| |
| |
|
| |
|
Devon
& Cornwall
Bathroom Design Ideas |
|
|
A poorly designed bathroom is no better than
a leaky roof; an experienced bathroom designer
tells where the worst problems occur and how
to prevent them.
|
As
a veteran kitchen and bath designer, I’ve
created my share of glamorous bathrooms,
complete with oversize showers, giant soaking
baths, whirlpools, saunas and the like.
I wish I could say that all of my clients
come to me for the bathroom of their dreams;
sadly, a lot of them show up at my door
after water leaks and humidity have rendered
the bath of their dreams unusable. Today’s
bathrooms unleash copious amounts of moisture,
all of which must be carefully controlled,
or the results can be devastating (can you
say mould?).
Although I’am glad to have the business,
I want my work to last, so I’m always
alert to improvements in products, design
and construction that address these issues.
Following are a few of the strategies that
I use to ensure that none of my dream baths
ever become someone else’s nightmare.
When
clients requested a shower without a curb
and a door, we had to work out details that
would confine water. A well drained floor
with a substantial pitch is the cornerstone
of the design . A fixed 9 ft by 4 ft screen
of acid-etched tempered glass blocks the
spray. The shower's interior walls are covered
with 1 and a quarter inch thick granite.
Without a full enclosure, the shower throws
small amounts of water on to the floor,
but usually no more than a normal shower.
Complicated bathrooms require careful design,
but as long as moisture control is accounted
for during every step in the process, even
the most ambitious creation can expect many
years of useful service. |
|
 |
|
|
dries to the exterior
In regions where interior humidity levels
are typically greater than those on the
outside, a vapour barrier is placed on the
interior surface of the wall, while permeable
sheathings are used on the exterior.
should dry to the interior
In regions where exterior humidity levels
are typically greater than those on the
inside, the vapour barrier goes on the outside
of the wall, while permeable sheathings
go on the inside. |
|
 |
|
| |
If plumbing lines have to be located along exterior
walls, the best way to maintain an impermeable vapour
barrier (and to ensure that the pipes won’t
freeze) is to frame a nonstructural “water”
wall for pipes inside the exterior wall. |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Today’s
tight construction methods yield big
dividends in terms of comfort and energy efficiency,
but they don’t dry out like the drafty
walls of old . To prevent
trapped moisture, exterior bathroom walls
must be designed carefully. In certain climates,
a properly installed vapour barrier can
be a valuable part of that design.
Assuming all other aspects of moisture control
are handled correctly, the main influence
on the location of the vapour barrier is climate.
Moisture tends to migrate from areas of
greater (or warmer) concentrations into areas
of lesser (or colder) concentrations. In a
heating
climate, such as New England where I
work, a vapour barrier is placed on the interior
of wood-frame walls and ceilings, and permeable
exterior sheathings are installed to
allow any moisture that gets into the wall
cavity
to dry to the exterior . In a cooling climate,
however, the opposite
might be true. Wall assemblies in general
and vapour barriers in particular are
controversial subjects. Consult a building
science
expert in your area to find out what
might work best for you. |
|
Because most moisture that enters framing
cavities is airborne, air leaks present significant
opportunities for moisture to build up
behind walls or under floors. Common spots
for drafts include rough-ins for electrical,
plumbing or mechanical systems; drains for
baths and showers; and cutouts for recessed
lights. My policy is that any penetrations
in
the floor, wall or ceiling must be sealed
with
polyurethane foam, silicone sealant or some
other appropriate material. My subcontractors
make sure that any holes they cut in the
sub floor are large enough to allow for at
least
1/4-in. thickness of flexible sealant around
the
pipes .
Recessed lighting presents another draft
problem. Conventional fixtures are way too
porous for use in a bathroom. To avoid filling
the space above with moisture, recessed fixtures
located in insulated ceilings must be airtight
and carry the IC-rating, which indicates
that they are designed to be covered with
insulation.
A better solution is to place recessed
lights within soffits or dropped ceilings.
From
my designer’s standpoint, a well-framed
soffit
creates interesting sightlines and avoids
any
penetration into unheated spaces. |
|
Locate
showers and baths on interior walls, if
possible.
The best solutions
from a designer’s standpoint don’t
always agree with those of a building scientist.
These experts tell me, for example, that
baths and showers should never be located
along exterior walls. Unfortunately, don’t
always have a choice. Having done my first
bath designs where winter winds can freeze
pipes in short order—I would never
take the risk of placing plumbing pipes
within exterior walls. If I were stuck with
an exterior-wall location. I would frame
a second wall for pipes just inside the
exterior wall that would provide room for
proper insulation and for the creation of
a healthy wall system. In addition to the
placement of the shower, the location of
the shower fixtures can have a big impact
on moisture control. I like to offset the
water controls closer to the shower door
to make them easy to reach without opening
the door all the way . I also try to make
sure that the shower head is not easily
directed at the door opening. Glass doors
provide better water containment than shower
curtains, but access can be a problem. Shower
curtains can be weighted to hold them to
the floor for better water containment.
Another simple solution for keeping water
inside a curtained shower is to fashion
a dam in each corner using a bead of silicone
placed at a diagonal. |
|
|
One-piece tub enclosures
are boring but leak proof.
When it comes to the materials to be
used for a tub (or shower) enclosure,
there are almost no limits as to what
is available: tile, glass block, solid
surface, cultured marble, plastic laminate,
acrylic and gel-coated fiberglas, to name
a few. If I listened only to building
scientists, the choice would be clear:
one-piece tub units.
As long as the drain is installed properly,
the framing is correct and the floor is
supported adequately, experts tell me
that the chance that one of these units
will ever leak is minuscule. Most of my
clients want more pizzazz, and most of
the time they choose tile. Unlike one
piece shower surrounds, tile is not impermeable
to moisture—largely because of the
grout. In my experience, however, as long
as tile is installed properly over a cement
board substrate , a tile enclosure will
be fine Applying tile directly over the
moisture-resistant gypsum (green board)
is asking for trouble.
|
|
Solid-surface materials such as Corian also
require a proper substrate, but they eliminate
the need for maintaining grout. Glass block
is a good choice for a custom shower because
it’s less permeable to moisture than
tile. Glass block is also available in many
shapes and textures and includes structure
and finish in one complete package. Accessories
and built-ins for custom showers also must
be designed carefully. Soap and shampoo
cubbies must not compromise the water or
vapour barriers, so I never design these
niches to be set into an exterior wall.
I also make sure that the horizontal surfaces,
cubbies as well as shower seats are sloped
to shed water back into the shower.
|
|
Stand-alone
tubs generally have fewer moisture
problems than showers because they contain
water better. The weight of that water
can be a problem, however, as can frequent
splashing, such as children like to do.
The constant filling and emptying of a tub
demands flexible seams where the sidewalls
meet the tub. My installer uses only the
highest-quality silicone sealant . In addition
to caulking the joint where tile meets tub,
he caulks the joint between the backerboard
and the tub (detail 5, p. 55).
Wall surfaces surrounding a whirlpool tub
that doesn't’t get heavy use simply
can be painted
green board. Whirlpools release a lot of
steam, however, so if I know that the client
has
big plans for the appliance, I insist on the
same
type of wall assembly I’d use for a
shower. |
|
Undermount
lavatories are popular these
days because they offer clean lines and easy
cleanup. Their only drawback, however, is
a
vulnerable seam that’s hidden beneath
the
countertop. For clients who don’t mind
poking
their heads under the sink a couple of
times a year, this seam is not a problem.
Some
clients want their baths to be as maintenance
free
as possible, however. For them, I recommend
an integral basin/countertop made
from a seamless material such as cultured
stone. Integral countertops can be ordered
with or without a seamless backsplash. Occasionally,
the client requests a tile backsplash
to be installed over an integral countertop;
in
these cases, I specify that the countertop
be
formed with a 1/2-in. tall cove on which the
tile
will rest (detail 6, left). The cove eliminates
the seam against the wall where water can
collect and eventually escape. |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
|
The plumbers that I use add extra blocking
around the toilet’s drain line to
stiffen the subfloor. This practice helps
to ensure that the wax ring seal will never
be broken (for more on proper toilet installation.
Properly installed toilets don’t leak,
but they might sweat. Condensation on the
toilet tank typically occurs during the
summer months when the water in the tank
might be 20°F or even 30°F cooler
than the air. This seemingly harmless occurrence
can result in some serious problems: Moisture
drips onto the floor and seeps beneath the
floor covering, and eventually, the subfloor
starts to rot. Air conditioning is one way
to prevent condensation; if that’s
not an option, you can retrofit an existing
toilet with a prefabricated toilet-tank
insulation kit, or install an anti sweat
valve in the water-supply line. (An anti
sweat valve adds a small amount of hot water
to the toilet’s water supply. Adjustable
models can regulate the hot-water supply
during those months when it’s not
needed.) If purchasing a new toilet, consider
one with factory-installed tank insulation
or a pressureassist system that stores water
in a pressurized plastic tank within the
porcelain tank.
|
|
Toys such
as steam showers, whirlpools and soaking
tubs dump huge amounts of moisture into
the air. Even a perfectly designed bathroom
will suffer if it doesn't have an adequate
ventilation system. While some codes still
consider an operable window sufficient ventilation,
that’s asking for trouble, as is trying
to get by with a cheap, noisy fan. On every
one of my bath designs, I specify a high
quality, ultra quiet fan that’s correctly
sized to the space.
The installation of a ventilation system
is critical.
The duct system should take the shortest,
most direct route to the outside; but even
a short run of ductwork can be troublesome.
To prevent trapped condensation, I use insulated,
rigid pipe, and I make sure that the pipe
has a slight pitch, either to the outside
or back to the fan (detail 7 above). In
tight, modern houses, an adequate supply
of return air must be provided in conjunction
with the ventilation. This can be as simple
as making sure there is at least an inch
of airspace under the entry door or as complicated
as providing a passive makeup-air duct.
Even if it’s perfectly installed,
an exhaust system won’t get the job
done unless it is used.
I strongly recommend to my clients that
they leave the fan running—with the
door closed to make sure moisture cannot
escape into neighbouring rooms—for
at least 30 minutes after taking a shower
or using a whirlpool. Placing the ventilation
fan on a timer makes following this advice
easy. An even easier solution is to connect
the fan to a humidistat
|
|
|
FIXTURES
AS WELL AS ROOM DIMENSIONS DETERMINE WHICH
FAN UNIT IS NECESSARY
Exhaust systems are rated in cubic feet
per minute (cfm) of air moved, and the
National Kitchen and Bath Association
(NKBA) offers a formula as a starting
point for calculating the minimum ventilation
needed for a bathroom: cubic feet of room
x 8 (air exchanges per hour) / 60 (minutes)
= required cfm rating. Another easy guide
is to figure 1 cfm per sq. ft. in bathrooms
that are smaller than 100 sq. ft.; in
bathrooms that are larger than 100 sq.
ft., allow 50 cfm per standard fixture
(shower, tub, toilet, steam shower), plus
100 cfm per hot tub. Oversize bathrooms
can benefit from multiple intake points
connected to one remote fan. Typical locations
of exhaust inlets are near moisture sources,
such as the whirlpool, shower or steam
shower and toilet area, as well as near
closet or storage areas that might be
exposed to moisture. With this type of
system,it is important to check the cfm
at each location.
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
