tiny shower

shell · Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:01 pm

our master bath has one of huge garden tubs and a itty bitty shower. you can barely move around in there. we had an estimate from a plumber/contractor on making the change to a regular tub/shower combo and using the extra space for storage but the price is outrageous. b/c the door is so narrow putting in a single unit won't work. we would have to install the kind that the walls come in pieces which is no big deal except all the plumbing would have to be re-routed. any cheaper options?

Greg · Mon Dec 10, 2007 5:45 pm

Shell, I would bet that about half of the cost is labor If you do the work yourself you would cut the price in half.
It is not a very hard job, but like many is time consuming. Greg

Demolition · Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:38 am

Option: Put in a bigger door. You don't have to get a steel door. Some doors weigh less than others, so you would have less problem with the door sagging from the weight on the hinges.
If it was me, I would extend the door on one side, the side away from the light switch so I wouldn't have to play with electrical stuff.
Save the paneling or just try to match it the best you can.
Then you can put in your giant shower.
Last tip: Before you purchase the new shower, measure the hallway width and the width of the front door of the house.

In the Navy I was on a submarine. The Yeoman bought a Xerox machine, but had to disassemble it to fit it down the hatch. The copier never worked the same.

JD · Tue Dec 11, 2007 7:03 pm

It would help to know the distance between the walls. If you have a 54" garden tub and a 32" shower, and you want to go to a 60" standard tub/shower, it will end up pretty pricey and the storage would be small.

You could go with a 54"x32" standard tub, and keep the walls intact. This would lower the overall cost and give a bigger storage closet. This may not apply, depending on what you situation is. Again, it would help to know how much room you have to work with.

JD