Bathroom Renovation | Anything I'm Missing?

Hey all, I'm gearing up for a full renovation of our bathroom. I have a general plan, but I was curious if you all had any tips or things you wish you would have done. 

A couple things I know I'm curious about. 

1. Toilets, I've been seeing a lot more one piece designs. I am inclined towards getting one since I think they look a little nicer, and also seems like they'd be a bit easier to clean. Anything bad a bout them?
2. Heated Tile Floor: I am planning on electric heat for the bathroom floor. Any brand suggestions? Ditra-Heat looks like a nice simple system, uncoupling membrane being part of that. Worth the price? 
3. Tile Shower Waterproofing: I was also thinking of going with the Schluter system here too. Seems like a fairly easy to install system. Worth the price? 

For reference, here is a semi-current picture from when we bought the place. 

And here is the planed new layout:

The right side wall will be pushed out a bit for a little more space. I already ordered the cabinets for the vanity base and upper cabinets. 

Thanks in advance, I apprciate all the knowledge on the forum here. 

GFCI receptacle next to the sink?  Exhaust fan?  Adequate lighting?  A place to store towels?  You may be too young to need them now, but including grab bars in the shower/tub and by the toilet aren't a bad idea, it's a lot easier to do it now than later.  Will the tub actually get used?  I think in many cases people put them in because all the home decorating magazines show them, and after a few times they never get used again so they end up being nothing more than an expensive room decoration.

I agree with stuart in mn, future proof the bath, we're all only getting older.  Put in less stuff and make it roomier,  A tight dedicated shower isn't much fun, I'd rather stick with a combo tub/shower and make it as spacious as possible.  As large a vanity countertop as possible, stuff will live there.  Linen closets/cabinets in any unused space.

We're about to start construction (well, the contractor is) soon.

Ditra is the brand we're using for the heated floor, and yes, I would definitely do that.

We've talked to 4 or 5 contractors and Schluter seems to be the massively preferred system.  Enough so that randomly calling things "Schluter" became a thing between my wife and I for a while.

Put solid 2x6 blocking horizontally behind the drywall, centered 36" above the floor, for 36" behind the toilet and 48" along the side wall next to it.  This is for future grab bars.  Put something similar along the back wall of the tub.

Run the tile continuously under and behind the vanity rather than installing it and tiling up to it.  That way you can replace the vanity later.

If you are tiling the tub surround, run the tile from the top of the tub all the way to the ceiling in the tub alcove.  If you hold it down a foot to save money, that joint at the top of the wainscot always becomes a nasty mess.

Get waterproof LED downlights that are around 3500k color temperature (anything higher will be brighter, but look too cold) and with the highest Color Rendition Index (CRI) you can find in budget.  Don't go less than 90 and do better if you can.  CRI is a measurement of how accurately the light  illuminates different colors, without weird overtones.

Duke said:

 

Put solid 2x6 blocking horizontally behind the drywall, centered 36" above the floor, for 36" behind the toilet and 48" along the side wall next to it.  This is for future grab bars.  Put something similar along the back wall of the tub

Came here to post this. Don't leave it out.

In reply to stuart in mn :

Good stuff, thank you. I was planning on most of that already. As suggested by others I think I will just add blocking for now for hand rails. Towel racks will fit right outside the shower door. 

Exhaust fan, any suggestions?

Tub will get used. Separate from the shower is a special request from my wife, and I am happy to oblige. It did make the puzzle of a good layout tricky, but I think we'll like it. 

In reply to Duke :

Thanks for all that. I don't 100% know my plan for lighting yet, but I do like good lighting so the specs are great to know. 

I put in an exhaust fan with a bluetooth speaker. Sounded stupid at the time, but hey why not be silly every once in a while.

I use it every morning for podcasts and news while I shower. When it dies I will replace it with another one.

In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :

These lights are awesome, waterproof, and cheap

If you plumb hot water to the toilet it keeps you cheeks warm in the winter. 

Freestanding tub - faucet/knob placement?  Can't be in the way of getting in and out... don't want to reach OVER the tub to access them.   

We have something like this allowing to fill the tub without reaching across.

In general, think about logistics of daily use - we moved our shower controls so they could be reached easily from outside the shower...plumber said "well shoot - wish I had thought of that".  A little extra copper pipe is an incidental cost.

We did a combo shower light/fan during our renovation. 

I would tile the ceiling in the shower. It will protect the backing from splash and spray. Don't forget to plan for alcoves or shelves in the shower for shampoo, etc. when framing and running plumbing.

Also consider a two head shower fixture, we have on fixed head and one handheld that is adjustable for height and orientation. 

We also have a GFCI receptacle for the sink, and added one inside the vanity for rechargeable things like toothbrushes and razors. 

Figure out what shower doors you want to use in advance, that way you can frame accordingly with allowance for tile, etc. 

Im confused by this image.  Where is the window in this graphic?  Is the toilet in front of the window?  If it is, it may be less than ideal.  

Lots of great ideas here, most of which I've done at my house.  One more is to get a thermostatic valve and volume control valve for the shower (or two volumes with two heads is what we did), rather than a normal mixing valve.  It is really nice to turn on the volume knob and have the shower always come to the same temperature it was when you last used it, rather than having to fiddle to find the right temp.  

In reply to John Welsh :

Yes, the toilet will be just about centered on the right side window trim. Not all that far off of the current toilet position really.

Sonic said:

Lots of great ideas here, most of which I've done at my house.  One more is to get a thermostatic valve and volume control valve for the shower (or two volumes with two heads is what we did), rather than a normal mixing valve.  It is really nice to turn on the volume knob and have the shower always come to the same temperature it was when you last used it, rather than having to fiddle to find the right temp.  

Oh now that's a cool idea. I will have to keep that in mind!

bludroptop said:

Freestanding tub - faucet/knob placement?  Can't be in the way of getting in and out... don't want to reach OVER the tub to access them.   

We have something like this allowing to fill the tub without reaching across.

 

In general, think about logistics of daily use - we moved our shower controls so they could be reached easily from outside the shower...plumber said "well shoot - wish I had thought of that".  A little extra copper pipe is an incidental cost.

Good tips. It'll be some type of clawfoot, but not sure the exact one yet, not 100% sure on control location, but I'll definitely consider that in the planning. 

Only thing I can add is to use Red Guard or any other type of waterproofing on the floors and up about 6" of the walls. This will keep any water from getting behind the sheetrock or flooring. Best thing I've done in the two bath remodels I've done on my house and helping a friend at his.

AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:

Exhaust fan, any suggestions?

+1 on the heated floor, but depending on how much heat you and your wife want, consider getting a combo exhaust fan and heater.  In our MBR, we installed a Panasonic "Whisperwarm" fan with 1500W heater.  The warm floors are nice, but having the air warmed up as well is nicer.   Only issue with the Panasonic is that the Japanese must think the word "whisper" means something different than I think it means.

Also: a timer on the fan (not the heater).  We never leave the heater running when we aren't there, but frequently want to be able to run the fan for 10-15 minutes and then have it shut off.

You are being really optimistic about your dimensions. You don't have enough space to put a tub, shower, and toilet all in the width of that room. 
 

I can't think of anyone who would enjoy dropping their drawers and mooning the neighbors every time they have to take a E36 M3.  Reconsider putting the toilet directly in front of a window that low. 
 

Careful moving the toilet. It's usually harder to move it just a little bit than to move  it across the room.  It's highly likely you will have a conflict with a floor joist, and you won't be able to run a vent up the wall where the window is (if one is necessary)

I would add an outlet by the toilet for a bidet. I have the attachments that just use water from the toilet supply and hot from the sink and won't go without them again, the option to have an electric heated one would be nice.

If it is in the budget i would reframe the window and make it smaller. More wallspace and privacy from the floor up

In reply to SV reX :

i........agree with paul about the layout and toilet plumbing. your masking tape layout screams claustrophobic. also, as a professional with almost 30 years in remodeling, absolutely schluter products are the way to go for any tile project but they are not by any means easy to work with. I still scratch build old school mortar shower pans but then go over them with kerdi membrane and a compatible drain. tiling a shower is a huge job and has 20 different places for you to berkeley up, but starting with the best products is a way to alleviate a couple of those places. you can still ruin it quite aptly. 

 frost the window glass or have a curtain if you don't want the neighbors getting a show. personally idgaf, it's their choice to look at my d when i'm peeing in my own home

Your free standing tub needs about 34" from the wall. 
 

A shower stall can be done in 32", but it's really tight. 36" should be minimum, plus 5" for the wall thickness. 
 

A toilet can be done in 30", but that's extremely tight. I would allow a minimum of 36" from the leading edge of the tub to the shower wall. 
 

That's 111".  Now double check your tape.  I think you have about 86" total width.

You are gonna spend thousands of dollars on this. Get the dimensions right before you start. 

Also don't underestimate the simplicity of buying a sterling or other good brand of fiberglass shower pan and just tiling the walls. It really doesn't detract from the appearance and makes everything not quite foolproof but a thousand times easier than tiling. Then you never have to scrub grout on the shower floor