While you may lament the idea of yet “another, boring, back-breaking, renovation job” it’s important to take a moment to step back and remember all the positives of renovating. First of all, it increases the value of the property you own. Should you ever want or need to sell your home, you can take pride in knowing you made the latest and greatest upgrades to your home that appreciate with value. Not only that, but renovating is a preventative measure that not only can and will prevent dangerous and costly unforeseen wear and tear circumstances that in the worst-case scenario could destroy your home, leaving you completely homeless and stranded without somewhere to sleep.
[one_half_first]Your home is your palace. You should cherish every moment in your home in peace and happiness. If you renovate something and it ends up looking just like the picture you conjured out of your wildest dreams or exactly like a “spot the differences” photo challenge between a picture of your bathroom and that classy home décor magazine, you’ll derive peace of mind, happiness, and pleasure from you place you live. A welcome break from all the stress of the outside world.[/one_half_first][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
There are quite a few hotspots in houses that are traditionally considered the most “bang for your buck” jobs to tackle. In no particular order, those would be:
- The bathroom
- The kitchen
- The living and dining rooms
- And finally, bedrooms.
The bathroom is a fantastic place to renovate, especially since it is a high traffic area seen by multiple people every day and the equipment is highly durable. When it comes to bathrooms, you won’t need to be renovating for quite some time.
Picture this for a moment. Step into the bathroom. Fumble blindly across the wall for that light switch you know is somewhere there. At last, after finally finding the light switch and your eyes adjust to the immediate shock the overhead artificial lighting provides, what do you immediately see? You may notice the toilet or the sink first, but most people will say the first thing that they notice is the shower stall.
Indeed, the shower stall can make or break the bathroom completely. Bathroom renovations should most definitely start at the beginning with the shower stall itself as its ‘main attraction’ and the rest of the furnishings should step to the background to allow the centre-piece to shine.
Really, are you sure? Shower Stalls?
So, what is there to a shower stall? Is there much to it worth considering? Without a doubt, the answer is yes, yes, and yes. From curtains to curved doors, a shower stall immediately demonstrates style, design, and can be a wonderful demonstration of just how in with the times the designer is. Some designs are old, antiquated and simply plain ugly. Adding or removing the nicest light fixture, sink, and toilet to this bathroom is not going to make the bathroom look any better. Can’t you just picture it now? Unfortunately, this attempt to renovate would just be a complete and utter disaster.
Just what types of shower doors are there?
Let’s begin with a basic run down of the diverse types of shower doors.
There’s the common swinging door:
- These are most popular in stand-alone corner showers.
- These are the most popular shower door fixtures in spaces that are short on space as the door closes upon itself.
- The door swings open and can either pivot either in or out depending on the space available.
- If you are short on space, this is an option to go with when choosing your new shower door.
Next on the list is the bypass (also known to most as sliding doors):
- These are most popular in self-contained shower units that take up most of the entire length of a wall.
- These shower doors require a much larger shower unit, but certainly are much higher up on the shower-with-style scale than the swinging door.
Let’s not forget though, the swinging door is for those who are in dire need of saving of square foot they can. Not everyone can afford the space a wall to wall shower dictates.
If you have space, and like the idea of sliding in and out to get in the shower, then this might be the decision you’ll be making when you’re ready to renovate. Newer, and less popular are the extravagant round door style.
- Round doors open inwards and are usually corner stalls, with the door being attached all the way to the top and the bottom.
- Because they’re curved, the bathing area becomes larger.
- While it’s true, the round door style generally requires the most space, it also offers the most bathing space. This is a strong point to consider if you’re looking to change your shower stall. The round door style is elegant, stylish, and a unique look to bring to the bathroom.
What about the type of door frames? What’s the difference? Is there a difference at all?
Do I need to consider several types of door frames for my shower? The is definitely the next question in the decision making process. The answer is yes, there are some differences that are important to note.
The two major styles:
The two major styles frequently seen in most residential units are frameless doors and framed doors. Framed doors are indeed very much similar to your everyday bedroom door –they use a frame system above and below the panel to secure the door in place. Framed models require a little more space, but they can often cost much less, making them extremely budget friendly, and can take significantly more abuse. Material wise, frames are almost always made out of aluminum
As mentioned above, the other popular door type is frameless. The frameless systems are more modern. They are easier to clean and care for, as well as work great in small bathrooms. This makes them a very popular choice. It’s important, however, to note that they require thicker glass, expensive hardware, flawless fabrication
What about those of you who are DIY-kind of guy or gal?
Of course, if that’s the case, the frame definitely makes a huge decision if you are intending on making this a personal, weekend warrior type project for you to conquer with the help of your trusty power tools.
Framed or frameless makes a big decision if you are intending on this being a personal project. Remember, frameless requires much more expensive materials, and an extremely precise installation – it just simply might not be worth the extra cost and effort. Those of you interested in a DIY install should most definitely take framed doors into strong consideration when making their choice.
For those of you who prefer to leave your design and renovation projects to the pros, you’re in quite a bit of luck provided you can fork over the fees associated with this design freedom. As mentioned, for an often-negotiable fee, you open up a world of different installation options for your bathroom shower door. Most local and chain based vendors have an absolutely massive catalog to pick from, and on top of that, they will offer to install it as well!
Not to mention, if there are pieces and parts of the design that you can find elsewhere but not at that specific store, most contractors from big hardware stores will incorporate the price of sourcing that material into their fee! If you can budget towards getting your bathroom renovated, this is definitely an option that takes a lot of the dirty work off of your hands into the hands of someone who is used to getting them dirty and getting paid for it.
A final option that anyone can indulge themselves in is finding all the parts, pieces and materials needed and sourcing an independent contractor. Independent contractors can be very helpful as they have no affiliation with any big hardware store and won’t be biased in the decision-making process. They also may be able to help with the sourcing process, even find you very good deals and matching your budget with look-alike products every step of the way. Usually, independent contractors are found online or through word of mouth, so they aren’t very difficult to find.
Conclusion:
Let’s face it. You need to love the place you live. Something as small as changing that dreary old shower curtain to a sleek and modern frameless glass panel would not only make you feel great about the decisions you made to redo that old outdated bathroom of yours – but it will also improve the value of your home should you decide it’s time for you to sell it. Who knows? Maybe you will have been hit by the renovation bug and now officially cannot wait to start on the very next project on the list!
Shower doors are an essential part of a bathroom, if you know what I’m talking about. However, it would seem that even the shower doors of a bathroom are unable to escape the artistic minds of interior designers. And in this article, we shall take a look at the different ways that interior designers do to make door shower selections to people’s homes and help you decide on a design that can match your preference or can match the current design and feel of your bathrooms. Before the intricate design on the doors themselves, shower doors are generally categorized in the way they are separated from the main room. And they are classified as either a sliding shower door or a pivot point shower door.
Sliding shower doors are essential doors that are aligned flatly at each other and as the name suggests, it is opened by sliding the door to each other. These are perfect for small bathrooms because it doesn’t need to take up an arbitrary space for it to be opened Pivot point shower doors works like hinged doors in the sense that it needs to be swung to be opened. They are, however, different from hinged doors in its mechanism, because the doors are usually created from one whole glass sheet; drilling holes on it is not a good choice. Instead, pivot points on top and bottom of the sheet are installed replicating the door swinging mechanism of hinged doors.
Why Go For Glass Shower Doors?
Shower doors are a welcome addition to your bathroom. They increase the shower performance and give a pleasant ambiance when you shower. Also they last for a longer time than the shower curtains. With so many benefits going for them, shower doors are definitely your choice to deck up the bathroom. Shower curtains are available in many varieties and you can get one that will be right for your bathroom.
The door frame:
There are two main categories available for you to choose from namely framed shower doors and frameless ones. This is based on the quantity of metal [aluminium] present in the frame that borders the glass panels. Framed ones are better aesthetically, as they are more stylish and attractive to look at. If you want a simple design then you can go for the frameless ones where you have minimal amount of the frame used.
Thickness and types of glass panel:
As the glass panel is the main component in the shower door, proper quality should be chosen. The thickness of glass adds to the strength and performance. It also makes the door look stylish and beautiful. 1/2”, 3/8” and 1/4” are optimal thickness measurements. The various varieties available include rain, embossed, etched and antique ones. Choosing from these depends on the type of décor your bathroom has. These add glamour to your shower cubicle.
Proper finish:
The décor and the color of the door should match correctly for a better appearance. You can choose from more than 40 shades of colors and finishes, present with the manufacturers of shower doors. You get paint finishes that come in a variety of colors to suit your style. There are anodized finishes which you get in three types. There are gold, silver and also nickel finishes available in the anodised form. If you go for the brass finish, you have polished chrome and antiqued brass finish to choose from. The brass finish also comes in nickel and gold type of finishes. Whatever types you choose, be it simple and trendy ones or the classic and antiqued types, shower doors enhance your décor and give your bathroom a glamorous and alluring effect.
References:
- Different Types of Shower Doors. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.homedit.com/different-types-of-shower-doors
- Pros and Cons of Frameless Shower Doors. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.angieslist.com/articles/pros-and-cons-frameless-shower-doors.htm
You have some excellent ideas for bathrooms. That has been one of the recurring themes in my own life–looking for a way to make our bathrooms and our kitchen look really glorious, even though those rooms are much too small. One of the glories of the Internet, though, is that there is absolutely no dearth of ideas. Right now I have no idea of what I will ultimately do, but I keep hoping I will come up with something really slick.