Shower Solutions
Though homeowners are willing to spend a little more on master baths versus hall baths, they’re still seeking value. Many are replacing tubs or tub/shower combinations with a large shower. Board by Board co-owner Christie Board tries to incorporate a few universal design elements such as a handheld shower and seat in her projects.
A Kitchen That Works founder Molly McCabe says that her clients are choosing framed rather than frameless shower doors for the cost savings they offer. However, designers agree that prefabricated shower units don’t provide the flexibility needed for many remodels. “I would not consider that a savings,” Board says. Here are three cost-effective alternatives for showers walls.
Porcelain
Board recommends using porcelain instead of natural stone. “We can save both by price and by installation cost,” she says, and in addition, homeowners appreciate having a low-maintenance product. She notes the availability of a range of “great looking porcelain and ceramics that look like real stone — you have to touch them to feel the difference.” Normandy Remodeling’s Kathryn O’Donovan says that her clients are moving away from stone to stone-look porcelain, which “has great graphics and looks very real.”
Hurst has an area in her showroom where she has natural travertine and porcelain tile installed side-by-side on the floor. “If I didn’t tell my clients that one was not stone, they would not know,” she says. “The porcelain product is half the cost of the travertine, and it does not have to be maintained.”
Solid Surfacing
As part of the design process, McCabe walks clients through the maintenance requirements of different materials. “Most people lead busy lives,” she says. “Maintenance is not something they enjoy.” She sometimes uses ¼-inch-thick solid surface slabs for shower and tub surrounds — usually in a neutral white or off-white. For showers, she prefers an acrylic shower base. This project features a ½-inch-thick trim in a contrasting color to finish the edges. McCabe says that showers with ½-inch-thick walls don’t require trim for a finished look. On one project she had her fabricator route thicker solid surface walls to resemble tile, but that did increase the cost.
Cultured Marble
To add a little flair to shower walls, Hurst Total Home showroom manager Katie Hurst specifies custom-made cultured marble. She says it’s much nicer than the cultured marble that most people are familiar with. Her local fabricator customizes the slabs for each client. “If you like a lot of movement, they swirl in more color,” she says. Hurst takes homeowners to view and approve a sample slab before asking the fabricator to make all the panels. Since the molded product has no grout lines, it is low-maintenance, and the material can be repaired and repolished as needed.
Remnant Rewards
For vanity countertops, Board suggests clients look at the products in the granite fabricator’s remnant yard. She says this works especially well when the client goes in without any preconceived ideas of the look that he or she wants. “You can pick up a nice granite remnant for a few hundred dollars,” Board says. And, according to Lori Krengel, of Kitchens by Krengel, remnants are also good for bars and mudroom desks. Board used a granite remnant to top this existing vanity and added a non-name-brand copper sink from a local supplier, a midprice faucet, and a clearance listello.
Tub Skirts
Water Front
Eddie DeRhodes of DeRhodes Construction says that the wood face on this tub makes it look like the fixture is freestanding — an example of the creative use of stock materials that designers use to stay within a client’s budget. The horizontal wood boards were installed, primed, and painted on site. Since it’s a soaking tub without a showerhead, the painted finish should provide enough protection from splashes of water.
Bath Wrap
David Cerami at HomeTech Renovations, in Fort Washington, Pa., used Azek PVC beadboard to create a skirt for this tub. “The moisture-resistant trimboard can be painted and is stable in most wet environments,” he says, a look well-suited to traditional designs.
—Senior editors Nina Patel and Stacey Freed, REMODELING .