Please offer feedback!

11 years ago

I have a small shower footprint to work with. The space between the half wall and where the shower head will be is 34". ( I posted 24" by accident. thanks for catching that!)The long space between back wall, where niche is and opening of where glass door will be is 42". Of course, it would be better if shower head were on back wall, but I understand it is against code to have shower head facing door. As you look over half wall into shower, that is the view walking into the bathroom. might look nicer to have niche opposite of half wall, but that is an exterior wall and I understand that this is also against code. I want(ed) to do it right, so no issues come up when I sell, which won't me for several years. But I am thinking the way it is may be 1) too claustrophobic and 2) nicer to see niche rather than showerhead when you walk in.
As I see it there are 3 options. 1). Leave it. 2). Trade shower head and niche walls. 3). Move shower head to above niche and place handle below niche. ( using elbow pipes I guess). What do you think? Seems I can only upload 1 picture, so will post again now with other view

This post was edited by randekasp on Sat, Mar 16, 13 at 2:04

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Comments (8)

randekasp
Original Author
11 years ago
Pic not showing up
randekasp
Original Author
11 years ago
Another view
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dekeoboe
11 years ago
Is a 24" shower even allowed by code? I'm small and 24" would be really claustrophobic even for me. I think your elbows would constantly be hitting the walls.
randekasp
Original Author
11 years ago
Holy cow! Not 24 inches, 34! Thank you for catching that!!!
treasuretheday
11 years ago
I'm not completely sure that I understand the options that you are describing but one thing I'd mention to keep in mind that, although niches are often a nice decorative accent and look great in inspiration pictures, the reality is that once you fill them with bottles of shampoo, etc., they tend to look like visual clutter. Although I love the look of my niches, I put them on two walls where they would not be seen from outside the shower.
abfabamy
11 years ago
Niches really are at their most attractive when empty. I vote for putting a large niche in the ponywall and an attractive faucet shower head set on the back wall.
MongoCT
11 years ago
There is no code restriction the prohibits a niche being on an exterior wall. It's more from the idea that you lose insulation within the wall and the niche can be a cold spot due to heat loss through the less-insulated niche.

If someone desperately wants a niche on an exterior wall, then I recommend padding out the niche with polyiso insulation behind the niche. It's R-6 per inch, and it works best if you have a 2x6 wall to pull it off. You can still meet the R-restrictions that way.

Two things though...you have plumbing on the exterior wall, and you're in zone 10, in CA. Your restrictions are certainly different than mine here in New England.

Before tackling the shower design/layout itself, I'd be tempted address the bathroom layout as a whole. I don't know what the overall bathroom layout is, but based on what I can see, I'd consider trying to separate the shower door from being right next to what appears to be an exterior door.

You could add a full-height partition wall between the exterior door and the shower. That would go where your current shower door is supposed to go. The full-height/pony wall? I'd leave the full-height part, but demo the pony wall part. Where the pony wall is, that'd be my shower entry.

I do see the toilet flange in the floor on the other side of that full height/pony wall, so that might nix that idea of the entry being on that same wall. I'd at least consider a neo/corner entry though.

But if I was contemplating resale, the shower door right next to what looks like an exterior door? That would have to change.

Again, if I'm misreading the photos, my apologies.

Addressing the shower "as is"? Yeah, it's really up to you. It's okay "as is", and flipping fixtures and niches to other walls? It'll still pretty much be okay then too.

If you're a stickler for things lining up, if you're replumbing, consider having the shower head line up with the shower valve. Right now it looks like it's offset by a few inches. Depending on the tile you choose, that offset can be disguised or accentuated by tile size, grout lines, etc.
mydreamhome
11 years ago
If you're looking for that 'WOW' factor in the shower when you enter the room, you could do a decorative section of tile on that long wall and move the shower head & controls to the opposite wall just shy of where the wall goes to a 1/2 wall. You could do a nice basket weave tile design or a mosaic to really make a statement on that long wall. Our shower layout is very similar to what I describe (minus the decorative section) and it works well--I posted a pic below to give you a visual.

Generally, you don't want plumbing in an exterior wall if at all possible. If something goes wrong or you need to get to the plumbing in the wall, your options are 1) rip out the shower tile or 2) rip out a chunk of your house's exterior.

Hope this helps!