Bathroom Remodel - Sacramento,CA

The only thing I would say is to keep the window. Bathrooms tend to get VERY moldy when they don't have a window, even with a fan running.

Hi S.,

We recently finished a remodel. We put radiant heating in the bathroom floor and absolutely love it! It feels so wonderful every morning. We put in tile flooring, which is why we went with the radiant heat.

Good luck,

C.

First: have fun. Leave the window in if at all possible. Save the money for some wonderful shower heads or counter tops. Get a real tile contractor. I too, believed someone who told me he was a re-modeler.... ha ha ha, I am going to have to re-do much of what was done and I have no recourse as he was not licensed. I would separate the tub and shower if you have the room. You can get a deep jetted tub rather inexpensively if you don't go with high end. But make sure it has some good parts. MTI is very good. I even made a closet for the toilet, but we have a huge area. I made my whole space wheelchair accessible but I'm getting old! For heat, rather than the expense of heating floors, put a wall heater on the wall very low, and it will heat up the bathroom like magic. I put one in this time, but on the ceiling, which I would not do again, as the ceiling is very high and it takes forever to heat the room and the floors are so cold I had to put a sisal rug down. I used large tile, but lino is warmer and less expensive. Have fun! Good luck! Use color.....Oh, rain shower is great, my husband loves it, and we have another on the wall (hand held) for me.

Keep the window, you will be sorry if you dont. The floor warmer will be awesome, you'll love it.

Hello Shelly, What I can tell you from redoing our entire home is take plenty of asprin, make sure you can trust your contractor, and keep a sence of humor!
When we redid both of our bathrooms all that could go wrong did, so I was eternally grateful that we did them one at a time and not at the same time as my husband and the contractor wanted to.
We did do the one great thing that has been my favorite. We installed the taller toliets & it has started a fad as now all our friends were so happy about not sitting as low that they changed theirs as well. We removed the bathtub entirely because no one ever used it and we have a farmers sink in the kitchen that will hold a 4 year old mermaid very well! I loved using that space for a much nicer and bigger shower area. Becareful that you have the veins going in the direction you want before you use marble in the bathroom, we had one going a different direction and it made us crazy.
I think that the tub lighting is great and you will be so comfortable with it. We did the great debate about the windows as well. We kept ours as I really like the natural air that flows in and when you have as many boys as we do it can get stinky* smile. I really love our marble and my son put in the wilsonar floors and they came out teriffic.
I wish you well and TAKE PICTURES, you will enjoy the before-- and after ans the hard work along the way.Glenda

Hi S.-
One thing I would suggest is that if you get rid of the window, put in a tube light/sky light. My parents never had a window in our bathroom (3 girls) and it got very stuffy very quickly. It also seemed kind of tomb like without that little ray of light. When they remodeled, they put in a tube that had a mirror in it to reflect whatever outside light was there put it. It made a world of difference. Still not as fabulous as a window, but the next best thing.
As far as the shower head, I have a rain shower one, and I LOVE IT. It sits directly over head and it's like being in a warm waterfall of water. Not too much pressure, no piercing water biting at your back if it's on the wrong setting, and as a bonus, they conserve water because of what they are.
I am not sure how much space you have, but if there is room for 2 small vanities and sinks, or a double sink, I would put that in. It raises the value of a house, and lately, that seems to be the thing people are asking for. PLUS it gives you and the hubby your own mini space. YOu can pput matching vanity mirrors/cabinets on the wall, too, if you need more storage.

Fans are a plus. Never underestimate the power of a fan. That goes right along with a window.

I'm not savvy on the heated floor thing, but some people LOVE it, especially if you have tile. If that is a bit over budget, you can always put in the heating lamp/light. Just check on how much the bulbs are to see if the $$$ is worth it. May be a simpler and more affordable option.

Lastly, do not skimp on your vanity lighting. My mum redid her bathroom and the one thing she had hated for years regardless of how nice the rest of the room was, was the lighting. Purchase something that matches and that isn't going to be a "we'll get to it later" venue. Much better to put what you want in now and love it all from the get go.

Hope this helps!

-E. M

My husband and I have done a ton of remodel work to our outdated home. We agreed to spare no expense because we didn't want to go back and make it right after the fact. I say for the little space that a bathroom takes up the radiant floors is great and worth it in the winter. We also installed the rain shower head which I almost never use because I am shorter and it seems to drown me. We put in body jets and a adjustable and removeable shower wand. This is what I use 90% of the time because it will lower to my height and it seems more efficent when rinsing shampoo out of my hair.

Not too sure if I would get rid of the window. Natural light is nice and I have seen too many mold problems with the lack of ventilation even with a fan. I do like the tube light just because you will save on electricity.

I would definately make sure your mirror or vanity lighting is good and possibly have options because you will need different lighting for different things. I would be sure you have an overhead light and also side lights or sconces along the mirror that can be used independantly.

Other things to think about is the surface treatments like ceramic tile verses natural stone. We went with natural stone because we love the look but it is harder to clean because many cleaners are designed to be used with synthetic products or ceramic tile. But I do find that I clean less often because they get less soap scum.

Best of luck.

We redid our master bath/bedroom two summers ago. I refinished our vanity (was a lot of work but it looks so good and I was able to match it to our dresser) and we replaced the top with cultured granite. We replaced the fiberglass shower with a cultured onyx. We put ceramic tile in but now have to take it out because the floor flexes and the grout around the tiles came up and some of the tiles themselves (this was only in a couple places but as one of the places was the entry into the bath...). We had them fix the tile once but have decided it's just not to be. We're really disappointed about that because we both really enjoyed the look and "feel" of the tile.

I don't know that I'd go with a "tube" light--we took out the overhead bank of flourescent shop lights and replaced them with two recessed lights over the walkway (I wanted over the shower, as well, but my husband gets all twitchy about possible water/steam leak into the fixture--the contractor said it would't be an issue but for my husband's sanity we didn't--I would put one in the shower if I had the chance again). We also did two fixtures over each sink. The skylight sounds nice--can't have enough natural light in a a bath! :)

I REFUSED to do the CRL's or flourescents in our bath because 1) I don't like looking like I did three weeks earlier and no one noticed and 2) flourescents affect my migraines and sometimes help trigger them. The recessed lights are halogen and I do like those a lot.

One thing I highly recommend is if you have a closet in the vanity area of the bath, definitely do a closet organizer. I don't know how I ever lived without one in mine. I love it and it was one of the first things I showed off when the bath was finished. :)

Good luck, have fun, and don't be afraid of using a darker paint color in the bath--we were brave and went with a medium sage but even now wish we'd gone a shade darker. We don't have abundant natural light in there but the medium sage really is nice and restful.

M.

First, I wouldn't do the rain shower head. We had our bath totally remodeled in April. The rain head water fall is too spread out and you don't feel like you're getting all the soap off cuz it's too dispersed rather than concentrated in one area. If you can afford to do the whirlpool tub, it would be worth it and would add a lot more value and would be a great selling feature that someone would go "Ooooooo, I like that". We just did a new regular tub, but now I regret that decision. Heated floors would be nice, but I don't know if it's really necessary. We keep our house at 68 degrees in the Fall-Spring, don't have the heated floor and it's really not that bad at all as long as you have a heat duct vent in the bathroom you should be good. Be sure to go with a low flush toilet, ours has saved us a ton on water bills. The one thing I really love about my new bath is the ceramic floor and tile in the shower. Just a word of advice, don't buy from Home Depot, Lowes or Menard's. There's a reason why Tile Shop is so much more money! Believe me, it will save you in the long run by spending a little more.

I agree with the others about keeping the window unless you're desperate for wall space for a cabinet or something. The expense, effort, and most of all the patching of the wall, will not be worth it.
...Except maybe if the window is actually in the shower...then I think it's a toss up, since windows in shower enclosures have the potential for causing water damage to the walls.

Hello, you have a ton of great responses here but I thought I'd throw in my 2 bits anyway. Like KEEP the window!! I remodled our bathroom recently just to add a window! So much better I cannot tell you. We have a fan/heater as well - do be sure the fan/heater/light all have separate switches. Don't see the point of heated floors unless you are spending a ton of time in there and don't like a matt. Light in the shower is fabulous. Extra tall vanity AND toilet is super nice. I wish I would have put the can lights closer to the mirror - the contractor fought me on that one and I wish I'd have put my foot down darn it - it is shadowy when using the mirror up close, like for make-up. Love the exteneded windowsill I insisted on for the window :) Oh yeh, and the built in bench in the shower! Makes shaving legs a breeze~
Have fun!! Good luck..
Oh yeh, go with a fun color too! I got brave and went with a sort of periwinkle and it is beautiful! Oh, did a retro green in our other bath a few years ago and it looks fabulous with the rubbed bronze (brown) fixtures and light/dark big check tile floor!
Lastly, we did skylights in both too and they are great! Also vaulted the ceilings which is nice to do if you can..

I personally dislike the noise of even the quietest bathroom fans and like to choose whether or not to turn one on. I always love a bathroom with a window and would never choose a fan and a light over a real window that opens. Mold in bathrooms can be a very important health issue and an open window with a little breeze can help avoid that. Of course having an optional fan is a plus as long as it doesn't have to be used all the time. You do want a lot of light when needed.

My husband and I are older so we like a separate shower that does away with the need to step over a bathtub edge. Be sure to have a non skid surface and a bar is helpful for even young people. I have heard of slips in bathtub showers with even young adults. I like a hand held shower rather than the solidly in place kind, but I guess that is a matter of opinion. Some people like two shower heads, but don't know if they work over a tub.

Good luck in being happy with your choices. It is fun to do remodels. Makes you feel you have a new house!!

N.

after moving from the best bathroom in the world to the little thing i have now, my only advice is...man, do i miss having a window in my bathroom. my old bathroom had a skylight, and that was the absoulute greatest, but a simple window, oh, so important. natural light showers are the greatest! you'll miss them if you lose em. oh, and i've had the rain shower head, its nice, i'm not to picky, but i do like the one that gives ya choices. just wanted to say though, if you have a window, don't lose it. windows are good. maybe use glass brick or something else that lets light in, but i loved...and miss...having a window to open in the bathroom. floor warmer? no opinion...

If you have a window my advice is keep it! To me, it is very important to be able to open a window for fresh air, esp. in a small bathroom. I have a friend who installed the tube light and she loves it. If it is a small space, the more natural light you can have the better.

We have a very small bathroom and when we did our remodel we put in a sink over a cabinet for extra storage space. This was a way better idea then a pedestal sink because we really needed that extra storage space.

We did the heated floor and it was the best thing we ever did. I wish our entire house was heated this way. The bathroom is so cozy. I LOVE it. Also, put in a Toto Toilet. This is a great toilet because the base of it is simple and thus it does not collect dust, dirt, etc. It also makes for easy cleaning.

I'm a decorator, and I can't imagine removing a window. That would really close in the room unnecessarily and make it much less pleasant to be in. Windows are always nice.

You could change the shape/size of the window, if you need more wall space, and put in textured glass that you can't see through so you don't have to bother with window treatments.

I agree with several of the previous responders--keep the window. Neither of our bathrooms have a window, and I hate it. Neither of our bathrooms has an exterior wall, so there is no way we could have a window, but if there were a way, I would have a window added. The fans that came with the house were too loud and didn't do much good--we regularly got mildew on the walls and ceilings from the condensation. Until my husband replaced the fan with a quieter one, I really hated to use it. The old fan also created a draft which chilled me when I was in the shower. The new fan is much better. For the fan to do the most good, it has to be run for a decent amount of time after you finish showering, so one thing my husband did when he replaced the fan was to put it on a 60-minute timer switch so it automatically turns itself off.

I would not recommend getting rid of the window! My husband did that before I moved in and I hate it. No natural light, no fresh air, the light had to be installed WITH a fan so now you always have the noise of fan and the light coming on together and nothing "clears the air" like a window. If you decide to get rid of the window, make sure to have seperate switches for the light and the fan. We installed a higher/taller shower head. Love it. Great for tall people. Good luck!

Make sure your contractor is good, get references & see his work if possible. Tile work is hard we found that out after our contractor attempted to tile our shower & twice we had to tear it down & hire it out to someone else. I think you should really consider keeping the window, natural light is way better. Floor warmer is nice but expensive so if you have the extra money go for it. Get a nice tub dont go cheap on this or you will regret it. Go to a specialty store so you can see the quality of fixtures, you may not need high end but its nice to know what you are getting too. Look thru magazines or HGTV for some design ideas. I used a beautiful italian porcelain tile in my shower that was 12x24 and did a subway design. We also used the 12x24 tile on the floor in a wishbone design. We put a spa bathroom in our basement & did a pinwheel floor which is nice for a smaller space. The other thing we did in the shower was a niche for our stuff. We splurged on the kohler fixtures & the rain shower is beautiful & soothing. Get a good contractor, plan out your bathroom design & have fun with it.

Rain nozzle was ok. I used to have one in my old house. We had two nozzle's though. One regular and one rain. I LOVED the rain when I wasn't feeling well. There are some days I don't want to wash my hair though so the rain nozzle had to be turned off on those days. If you get one make sure its big enough, the water comes out soft not with the spiked water exits...more the empty hole looking ones and definitely make sure you have the option to turn it off. If it's your only nozzle then the spiked water holes are good for more pressure but then it's not exactly the "Rain feel" you are looking for either.

We remodeled our bathroom about 5 years ago. Things I would do again--take out built in linen closet to add more space for a jacuzzi tub and added space between toilet and tub. Things I would not do--hire someone who did not have a contractor's licence to install 4" square light colored marble tiles. (I saw a display at the Expo store that I really liked and wanted to reproduce in my bathroom.) My husband hired a friend to do the tile--big mistake, he didn't know what he was doing. 4 years later the floor is a mess. I'll have to pull it up soon, and I know I can do a better job myself. I don't think I'll be redoing it in light colored marble tiles. The tiles are too absorbant also and it always looks dirty to me. Another thing that was a mistake is installing a medicine cabinet with an oval beveled mirror that swings out. My 3 1/2 year old son was hanging on it too much and pulled the rivets right apart. I was so lucky I was standing there as it fell off into my hands.

My only advice is: keep the window! There is nothing better than natural light and fresh air in the bathroom. One of our bathrooms has a tube window and although it is a good source of light it sucks not to be able to open it :(

Keep the window. Our fan is way too loud. T.