Enclosed Showers – More Comfortable & More Efficient
 

I think most of us know that showers are a fairly decent energy hog. We try to make them better by installing low flow shower heads, turning the water off while soaping up, or using a timer to get you out of the shower quicker. These are great things and do save a [...]Post from: EcoRenovator.org

Enclosed Showers – More Comfortable & More Efficient



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Thanks for that post. As a new homeowner, this is something I will definitely look into.

Its something I've been wanting to do for a while. It just seems to make sense.

One of those domes would be so great in the winter! Great idea!

Does anyone make them in the USA??

The instructables article had links to these two other sites:

Bathroom Products
Steam Shower Doors & Enclosures - Steam Showers | Steam Showers | Artistcraft Shower Doors

I'd like to do this, but I can't figure out how to make it work with my freestanding tub, which has shower curtains all around.

I'd imagine the best solution would be to get a sliding door for it. Or, just do like the instructables guy did and use plastic film. You could have the hard plexi/lexan top and then drape the plastic film on the inside of the shower curtain. It wouldn't be perfect, but much better I'm sure. Then, just slide your curtains all the way to the sides as much as you can while showering.

Wet Room...
 

Not at all off topic is the bathroom (actually 'wet room') that I have been working on for some months now.

At 700 sq. ft., my house is fairly small, so anything I can do to conserve space makes a big difference.

I'm not one who thinks that a bathroom is a tropical luxury paradise that can be an escape from worries and cares. I discovered a Scandinavian approach which combines all the bathroom functions into one efficient space commonly called a 'wet room'. Since the room is a shower, the floor and walls need to be water tight. This is accomplished by using a waterproof plastic membrane, sandwiched between layers of concrete, and topped with tile.

So here's a photo of the room, shot from the ceiling. The dimensions of the room is 32 inches wide by 52 inches long by 84 inches high. That's about 50% larger than a phone booth (remember phone booths?).


A. This is where the sink goes. I found a very stylish small sink with a nicely finished waste line, so it will be nice looking. To the upper-right of the "A" is water inlet and sink waste out.

B. This is the bathroom drain. For the finished floor, I figured .25 inch to the foot minimum slope.

C. Not part of the room exactly, this is a plastic pipe that carries phone & data cables from the 2nd floor to the basement.

D. Installed, but hardly visible is a water line for the Toto Washlet which will mount on the toilet. I decided to go with the Japanese convention and not heat the bathroom, The shower will provide enough warmth for the floor tile, and the Toto Washlet features a heated toilet seat.

E. GFI power outlet for the Toto Washlet.

F. This is a Geberit in-wall dual-flush toilet carrier. I have a Toto wall-hung toilet that will bolt to this carrier. The carrier has a flush water inlet and also a waste line outlet.

G. This is the shower controler. I have it covered with foam pieces to save my scalp while I'm working in this close space. Shower outlet is too high to see in photo.

H. This was the original toilet waste line hole, before I decided to go with the wall-hung toilet. I plugged it back up and epoxied it to within an inch of it's life.

I. This is my shoe for visual scale.

J. This is the door opening. Width is 22 inches by 74 inches high.

K. The shower controller had an optional tub outlet, so I ran it down to about 12 inches above the floor. I have attached a pneumatic hose fitting for yet-to-be-defined-purposes.

(Not shown is a small opening window above the toilet carrier. The top of the window is right at the top of the room, and may be enough for ventilation. I have allowed room for a power vent if I need to add it later.)

To a certain extent, a smaller bathroom will be a less expensive bathroom. But in my case, I set such extreme conditions for the size and function that the cost was higher.

(* No small benefit of this bathroom arrangement is that every time the shower is used, the bathroom gets washed down. *)

Regards,

-AC_Hacker

P.S. - Today, the pre-pan goes down. Photos to follow.

So your toilet is inside the shower stall? That would take some getting used to. Like, what if you're wearing socks and you'd like to use the toilet after someone showered? You'll still need a dressing room, a mirror, and a medicine cabinet outside the stall, right?

That is correct. When you take a shower, everything gets wet.

Well, it's just me living here, so many of the usual issues are not issues. But I think I'll put some flip flops near the door in case that situation occurred.

The whole house is the dressing room... And my plan is to put a tiled niche in the wall over the sink with a mirror as the door.

-AC_Hacker