Many families are looking for ways to get more out of their current homes without spending too much money. One way that this can be accomplished is by converting a powder room into a half bathroom. Fortunately it is possible to make this transformation without being a home improvement expert or hiring contractors to tramp through your home for several weeks with a hefty price tag. Even knowing only the basics, most people can install a 32″ corner shower in their existing bathroom.
You can purchase an entire corner bath shower kit from many home improvement stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot. These kits will come with easily understood instructions and most, if not all, of the parts required to complete installation. The shower should feature a pleasing design, interlocking glass doors to ensure a watertight seal, tempered glass to prevent breakage, and a frame constructed of aluminum to avoid rust. The panels forming the walls of the shower are usually made of high-gloss fiberglass and can add style and sophistication to any bathroom. Most showers include built in shelves and a towel rack on the outside.
Installing one of these corner showers will not require any specialized tools, only the tools typically found in most households. The kit will include the faucet and showerhead hardware, the drain, and other hardware required for installation. Many people ask how much to install a shower in a half bath but that depends on the builders in your local area or whether you have the ability to do it yourself as a bit of as weekend DIY project.
These showers are great for those concerned with mold or mildew growth. The shower walls of these pre-fabricated units are covered with a clear antibacterial coating to stop mold or other dangerous bacteria. This makes the shower easier to clean and keep looking like new. However it should be remembered that this coating will not stop all mold from growing and still needs regular cleaning.
Regular maintenance of your shower will help keep it looking its best for the longest amount of time. This includes thorough cleaning on a regular basis and also checking the drain trap, faucet handles, and showerhead. Checking the showerhead for leaks will also save you money as a leaking shower can cost hundreds of dollars in wasted water. Clearing out the drain trap of any loose hairs will prevent the drainpipe from developing a serious clog in the future and avoid expensive plumbing repair bills.
So why not use a few days of vacation this summer to convert that powder room into a half bathroom? This will add another shower for your family to use and may eliminate some of the morning time stress caused by crowding into one bathroom and will also increase the value of your home if you plan to sell in the future.
Many people have written in and asked me how to turn a half bath into a full bath and that is pretty simple, as long as you have the space which seems unlikely due to having a half bath installed in the first place! It is just a case of swapping like for like as all the fixtures and fitting will be the same, it is just the length of the bath that you have to contend with. Converting half bath to bathroom with shower is only slightly different in that you need to change the bath to a longer one and then install a shower as you would with any other bathroom. If the plumbing is in place then it is relatively simple but if you need to pay a plumber to come in and source a feed from a long way away it can turn into a real nightmare. The same goes if you need to turn half bath into shower enclosures or something else. It all depends on the plumbing that is already in place.
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