Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of articles on renovating bathrooms, one of the most complex and important rooms in today's upscale homes.
When it comes to bathroom renovations, nothing will work right without a good plumber and nothing will look right without a tiler with an artistic bent.
Your plumber is the one who will remove corroded pipes and replace them after determining what combination of available materials to use. Brass supply lines and cast iron drains were once top of the line materials in bathrooms. Today we use PVC plastic, polyethylene and copper. The plumber also designs how your new system will work. Sounds like a no-brainer? Well it isn't.
One recent high-end job I know of has had persistent problems with blocked waste lines. The basement, (home to an exercise room, laundry and home theater) floods with regularity. The plumber blames the housekeeper, claiming someone must be stuffing rolls of paper towels in the trap. The homeowner thinks it is an improperly sloped drain, or a pipe that takes too tight of a turn. If your supply lines aren't anchored every six feet, they will rattle and thump when you turn on the water. (Sound familiar?)
An unseen leaky joint can cause thousands of dollars worth of rot and mold sight unseen inside the walls. Their work might get buried, but a good plumber is essential. Ask your contractor to meet with key trades people including the plumber before you start your project. In the meantime, here are some plumbing basics.
Do you ever wonder why the men's and ladies rooms in hotels and airports are either adjacent to, or around a corner backing on one another? It's not so it's easier for your spouse to find you, but to share water and waste lines. It's more efficient and cheaper than separate lines. So, if you are creating an entirely new bath, rule one is to try to keep the room either above (master above powder room for instance) or adjacent to an existing bathroom.
Next, put the least used fitting the farthest from the door. The usual progression is sink, toilet, tub/shower. If at all possible, don't put the toilet directly across from the door. The prospect of a door swinging open exposing you fully enthroned to family or guests is terrifying. Also when unoccupied, who wants to look at a toilet? The sink is a much prettier and welcoming sight and visually creates the illusion of a more expansive bath.
Another rule of thumb, avoid relocating the toilet if at all possible. Toilets plug into the primary waste line. At four inches in diameter, plus framing, it creates quite a significant bump and is costly to move. Also primary waste can not run horizontally. You can rotate your toilet. And you can move it a very few inches without compromising flow (and you thought flow was harmonious color combinations!), but that's all. Sinks, showers and tubs are easy to reposition. Their secondary water and waste lines are smaller and are easier to move.
We're super-sizing everything these days, and our bathrooms are no exception. A powder room can be squeezed into a minimum of three-feet by six-feet and a full bath (albeit a small one) can be shoe-horned into a four-and-a-half by six-foot space. But forget about the latest shower designs, which include multiple spray sources, the newer toilets, which are taller and deeper, and the must have for two-working professional families, the dual-sink vanity.
If you are going the super-size route, consider upgrading the plumbing from half-inch to three-quarter inch water pipes and, perhaps, also enlarge your drain pipes. Also, be sure to check the hot water heater. A higher rate of water flow might demand a larger water heater to avoid suddenly cold showers. Here's a tip: the average hot water heater is set at 150 degrees, hot enough to cause a 3rd degree burn on a child. 130 degrees avoids burns and saves money.
And remember this, when you're steamed up it's always good to vent. Well, the same goes with a bath. Today's fully loaded designs use a lot more water, which will cause interior humidity to rise and increase condensation. Proper ventilation will cut down on mildew and mold. If neither a window nor an operable skylight is an option, use a ventilating fan. Exhaust fans can be placed anywhere in a bath.
Lyn Peterson is a nationally recognized expert in interior design. She is president of Motif Designs in New Rochelle, NY and is the author of "Real Life Decorating." The hardbound edition of her new book, "Lyn Peterson's Real Life Renovating," was published in March by Clarkson Potter. It's available on amazon.com and at fine bookstores.