Bathrooms in the modern day custom home

Modern Day Construction for custom homes Part 16

In today’s modern world of construction things are changing year to year faster than they did decade to decade in any other previous time period. In this multi part series I will traverse through an entire house starting with the foundation and working my way up to the roof and then to the finishing’s. I will explain what has changed in the last twenty years in custom home building.

One thing that you should be able to take away from this is how important it is to not just to hire the right general contractor to build your custom home but how important it is to hire one that is up on today’s building methods.

Bathrooms

Twenty years ago the bathroom rooms were fairly simple with a couple of lights, a tub/shower combination and a small vanity.

Today bathrooms are made so that they will never feel like the old bathrooms. Every option is used so that they bathroom does not feel like a damp dark place. Here are some of the major things that have changed;

• Mirrors. Mirrors have grown bigger and fancier. Custom cut glass with edging and sometimes having the mirror trimmed out to look like a picture usually using the same still of wood and trim detail as the room has.

• Lighting. Lighting has gotten extremely fancy with the rule being the more lights the better. You can never have to bright of a bathroom. Chandeliers are routinely placed in bathrooms to help bring some style to a room that is has historically been function over faster.

• Pot lights. Pot lights are found commonly found in bathrooms now, in the shower and in the general use area of the bathroom, pot lights are simple lighting choices that never really go out of style and are able to give you a fair bit of light for a little amount of money.

• Fans. Bathroom fans have become more powerful and quieter. Gone are the days when you have to use the hair dryer on the mirror before you use it on yourself. Properly placed bathroom fans should keep the mirror free of fogging up with moisture from the shower. Fans also have light and even heat bulbs in them. Heat bulbs help keep you warm and help you dry when you are finished in the shower.

• Showers. Showers have grown in size and changed shape. Custom glass showers are the norm now, some are being built with corners in them so that they do not require a door. There are luxury pre-made models as well that are very function and are able to fit in tight spaces. Most showers in main bathrooms also have seats built into them, this helps older people who are unsteady on their feet and also women who want a place to sit to shave their legs.

• Glass. Glass is being used everywhere in bathrooms today. From the ever growing mirrors, to entire glass shower enclosures, all the way down to glass counter tops on the vanity. Glass is strong and functional; it also comes in any colour that you desire.

• Vanities. Vanities have gotten bigger and more elaborate. Vanities now routinely have granite counter tops and are built to maximize storage space so that everything can be put away. A properly built vanity almost makes linen closets obsolete for towels and toilet paper. Vanities are being built with almost like stations for being depending on what they are trying to accomplish. There are multiple sink’s, or large long sinks that more than two people can share and there are areas where women can sit down and apply their makeup with proper lighting and mirrors to make it easier.

• Sinks. Sinks have grown in size and shape. There are now sinks that are so large that they are designed with two sets of taps for his and her usage. Sinks can be mounted on top of the counter top, underneath the counter top or a combination of the two depending on the look the person wants.

• Shower fixtures. Shower heads have gotten larger and larger, to the point where it is like standing underneath a waterfall. Hand showers and multi headed body jets are now expected. Shower fixtures give you almost a carwash type cleaning.

• Tubs. Tubs have been given more jets and even “bubblers”. There are also tubs now that you can get that have lighting in the tub and play music through the water. Some tubs now will even air dry themselves when you have finished in the tub and drained the water out. This helps stops the tub from getting rust stains and water rings.

• In floor heating. Heated floors have become the norm for any bathroom that has a lot of tile on the floor. It helps to limit the use of floor mats that cover up the beautiful tile work. This helps make the bathroom its own climate regardless if the heat is on in the rest of the house or the air conditioning.

• Toilets. Toilets have become water savers in the last decade. You actually can’t buy a non low flow toilet anymore. Toilets come with slow closing lids to limit the slamming of lids by children or other people not paying attention. They can also be purchased with heated seats and higher end toilets come with an anti-bacterial coating to help reduce the smell. They also have before longer and wider so that even the biggest person can be comfortable while reading their favorite book.

Looking for part 17 coming soon....

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.