placement of hand-held shower?

13 years ago

We just had our meeting with the plumber for our new build construction.

I need some help with the master shower. It is going to be 3x5 and have a mounted head and a hand-held shower wand on a pivot. The mounted one will be really high Â like at 7 feet. My Hubby is 6Â6" so he wants to be comfortable when showering.

Here is my question: Where should I put the other shower head? Under the mounted one at my height? On the opposite wall?

Thanks

Stacey

Featured Answer

susanelewis

13 years ago

I second the suggestion for one handheld shower on a bar that could easily be positioned high enough for your husband and low enough for you. If you go with a reputable plumbing company, you will find the pressure is exactly the same from the handheld as the fixed shower. The way you suggested it will be fine for your husband, but the fixed shower might be less than desirable for you. And a handheld on a pivot gives you ONE height position for your shower.

In all our bathrooms, we have handhelds on a bar and I regularly adjust the position of it according to whether I am washing my hair that day in the shower. In another bath, my 6'2" son had one position for him and his 5'10" brother then lowered it for himself. Now that my older son is married and has a little boy, when my grandson comes to visit when he is a bit older, we can adjust is down to the lowest level for the little guy.

The bar is the best!!!

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Comments (6)

wi-sailorgirl
13 years ago
I wouldn't put it directly under the mounted showerhead because it could interrupt the water flow or your husband could knock it with his head. I guess I'd either do the opposite wall or off to the side on the same wall as the showerhead. Have you given any thought mounting the handheld on a slide bar?
pricklypearcactus
13 years ago
Are you intending to use the hand held shower while it's mounted on the wall or only in your hand? I put our new shower head at 7' as well (for my 6'3" significant other who has always had to crouch under our 6' shower heads). I put the hand held shower about 1.5' to the left of center on the same wall at a level that felt comfortable to reach but looked aesthetically pleasing. This ended up being about shoulder level for me. I have no intention of using it as main shower head for me, so it was more important that the mounting bracket was out of the way and easy to reach.

One thing to note (that I didn't realize until installation and tile was already complete) is how your hand shower is operated. Is there a diverter on the shower head itself? On mine, there is a diverter switch just above the shower head (between the arm coming out of the wall and the head itself) that switches to the hand shower. At 5'6" I can reach the switch, but if my 5'1" mother came to visit, I'm not certain she could. Just be aware of this when you're considering your installation (depending on your height).
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busymombuilder
Original Author
13 years ago
thanks for the insight. I am not thrilled with the look of the bar for the handheld but you guys really make a good case for getting one.
The diverter switch will be right above the main on/off faucet-thing so reaching it wont be an issue.
If the main head is mounted really high and I put the handhelp a few feet lower and off center a bit would it hit my hubby in the shoulders and still be OK for a main shower for me?
Hope Im making an ounce of sense here.
susanelewis
13 years ago
Well it's really your decision on whether you want to trade form for function. In my case, I have never thought a bar looked badly. It simply never crossed my mind.

When we built, I wanted a bar pretty badly because I came from the exact situation you were considering and I hated it. When I diverted to the handheld, the power of the spray spun the handheld around on the pivet point and I had to make sure I had it in my hand when I diverted the water. I never could use the handheld as shower head on the pivot because it wasnt in the right spot. We had four people using one shower and nothing was ever in the right spot for any of us. It was a no-brainer for us that we would never get ourselves in that "fixed position" again.

With the handheld on the bar, you save yourself the cost of a showerhead PLUS a handheld. We were then able to afford a quality company, Grohe, for one of our baths. We did make a huge mistake in choosing Moen for our master bath, however. We have had nothing but problems. We only chose them originally because the polished brass (very desirable at that time) was more affordable...now I know why....
hudsonleigh
13 years ago
I really didn't want a bar for the handheld in my kids bath because I thought it would be too busy....too many "things" on that one wall. But then the idiot plumber mounted the pivot bracket too high for my kids to reach safely in the shower, so I had it taken down and replaced with a bar. I love it now....it's so much easier when the kids can adjust it to their own heights, and it really isn't too busy. We have the wall mount, the handheld on the bar, plus the on/off & the diverter, and the tub spout; it's a standard 5'x32" tub/shower combo.

In your case, I would think off to the side and lower should be fine for both of you.