Shower remodel advice please!

I am just getting ready to wrap up my tiling of 3 bathrooms (they were carpet, yuck). I want to try to get some ideas for DIY shower remodel. It has a fiberglass pan with those boring white tiles and its glassed in. Pics below. I want to possibly have a tile floor for the shower, and larger, perhaps stone-type tile walls. I would also like ideas for making this tiny shower slightly larger. It is next to a large tub, which doesn't get used. there is what seems to be a large pointless transition between the tub and the shower currently. Perhaps I could get rid of that?

On another note, I can only fill that tub less than halfway before I run out of hot water. Any ideas on that? That is the reason it doesn't get used.

The first thing I see is that big window. Unless your willing to board it up, then it's gonna limit your options.
I kinda like what you got. It's very clean and quite new looking. Maybe just yank the tub and give Mrs. Ecu Pirate (I know, I'm making assumptions....) a huge vanity and make-up center.
Just my two cents.

Sounds like you desire a bigger water heater. There were some heaters deliverered awhile ago that had a defective dip tube, this limited the amount o fhot water they could provide. Keep in mind that you don't get the full quantity of a wh volume - it cools off as you use it and the cold water comes in. The heater can't keep up with the use, so you only get part of that volume that is hot enough to be useful. Some tubs can take upwards of 40-50 gallons, and for that, you might need a 70-gallon tank. The dip tube part is easily replaced (well, usually), if that is a problem. This tube directs the incoming cold water towards the bottom of the tank, leaving the hot near the top, extending the amount you can use. If the dip tube is bad (it breaks up an disintegrates), the cold mixes at the top with the cold, diminishing rapidly how much hot water you can get out of the tank. But, many of those with that problem are probably also around the end of their service life, too.

Windows in a shower area can be problematic. One suggestion is to change it over to glass block, if not that, then probably a vinal window. You can have a window there, but it requires very careful waterproofing.

If you want to think about tiling things, go over to www.johnbridge.com.

Pewterpower said:

The first thing I see is that big window. Unless your willing to board it up, then it's gonna limit your options.
I kinda like what you got. It's very clean and quite new looking. Maybe just yank the tub and give Mrs. Ecu Pirate (I know, I'm making assumptions....) a huge vanity and make-up center.
Just my two cents.

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I like the setup too, but that shower is not big enough for Mr AND Mrs ECU Pirate. It is quite tiny. You are right about the window limiting my options. I could only extend the shower area about 4-5 inches.

About the window being problematic...it actually is glass block. just a funny shot from the camera, makes it look like a reg. window.

I forgot to mention that another motivation for doing a remodel of the shower is there are gnats flying around near the shower constantly. I think there might be a leak.

Sounds like it may not have its own trap?

If done right, a glass block window in a shower can be made watertight.

jadnashua said:

Sounds like it may not have its own trap?

If done right, a glass block window in a shower can be made watertight.

Click to expand...

whats a trap?

Look under your sink...that U-shaped fixture is a p-trap. There needs to be one for each fixture in the house except for toilets, which have it built-into them. they may have tied the shower drain to the tub's trap, leaving a 2-3' or longer arm, eventually this gets lined with hair, soap, body oils, etc., and gnats just love that. There should be a trap right under the shower.

jadnashua said:

Look under your sink...that U-shaped fixture is a p-trap. There needs to be one for each fixture in the house except for toilets, which have it built-into them. they may have tied the shower drain to the tub's trap, leaving a 2-3' or longer arm, eventually this gets lined with hair, soap, body oils, etc., and gnats just love that. There should be a trap right under the shower.

Click to expand...

so what can i do to get rid of the damn gnats?

ecu pirate said:

... can only fill that tub less than halfway before I run out of hot water. ...

Click to expand...

search here for tempering valve, to see how to set your HW heater's temperature higher and then have that ultrahot water get combined immediately with a little bit of cold water to bring the hot water temperature down to a more acceptable less scalding temperature. This gives you more volume of hot water. You can then fill the tub.

looks like you now want to have more texture and visual stimulus than what you now have. I can appreciate that. However, you are just now finishing tiling your bathroom, according to what you said. Too late now to change any layout, if you just tiled the floor, which is usually the last thing to tile after making changes to the shapes in the room.

I can sympathize that your shower is useless and frustrating, being so small and plasticky. That transition is just a space filler, too. If you are ready to do a real remodel, and you want my input, you'll have to post back again telling me that the floor is not yet tiled or that you'll be glad to remove some of those tiles.

david

thats no fun! I am caulking the gap between the shower and newly laid tiles. I have no options of putting in a nicer shower?