Posted on: February 11, 2008

To Splurge or Not to Splurge

Before you take the plunge into the bathroom of your dreams, don't forget the details (and the budget!)

By Paige Bowie
CTW Features

When Dan Church decided to expand his 1880s carriage house in Bethlehem, Pa., he went all out on the shower room that adjoins his new master bedroom.

Some custom features of Church’s ongoing project are a lowered ceiling for intimacy, heated floor and heated towel rack, and top-of-the-line fixtures including a sunflower showerhead on an adjustable bar that accommodates both his 5-foot-8 frame and that of his 4-foot-10-inch wife. All together, the 55-year-old Church figures the project will run him about $5,000 – and that’s with free labor from his brother, who happens to be a carpenter.

But Church, a public-relations executive, has no regrets.

“There’s nothing quite as luxurious as a good shower,” he says. “If you’re remodeling, that’s the place to splurge. When you’re alone, getting ready for a really hard day, you might as well feel for a while that you have your own little paradise. For that one moment, you should have everything the way you want it, because once you get out of the shower you’re emerging into the cold reality of the work day.”

At one time, little thought was given to showers, even in upscale bathrooms. Homebuilders and interior designers would create lavish vanities and Jacuzzi bathtubs with ornate tiles and high-end fixtures, and then stick an ordinary, closet-sized shower in a corner somewhere.

Not any more. Showers are finally coming into their own, says Tom Kraeutler, host of radio’s nationally syndicated home improvement show “The Money Pit.”

“You can get showers now that are basically car washes for humans,” Kraeutler says. “It probably stems from the fact that people are spending more time in their homes, so homeowners are really wanting to invest in their property. Plus, shower products are becoming less expensive as they get easier to manufacture.”

But the really high-end stuff can get a little outrageous. After gathering a few estimates, Redwood City, Calif., attorney Karen Gilbert was aghast to learn the upgraded bathroom with luxury shower that she’d dreamed of would cost upwards of $24,000.

“We were just so shocked,” says Gilbert, 29. “We decided not to do it. It just wasn’t worth it.” But if you have the means to indulge yourself, the payoff is wonderful, says designer Anthony Guthmiller, 40, of Los Angeles.

As part of a larger home-remodeling project, Guthmiller is putting in a bathroom with a walk-through shower that leads to a Jacuzzi.

The $10,000 shower has several water heads. The first is a large raindrop showerhead suspended from a 15-foot vaulted ceiling. Then there is a hand-held showerhead that can be positioned wherever you like. In addition, three water jets placed in the walls are angled to spray the upper torso.

All are Hans Grohe fixtures in the latest brushed-nickel satin finish – not cheap, Guthmiller discovered. It would have been less expensive to go with chrome or brushed stainless steel.

The shower itself is done in a tumbled mutli rajah stone. The stone is a multicolored slate in gray, green, a hint of rose and some gold burnishing. Plus, a bookcase built into the wall holds soaps and bath products.

From the shower you step up into the Jacuzzi room, which contains a two-sided fireplace that also serves the bedroom. A glass wall opposite the fireplace permits an unobstructed mountain view.

“The idea was to create a little mini-spa in the home,” Guthmiller says. “That’s a great place to unwind.” If you’re considering a shower upgrade, you may want to keep a few things in mind:

• First of all, make sure your home’s plumbing can accommodate all the shower’s fancy new features. Nothing ruins a good shower like inadequate water pressure, which is especially troublesome in older homes with original piping.

• Ditto on the drain. You don’t want to find yourself standing in a small lake.

• The height of the person who will be using the shower is another important consideration. Standard showers are designed for shorter people, so you might have to duck to get wet. If you’re tall, move one or more showerheads higher, or consider adjustable fixtures for multiple users.

• If you’re looking at water jets that spray in from the sides, make sure the opposite wall will stand up to that water pressure over time. You don’t want a tile to come loose or risk other water damage.

• If you’re paying a contractor to install new fixtures, be sure to ask the plumber if he or she has worked with these types of fixtures before. Some of the more sophisticated options require special skills, so you want to be sure the person knows what they’re doing.

• Don’t forget about lighting, which goes a long way toward setting a room’s tone. Natural light is best, of course, but if a window or skylight isn’t an option, go with softer light for ambience.

• The size of the room may influence the selection of shower doors. A transparent glass door obviously has a more open feel, which gives smaller bathrooms the appearance of spaciousness. On the other hand, cubed glass and other decorative elements offer texture and contrast.

• Finally, don’t ignore safety as you’re choosing materials. A perfectly smooth floor will be slippery when wet, so you may want to pick something a little more rustic.

“The bottom line is, you want something that looks and feels good,” Guthmiller says. “You’re in there every day, so [safety] shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought.”

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