Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Tub or large shower

Our master bathroom has a small all tile shower, roughly 30"x30". Next to it is a half size built-in closet. I am thinking to get rid of the closet and enlarge the shower space. That would make it large enough to put a bath tub, or a 60" shower. Which one is better, any suggestions. I am leaning to put in a shower since as e get older it might be hard to get in and out of a tub.

Also, right now the shower has a drain hole at the center. Somehow I have to use that since the house is on a concrete slab, and I do not want to mess with it. I am pretty sure the drain hole location will not match, so I am thinking of raising the tub or shower stall just enough to run the drain. Is that possible?

You probably won't be able to get a 60" shower unit in your house, as they are usually set in place prior to the skeleton being closed up. However, demo'ing the existing tiled shower and closet, re-panning the floor to the existing drain and tiling up the walls for a larger shower. You will need to build a berm, install EPDM liner, moisture barrier on the studs, concrete backer underlayment for the walls, then the tile system. Let us know if we can help with this.

A tub shower would be the best bet for resale. If mobility is an issue, the shower stall may be a better choice for you.

Thanks for the advise guys.

Thanks god we are not immobile yet, but who knows. Also these new shower stalls look very modern and makes the bath look much larger. This is a hard decision.

I think I can manage to get in either through the door and stuff. I am planning to enlarge the door also while at it. It is just 24" now. Bringing in the tub won't be a problem, to lay it down I have to take out the toilet, but that is just a wax-ring. If only I can solve the drain problem in my mind.

One option is to do a tile stall as Chandler suggests. I did tiling before. Everytime I am getting better. The only thing is it is hard to keep tile/grout clean, but of course looks very nice. If I can manage to find a solution for the drain, I want to go with those tub-surrounds. Very low maintenance.

So can I raise the tub to get enough clearance to work a drain. How is that done? Or is it a stupid idea.

Best scenario for future maintenance purposes is to have the trap directly under the drain like you do now. You may find that youll have to raise the floor more than youd like to accomodate a new centered drain.:(

Sounds like you are gonna take on a lot of work anyway so why not bite the bullet and bust up the slab a little and move the drain to where it needs to be? It really isnt as hard as it sounds.:)

Bust up the slab :confused:

Wow, how would I do that. Hope not a chisel and hammer. What is an easy way of doing it, and can I cause some other damage to the foundation?

You will need to build a berm, install EPDM liner,

Fyi, EPDM does not meet UPC as a shower pan liner. PVC, CPE, copper, lead, fiberglass, hotmot, many liquid membranes, several sheet membranes (Kerdi, Nobleseal TS, etc) but not EPDM. It doesn't like thinset.

EPDM, isnt this the stuff used for outdoor ponds? Never seen or heard of it used as pan liner though.

Yes it is. It's not a good mix with portland as it can break down under cement.

Imagine the corner folds with that stuff:eek:

Good to know, thanks for the heads up. I just thought the compound was EPDM rubber, and was using it generically. Thanks.