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Bathroom Design
Making a stylish bathroom that is totally waterproof so there is no
mold.
Design dimensions
Bath tubs
Regular bath tubs are 60" (5 foot) long and 30" to 32" wide. The depth is typically between 14" and 20".
Showers
Showers are required by code to have a minimum interior size of 1,024 square inches, which is 32" x 32", but at least 36" x 36" is nicer.
Toilets
Toilets can fit into 30" wide x 54" long, but at least 36" wide x 60" deep is much nicer. International Residential Code (IRC) requires a minimum of 21" of clear space in front of a toilet.
Bathroom individual sink
For a single sink, you need a width of at least 30", but 36" to 48" is nicer.
Counter height
32" to 36".
Towel bars
36" to 48" from floor.
Bathroom and shower walls and floor
Shower floor
You will also need to form a slope on the floor so water flows to the drain. There are various mechanisms available for getting the slope profile correct.
Details are here .
Under the floor tiles needs to be Ditra (or Kerdi if the floor is totally rigid).
Waterproof Wall Membrane
To waterproof the shower a good option is to line the walls of the whole shower cubicle with Kerdi membrane. This is plastic but with a furry lining on both sides to make the thinset stick.
Details are here .
Ideally this would go onto a concrete wall but where that is not possible then use 1" thick 40psi EPS (with 3.5" in the 2x4 cavity to provide support). Over that goes unmodified stucco, then Kerdi, PL-Premium adhesive, porcelain tiles, and epoxy grout.
Waterproof floor membrane
Use Ditra (which is like Kerdi membrane but also provides mechanical decoupling between the tiles and the floor structure).
Purchasing details are here .
Tiles
It's best to use porcelain tiles (rather than ceramic). Look for special offers on Daltile tiles in HomeDepot. You will need to buy all the tiles in one go because colors vary from week to week.
Tile Mural
And for the finishing touch in the shower you can have a nice picture done in tiles in addition to regular porcelain tiles.
Details are here .
Mirror
Position it and make it big enough so that both tall and short people can see their face and hair.
Bathroom Light
Details
are here .
The light is typically a strip of lights mounted over the mirror. People look better when using warm color (yellowy) light bulbs but it is more realistic to use cold color (bluey) light bulbs. You could decide to put a light strip above that is warm bulbs and strips down the two sides of the mirror that are cool bulbs.
It is best to use LED bulbs because they last longer and are more energy efficient if left on accidentally, but some people like using incandescent bulbs because they warm the face and help dry the condensation on the mirror.
Light switch
The switch (or switches if providing both warm and cold lighting) should be outside the bathroom (where it is dry). It should be a home automation switch (eg Insteon) so that someone using a waterproof tablet in the bath is able to control the light, eg dim it.
Extractor fan
Instead of using an extractor fan it is far better to suck the warm moist air from a bathroom into an HRV (Heat Recover Ventilator). I use an HRV. The HRV will be running continuously so will clear the steam from the bathroom even when you are in the bath (whether you want it to or not).
Even if using the HRV method it is still sensible to provide a hole in the concrete wall to allow for the possibility of an extractor fan. An extractor fan can be useful for dumping heat on a hot day. I provide an extractor fan, but only use it in the summer.
Extractor fans should be used with a timer switch so they operate for say 15 minutes after you leave the bathroom. Put the timer switch outside the bathroom (next to the bathroom light switch). Put a note on the switch saying "Only use extractor fan on hot summer days" or you will be wasting energy.
You can implement a simple extractor fan by putting a duct fan in a round hole in the concrete wall. (The wiring in the following picture is only temporary and does not meet building code.)
Power outlet
You need a power outlet for hair dryers and razors and by code it must be a GFCI protected output. It is best to make it a waterproof external GFCI outlet so it can stand being squirted by the shower. Put it up high, eg at about 5 feet to try to keep it away from shower spray. The power to the bathroom GFCI socket must be raw power and not already protected by some other GFCI (you never want two GFCIs in series).
Access panels
It is necessary to be able to get access to things such as bathroom U bends, sink U bends, emergency water turn-offs, spa pumps, etc. A good way to do this is to use a large porcelain tile in a recess with a rubber self adhesive seal round a lip inside.
Underfloor heating
This adds a lot to the feeling of comfort in a bathroom. This can be PEX pipe with hot water or can be an electrical heating mat.
Heat lamp
This is a special infra red bulb mounted in the ceiling. It is worth considering if all the bulbs round the mirror are LED. It is a good way of heating up a bathroom before going for a bath. It needs to on a home automation relay switch (eg Insteon) so you can turn on the bulb from your armchair 30 minutes before going for a bath.
Bathroom accessories
Shelves
Shelves need to be waterproof. You can make shelves using tiles that are top and bottom and stuck with thinset.
Chrome bathroom shelf bracket
Purchasing details here .
Towel rack
Ideally this should be heated, eg by running hot water through it and it being a radiator.
Toilet Roll Holder
Purchasing details are here .
Robe hook
Purchasing details are here
.
Towel Bar
Purchasing details are here
.
Medicine cabinet
Should be recessed into the wall. When the interior walls use 6" framing the cabinets can be 6" deep.
Magazine rack
Not something I personally like in a bathroom.
Big fan
This is to blow dry your whole body after a bath and to cool you down on hot days. It is best to make this a portable 20" fan that can sit on the internal window sill next to the open window. It blows into the room. It is nice to provide a power outlet from the bathroom GFCI near the window for this purpose, with a simple Decora switch next to it.
Details
are here .
Media entertainment
LCD screen, PC, and remote control keyboard.