The Masterful Bathroom - Country Style Bathroom Tips - Japan Bathroom Styles
No room in the house has been so transformed in the last five years as the bathroom. Pampering has become a serious business and a reward for all our hard work! We want a room that satisfies our fantasies as well as our needs. We want the size and the sizzle of the spa - everyday amenities for weary eyes and bodies.
The Japanese and European tradition of luxury in the bath has spilled over into America in a big way:deep soaking tubs and hand-held sowers; whirlpools and saunas; real furniture and sculptural fixtures; smooth finishes and rich, solid colors in faucets, sinks, hardware and handles. Double sinks for the tow-career family. Brass and marble, brushed chrome and stainless steel, unexpected combinations of columns and sconces, warm woods and techy black tile, the comfort and grace of grand old hotel baths - all of it is being retrofitted into new and existing floor plans. In established metro areas of the US like Boston and Seattle, the art of shower and bath remodeling has been taken to new heights.
The bottom line on what's possible for your bathroom lies beneath the floor, down there with the plumbing. Tubs and sinks can't be moved too far without incurring a costly rerouting of plumbing. Even when fixtures stay put, there may be other problems. Says Dallas contractor Stan Wilson: "You have to consider that when you add new equipment to existing plumbing, the tolerances may be too slim."
This means the waste pipe on that fabulous new whirlpool bath may not quite fit the corresponding pipe in your home's plumbing. A good plumber can deal with such things, but they add to costs.
Think about all those choices ahead of time. And think, too, about how long you can manage without a bathroom while the renovation is underway. Whatever estimate of time you're given by the contractor, add 25% at least.
