Bathroom Ideas

[sadbunny]

Do you mind sharing the ballpark cost for the shower redo? We wouldn't need to redo anything else (sinks, vanity, etc.). So it would be removal of tub, putting in a new shower with glass doors (I know they are crazy expensive since we recently redid a different shower), and new faucet (something fancy like at this hotel would be awesome--separate controls for temperature and for water power).

We removed the tub and replaced it with shower with glass doors about two years ago. It was $4300 and didn't include flooring (we replaced the whole house so it was a different budget). We got hex white tile on the floor with gray grout and large gray tiles on the walls also with gray grout and I LOVE the grout - it never looks dirty. We're in the Nashville area.

[marinkitty]

For my boys' bathroom we did inset medicine cabinets and put outlets in them. Best idea ever for electric toothbrushes and shavers as they've gotten older. Also utilizes space in the walls. DD's bathroom also has a medicine cabinet with an outlet but she doesn't seem to use hers - she has outlets on the vanity top and uses those for her toothbrush and clarisonic and hair stuff, so depends on the kid I suppose. We put a bench seat into DD's shower and she loves having that for shaving her legs. And a niche in the wall for her shampoo/conditioner etc. The kids also LOVE their shower heads - we went with the Highgate exposed ones from Waterworks (I think they make a standard one where just the shower head pops out of the wall too) - I think its a 6" head that lets a ton of water through and they are all crazy about them. One other thing we've done in each bathroom is swap out the seat that comes with the toilet for a soft close wooden one - much nicer! I'm a fan of the Toto Promenade toilets - we now have six of them in our house! And hooks. I feel like having an extra hook or two for a towel or robe is nice. I originally didn't have one in the boys' bathroom right next to the shower and I added it later so that they don't have to reach across the room to grab their towel when they get out. And if you are doing a tile floor, do a soft gray grout vs. a white. Way less upkeep!

[JdrKuhnert]

We finished a complete remodel of our 1913 house last year. For the bathroom tile, we went fairly classic with faceted subway tiles. Towels, paint color and such can easily be changed as styles change, but tile and fixtures cannot. We replaced the toilets with hanging toilets. They are easier to clean under and around.
One important recommendation came from the tile installer. He recommended light gray grout. Too often, he gets called by clients with white grout complaining of the grout yellowing. I had my heart set on an all white look, but am glad we followed his advice. The gray isn't noticeable.
The electrician recommended motion sensors on the hall and stair lights for nighttime trips to the bathroom. I'm not a fan. The lights time out if you're not near the motion switch. It's annoying if you're doing a project and the lights keep turning off. My husband found out the hard way when he was painting. Our sensors are sensitive and turn the lights on when we are in our bedrooms.

[StantonHyde]

I am totally with you on the grout!!! We live in a desert so we will be looking at reduced water use toilets. And the standard water shower output is good. I don't want low water shower shower heads -ugh. More outlets--will have to see how to make that happen with the kids bathroom. They just have one in there now. Fortunately, there are no electric toothbrushes or shavers, but hair dryers and a curling iron, so the more the merrier. I just like the convenience of having an outlet where I need one.