Door or no door in shower

7 years ago

My ensuiite reno includes a 7x4 shower and was planning to put the door at one end of the shower. I've also been thinking about going without a door and moving the shower head off center a bit. My current design doesn't have a curb separating the shower. Do I need one if I go without a door? Is the shower size long enough to go without a door?

Would appreciate any advice.

Cheers,

M

Featured Answer

PRO

Patrick A. Finn, Ltd

7 years ago

7ft is plenty of length to have no door at the end. I always say if you do have 3ft of shower wall the other 3ish ft can be used as walk-in or towel hanging area. So, if your showerhead is on one wall and you have a 5 or so ft glass panel and the entry at the other end that will work. Make sure tile floor is pitched correctly and proper drain is installed.

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Comments (13)

skmom
7 years ago
Our basement bathroom (which is used daily by our 3 teenaged boys) is 7' wide with the shower at the end. We did exactly that, just put in a stationary glass panel with no door. Ours is not curbless, we didn't want to dig down for it, but the only time a little bit of water might escape is when they use the handheld sprayer to hose down the glass and floor when they are cleaning their bathroom. But using the rain head shower head that is closer to the wall that is near the drain doesn't let any water escape.
We got the pitch of the shower pretty good... could've been a little more pitched, but screwed up a bit when we installed our own flat pebble shower floor and some water still likes to pool in some spots where the grout got too low. So, we have to regularly spray bleach there because it doesn't like to dry out completely in those spots. So yeah, I suggest paying close attention to that. ;)
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Judy Mishkin
7 years ago
(we have a small dip in our 5x8 shower, we 'foot squeegie' it after the water is turned off and it dries ok without discoloration.)

depending on the placement of your shower head, you should be good without a door. we only have a 36" glass panel, the other 5' of side is open, (this with a rainhead) and no water gets out.
mpolizzi001
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks. Mine will also be a rain head which I think will help.
acm
7 years ago
Also, be sure none of the users is a cold-all-the-time person, because any time I've used an open shower, I've hated every minute of it. The second you turn off the shower, it's just freezing, and no time to dry off before opening the shower door...
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
7 years ago
Here is a basement accessible shower that we did for an in-law suite. It is 7' long and 42" wide. The glass covers about 45" of the 7'. The homeowner has indicated that some water still escapes during a shower. The shower floor is sloped properly. We have been unable to make it leak just by running the shower heads, so there is something else going on.

Basement Remodel - Accessible Shower · More Info
acm
7 years ago
@Brickwood Builders, Inc. -- uh, water bouncing off a body goes in many more directions than water just shooting out from a fixture!!
Judy Mishkin
7 years ago
we've found the biggest culpret for water out of the shower is off the elbows while your hands are raised, lathering/rinsing your hair. rotate your body so your elbow isnt pointing toward the opening and you are most of the way home.

a heavy toweling type bath mat takes care of the rest for us.
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
7 years ago
That is exactly my point acm. Glad you got it! No one can definitively say 36" is a large enough glass panel, or 40" or 48" for that matter. Every person is different and how they operate is different. So you take your chances when you opt for this type design.
Heather Macdonald
7 years ago
Our new shower is 5 1/2 ', the glass wall is 3'....no problems
PRO
Doyle Coffin Architecture LLC
7 years ago
I would also take into consideration the climate where you are located. In colder climates, sometimes it is nice to have an enclosed shower which keeps the heat within the shower. Here in New England it makes toweling off a more pleasant experience when it's cold outside. Just a thought......good luck with your project!
Judy Mishkin
7 years ago
we have a combination heater and vent in our ceiling above the shower. in winter we run the heater til we're dried off and then toggle it to vent. perfectly warms the bathroom without running the 'regular heat' higher.
dcardinal
7 years ago
In my opinion, a shower door adds a lot of comfort. An enclosed shower keeps the heat within the shower and this is really an advantage when there are two people in the shower together. It is much warmer for the person who is not in the water.

Door or no door in shower

Patrick A. Finn, Ltd

Comments (13)

skmom

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Door or no door in shower

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