Hey there! Let me tell you a story about my recent bathroom renovation project and how we built our custom shower system.
When my partner and I decided to update our powder room, we knew we wanted something special when it came to the shower. We’re both big fans of long soaks in the tub and refreshing showers in the summer, so we definitely didn’t want to settle for a standard shower configuration.
The space we had to work with was pretty small at first, only measuring about 32 inches square. We didn’t expect to fit a tub-and-shower combination in there, but once we started the demolition, we found an extra 18 inches of space.
Suddenly, we had more room to work with than we anticipated!
We started looking at different kitchen and bath stores for ideas, but we couldn’t help comparing everything to a unique solution we had back in the ’80s.
We Wanted A Custom Shower System!
Back then, we lived in an old Victorian home with a six-foot-long soaking tub and a separate tiled shower enclosure that had three rows of jets. It was a luxurious experience that we just couldn’t find in any current product.
That’s when we came across a custom shower design workbook from Grohe, and we had an “a-ha” moment.
If we couldn’t find what we were looking for, we could just design our own custom shower system!
We spent some time working out angles and layouts, and we quickly realized that the most important aspect of designing a multi-head system is the control valve.
Grohe recommended a ¾-inch valve, even if you only have ½-inch water pipes. Luckily, we had ¾-inch water pipes coming to our bathroom, so that simplified things.
Next, we met with a licensed plumber to go over our plan.
We settled on three body spray heads on the back wall, positioned at knee, back, and head heights, all controlled by one knob.
We also had a fixed overhead spray with a separate on/off knob and a handheld spray wand with its own on/off knob. And even designed it with a pole mount so we could move it up or down, which has come in handy for washing the dog!
One critical factor we had to consider in our custom shower design was the total flow rate of all the shower heads combined.
The control valve has a flow rate of 16 gallons per minute, and since we wanted five shower heads, our total flow rate would be 12.5 gallons per minute. We didn’t want to install more heads than that, as we felt it would be overkill in a modestly sized shower stall.
And There It Was… Our Personalized Shower!
Once we figured out the layout and necessary plumbing runs, we were left with an enclosure measuring 46 inches by 32 inches, which was more than enough width to allow for a small shower seat.
We chose a molded fiberglass enclosure for ease of installation, and it turned out to be the perfect choice.
The end result has been amazing!
We’ve created a truly indulgent and personalized shower experience that we absolutely love.
So if you’re considering a bathroom renovation project, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and create something unique and customized just for you!