We're adding a bathroom upstairs with a shower but no tub (is that technically a 3/4 bathroom?). Anyhow, the house a bungalo so two walls of the bathroom are on a 30 degree slope. I plan to put in a 36"x36" shower base in one corner. If you're looking at the shower from the front, the right wall is 90" tall, the left wall is 42" tall, and the back wall follows the slope down from right to left; the shower head will be in the back right corner.
What should I do for walls? I found a plumbing place going out of business who has 36" fiberglass walls and I was thinking of using a fine blade to cut them to fit height wise. The other option I've had is tile, but I'm worried about losing area once you put the backer board and tile on (maybe 2"?). In a house with a declining value (I love Michigan) the pre-fab walls are the economical choice, but can they be cut down?
The bathroom is framed in, but not the shower yet so I'm really open to anything.
does the part about declining home values kinda knock those out of the options list? I would have assumed the cost of marble to be a few thousand minimum.... any thoughts?
That is a very nice looking shower, but from the original post, I would say a couple thousand over his budget, unless he is doing all the work himself.
The bull nose corners are a very nice touch, so much better that when they just have the tile edges and grout showing.
What should I do for walls? I found a plumbing place going out of business who has 36" fiberglass walls and I was thinking of using a fine blade to cut them to fit height wise. The other option I've had is tile, but I'm worried about losing area once you put the backer board and tile on (maybe 2"?). In a house with a declining value (I love Michigan) the pre-fab walls are the economical choice, but can they be cut down?
The bathroom is framed in, but not the shower yet so I'm really open to anything.
Exactly what are the "fiberglass panels"? Do you mean the thin sheet liners that are retrofitted over old walls and glued in place. If so, you will still need 1/2" material on the wall to back it and bond it to (equal to the cement board for tile), so the only extra thickness you will loose with the tile is the thickness of the tile itself. And it will certainly make a more attractive job.
Good call, guess I hadn't thought about how the panels attached to the wall! Here is pic of what I had in my head. Believe me, I would LOVE to go tile! If I did, I think I would keep the shower base and tile just the walls. The only tiling I've done was a 4x7 floor area but I would DIY this. Couple of questions:
1. Can these preformed panels be cut?
2. Is there a specific material needed for backing them?
3. Is there an alternative to gluing? (gluing is just so.... permanent!)
4. Any idea on ballpark cost of tiling only the walls?
Unfortunately, the reality of this area is that I can't financially justify putting more than about $500 into this shower..... I'll never get it back. I know I can get a base for $50, now I'm deciding on the walls. Thanks for your input!
Correct, I have bought nothing yet. I found a plumbing supply going out of business nearby and they want $50 for the base, and $25 for each 36" wall. So if cost was the only factor, there's no fighting that option.
Would 12x12 or 18x18 tile work? I've found tons of it local on craigslist, the dimensions would be easily adaptable to the 36" widths, but I'm not sure if it would look odd in a small enclosure.
If you're looking at the shower from the front, the right wall is 90" tall, the left wall is 42" tall, and the back wall follows the slope down from right to left; the shower head will be in the back right corner.
Do I understand correctly that the ceiling height is 42" on the left, and 90" on the right? I'm 72" tall. If I stood in the center of that shower my head would be half a foot into the ceiling! (center height 67") In fact only the first 12" of the 36" width will have standing height. (at 12" from the right wall, the ceiling height is 74")
I'd just make sure you've mocked up where this shower will be, and ensured that it will actually be usable. Sounds pretty tight to me, but maybe you're much much shorter.
Also, how will you hang a curtain over that steeply sloped opening?
What should I do for walls? I found a plumbing place going out of business who has 36" fiberglass walls and I was thinking of using a fine blade to cut them to fit height wise. The other option I've had is tile, but I'm worried about losing area once you put the backer board and tile on (maybe 2"?).
A finished tile wall will be less than an inch thick. About the same as the fiberglass panels (attached to drywall).
I've used that sort of fiberglass wall system, and they can be cut down with a fine saw. You won't get a finish-quality edge though. As long as you can keep factory edges exposed, and bury all the cuts in inside corners, you should be fine. I'd definitely glue it to the drywall with a v-notch trowel. I'm not sure how much less permanent you want to get with this. If you want to remove it in the future, you can possibly pull it off the drywall, or at worst you'll pull out the drywall, and put up another $10 worth of gypsum, right?
Can't you usually find some 4x4 or 6x6 basic wall tile at the big box store for a little over a dollar/sf? He's only got about 75 sf of wall and ceiling. I'd think he could get his tile for $100, backerboard and mud for another $50.
Do I understand correctly that the ceiling height is 42" on the left, and 90" on the right? I'm 72" tall. If I stood in the center of that shower my head would be half a foot into the ceiling! (center height 67") Also, how will you hang a curtain over that steeply sloped opening?
You got it! In a 1200sf bungalow you take what you can get. This is a secondary bathroom & shower so I'm not too worried about it; I won't be using it. I know that my neighbors with kids would KILL to have a second bathroom OR shower though. I just happened to buy a house where the second floor was not finished yet (and I don't have kids) so its much easier for me to do it from the rough-in than it would be for any of them to completely remodel the second floor.
As for the shower curtain, I haven't figured that out yet, but I'm confident a light will click on in my head one of these days with the answer. Worst case scenario I put a hook in mid-slope, and one on the short wall and the curtain has to be hung across manually when you get in.
I was so glad to find this site. I have the exact same problem/question. It seems the question was not really answered though. I really don't want tile walls and the small space has sloped ceiling. 93" down to about 60" with a 36x36 stall. The stalls I am seeing are 70" tall and I want to know if they can be cut to the space. What did you end up doing with the shower, if I might ask?
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