have a tub. They will only give your walk in shower the value of being a 3/4 bath.
Some of the things you should think of when you’re thinking of taking the plunge and converting to a walk in shower are the following:
- If you have smaller children, you may find it more difficult to bathe babies, toddlers, and even younger kids without a tab. A tub bath is just so much easier.
- Your open walk in shower will give you less privacy because you’ll have no curtains or door attachments.
- Having no door or curtain may make you feel cold because the draft can enter.
Freedom to Pick and Choose the Design
First things first, you must accept that your plans will be limited by the actual floor area of your bathroom. As much as you want to put in a big walk in shower, you must choose what can fit within the specs of your existing bathroom. You still have a lot of say in choosing your custom walk in shower design. You can still do the following in these important areas during your remodeling process:
- You can choose the material, color, and kind of tile you’re going to use for your floors and walls. You can mix and match, and ultimately, choose the design which strikes your fancy.
- You have the power to install glass paneling if you want to. You can even put in a whole glass blocks on one side or all sides.
- You have the freedom to choose the shape or pattern. Geometric shapes like squares, rectangles, or hexagon lines are en vogue, but you can also opt to have any wall shape, even a curvature on the wall. The choice is in your hands as long as you have ample floor space.
Of course, there are certain limits to that freedom, and here are a few considerations that you must think of to ensure that your walk in shower project will be a success. Here are some possible limitations:
- It is important to note that you are required by standard building code to have at least 30 inches of a free area where you can easily ambulate and move around between the fixtures. Be sure that when you craft your walk in shower project, you and your family will have ample space to walk between your new shower to your vanity mirror by the sink or your toilet.
- If you are living with a person with disabilities, you need to create a shower that complies with the standards of the ADA or the Americans with Disabilities Act. To ensure that you are on the right track, you must also double-check with your local building authorities if they require you to follow any supplementary building codes. The ADA requires that you must have a minimum of 36 by 36 inches of space for any walk in shower if you have building it for someone who is disabled. This unit must also feature an attached bench to one side of the wall for sitting purposes. If you choose not to install the bench, the mentioned size is still fairly good. However, if you intend to fit a standard sized roll-in chair for shower purposes, your walk-in must have the bare minimum specs of 30 by 60 inches as this permits easy access, so your disabled loved one can move around within the space without any difficulties.
The Cost and Working Budget Estimates
If you want don’t want to spend a lot of money and go for the cheapest method, then getting a prefabricated walk in shower kit is the way to get this project done. This will set you back somewhere between $800 and $2,500 depending on your prefab’s specs, measurements, brand, and overall quality.
It is also important to note that if you do install your own shower pan or any doors, you are actually saving more money. However, this means you need to have some knowledge on how to get the plumbing done or the frames of the shower area constructed. If you don’t know how to do these, then you must prepare for another $750 to $2,500. The price is dependent on your walk-in shower’s layout and your plumbing requirements.
The other method is the customize shower. This is a job that is strictly for professionals. Because you need experts who have been training in this field, prepare for more money because this will be more costly than installing your own prefab walk in shower kit.
With this option, the shower pan is manually and painstakingly shaped by the hands from fresh concrete. From there, it is coated by a waterproof membrane to keep it free from water damage. this is then followed by the installation of tiles. You may need to consider additional plumbing because this is critical for adding nozzles in that aim at different directions of your body.
On top of that, you will need to fork out more money for wall construction, which will include the installation of concrete-backer boards. These boards have the important job of holding up your chosen tiles in place. If you choose to add sidewalls made out of glass, which are a lot thicker than the standard type of glass sheet, then expect the cost to jump even more. Depending on the final specs of your project and your chosen materials, your customized shower can cost from $6,500 to $15,000. If you choose expensive imported materials from Europe, it will cost even more.
Things to Expect During Installation
Taking out your old bathtub and renovating to get a new walk-in is no walk in the park. Expect to have some bit of inconvenience as workers come to your home. Of course, while the project is on-going, you can’t use this bathroom. Thus, plan accordingly and manage your expectations. To give you a general idea, here are some project details:
- Your old bath tub and wall board shall be demolished and and thrown away.
- They may add new wall framing if needed to make room for the new configuration of your shower.
- They may do mechanical changes, which includes installation of new water lines for the showerhead, nozzles, or faucets. They also need to position these properly with regards to the drain. If you chose an overhead shower light, you will need to call in an electrician.
- They will install moisture-resistant wallboards over the wall studs.
- Expect the installation of the shower pan. A prefab will be quicker because they need to set it and attach it to the frames. A customized shower pan will take longer because they will manually mold it by hand from concrete.
- They will deck customer shower walls with tiles. If it is a prefab, they will need to spend a bit more hours to place what is known as the wall surround.
- The workers will put-in fixtures, nozzles, shower head, faucet handles, and drain cover.
- The final step is adding panels of wall made out of glass. This is the last step because you don’t want this to chip or break while you’re still doing work.
Walk in Shower Maintenance Tips
Since you’ve taken great pains to remodel your bathroom for the sake of using less water for the ultimate benefit of protecting Mother Earth, you must also take good care of your new investment. Here are a few maintenance tips to make sure your walk in shower stays in tip-top shape.
- Use an exhaust fan to take away excess moisture and humidity that causes mold.
- Utilize a shower caddy that has an opening in the bottom to hold containers of your shampoo, conditioner, bath soaps so these will not leave marks on your tiles and leave a disgusting residue.
- Make use of a daily shower spray and lightly spray on walls after every shower to break down soap residue. This prevents the formation of yucky soap scum and disgusting hard water marks due to the deposits that will form in time.
- Remove excess water on tie walls with a squeegee to dry the walls faster and prevent mildew.
- Spray once weekly with an all or multi-purpose cleaner and use a stiff nylon brush to clean grout.
- Keep glass sparkling clean by using a store bought glass cleaner and wiping with a soft cloth.
- Re-seal grout every bi-yearly for maximum protection and prevention of mildew and water stains.
Contact Eco-Minded Solutions for Your Walk in Shower Needs
As you can see, there are several things that you must consider before you undertake this kind of project. Shifting your old bathtub and morphing it into a walk in shower will take a lot of work and some money. Be sure you’re ready to undertake this renovation before starting your project.
If you do choose this option of remodeling, you will experience numerous benefits. The best advantage of picking a walk in shower is that you waste less water. This may seem like a minimal change but doing this will have a cumulative positive impact on the environment.
If you want to have a beautiful walk in shower that truly takes the earth’s welfare to heart, then you must get in touch with us at Eco Minded Solutions to help you out. We offer a free consultation for you. Our name alone speaks volumes about our commitment to providing you the best home improvement technologies that are all eco-friendly.
