Our solution to a window in the shower.
Here’s the Before-and-After of the bath renovation.
Here’s an index of all bathroom remodel posts
We have a large window IN our shower– not unusual in old houses.
Below is the bathroom before we began the remodel… the layout was awesome.
You can see that our ever-creative, previous owner applied his signature-brand of totally-impractical-I-found-this-in-the-trash-and-couldn’t-pass-it-up-solution.
I will give him credit for ONE thing, though– he used a luxury ledge tub… The side of the tub that’s against the wall has a ledge 4″ wider than normal.
That doesn’t sound like much, but it really is… especially if you’re concerned with being too close to a shower window.
As we planned the new bathroom layout, (which involved gutting the room down to the studs, and moving the sink over to the same wall as the super-fancy concealed trapway toilet, we considered rearranging the shower location.
But the room is narrow, and we decided there was no good way to align the tub with another wall.
Here’s the window before. It was the original one, and trimmed out in wood… Please don’t ask me about the sill. I DON’T KNOW.
We also considered putting in a smaller window… and moving it well above the shower area.
But in the end, I didn’t want to give up the natural light– I like the large window!
Also, I like my bathrooms to be BLINDINGLY bright… I’m really not kidding… I would put floodlights in, if Paul didn’t stop me.
Plus? By the time we began the bathroom remodel, I had decided that having a giant window in your shower is a total luxury.
What initially felt like a design-challenge is one of my favorite elements of this bathroom… In the summer, it feels like an outdoor shower.
If you don’t have one? I suggest you go hack a hole in the side of your house RIGHT NOW.
I should say that privacy is not an issue for us, so I get this may not work for you, but either way, here is my not-very-technical summation of how we waterproofed the window in the shower.
I do not pretend to be an expert on any of this. At all.
Mostly I held things. Or handed things… Or provided valuable commentary that Paul could not have lived without.
I have so many good suggestions ALL THE TIME.
Like what? I’m so glad you asked!
Like: all grout should be PERFECT.
And? Guess who is the grout-inspector.
That is correct. I was BORN FOR THIS JOB.
- We (Paul) backed the subway tile in the shower with Wedi board.
- He cut and installed the Wedi boards around the sill, continuing it around the window edge, right up to the frame.
- Then we tiled right up to the window.
- We used a narrow marble sill on the bottom lip.
- Remember to caulk, not grout the change of planes.
We ordered a window with vinyl interior trim, and pebbled privacy glass.
Theoretically the water wouldn’t hurt the window– it’s just vinyl and glass. Plus the whole thing pops out for cleaning…
But Paul wanted to keep the water from hitting the window directly, so to make it REALLY classy— we cut a piece of plexiglas to cover just the bottom half of the window.
It’s held in place with four small dots of caulk. It’s actually great, because you can pull it out to clean it, it doesn’t block the light, and the window stays remarkably dry.
If you don’t have an old house, you may not understand that sometimes the ultimate solution is unconventional…
And, there is really no way to make plexiglas sound like anything other than how you might fix a window in your Appalachian shack… so I won’t try to convince you.
index of all bathroom remodel posts
May 21, 2013 @ 11:15 am
Brilliant. And beautiful. Now I want to move the shower to in front of the window…
May 22, 2013 @ 2:55 pm
It’s funny how your opinion can change so drastically… when we bought the house, it was one of the few things I really disliked… now I love it!
December 2, 2020 @ 9:10 am
How great is that, a vintage old time utility window above the door as a way to let steam off 😤, airing the bathroom out without opening an outside window thereby losing heat.
May 21, 2013 @ 11:34 am
I’m always so impressed by Paul’s exacting standards and the way everything looks like it was a newly built, custom home. Your inspection skills, undoubtedly, attribute to this success story. The two of you could become contractors and build high-end custom homes and sign book deals and everything!
The bathroom is so pretty and I love the crepe myrtle outside your bathroom window, especially when it’s in bloom.
Karen
May 22, 2013 @ 2:57 pm
My inspection skills are awesome… as well as my imagination skills. Paul could probably live without either. 🙂
May 21, 2013 @ 11:50 am
Our husbands are so lucky to have us!
May 22, 2013 @ 2:57 pm
I tell him that EVERYDAY. Not that I should have to remind him… it should just be so obvious.
May 21, 2013 @ 12:37 pm
I shared because I cared much like the way you and your husband care for your home. I like a window in a bathroom too, especially in the summer.
May 22, 2013 @ 2:58 pm
I like to pretend I’m at my vacation home in Bali. 🙂
May 21, 2013 @ 12:43 pm
Now that you have a plexiglass window, are you ready for the chicken pumps and tomato cage birdbath? Perhaps a Christmas wreath made of green shotgun shells?
I LOVE your shower and am totally jealous. In another life where I am as persistent as you, I will convince my husband to take out the small privacy window in our bathroom and rip a huge hole in our siding to accommodate a shower window looking directly at our neighbor’s bedroom window.
May 22, 2013 @ 3:03 pm
Dude. AND I will wear a trucker hat while cleaning the bathroom.
In another life, I’m hoping I’ll not write a blog about my bathroom. It’s unsettling to have much of my personal productivity dedicated to being obsessed with something so meaningless.
May 22, 2013 @ 3:06 pm
Bathrooms are important man! What other room do you regularly spend 5-10 minutes in with nothing to do besides look around, read a magazine, or play bejeweled on your phone?
May 22, 2013 @ 4:05 pm
or graffiti on the walls…
May 22, 2013 @ 4:08 pm
Perhaps it’s time to attach a paint pen to the toilet with one of those chains?
May 23, 2013 @ 6:32 pm
You think we don’t have one? It’s bedazzled.
March 15, 2021 @ 8:25 am
I actually considered coloring book type wall paper in my water closet so I could attach a different colored pen each week.
May 21, 2013 @ 1:20 pm
One of my childhood homes (I say one b/c we moved a lot) had window pretty much identical to your bathroom layout. I loved it. To this day I have always wanted a bathroom like that again. There is something so awesome about showering in bright sunlight like that. Way better than the shutters!
May 22, 2013 @ 3:10 pm
Ugh… the shutters were just… ugh. And only half were attached to the wall. The other half would randomly fall over and attack you.
May 21, 2013 @ 1:52 pm
Looks fabulous! I love how you used the marble for the sill. That’s a great detail.
May 22, 2013 @ 3:18 pm
Thanks! We lined the bottom of the medicine cabinet in marble as well and I LOVE it! Those small details make all the difference!
May 21, 2013 @ 2:10 pm
So…what are you going to be for Halloween? I’m exactly the person who would like to know, as I begin my costume and party planning come Summer.
May 22, 2013 @ 3:13 pm
THANK YOU… why do so few people appreciate the truly important things in life? I really want to be John Travolta’s character from Saturday Night Fever, but as of yet haven’t found a white, three-piece suit with the appropriate flair.
May 21, 2013 @ 2:10 pm
We have a window in our shower as well, and I like it. I do need to paint the trim, however. The work never ends!
May 23, 2013 @ 6:33 pm
When we had the wood trim, keeping it clean was a chore… although it didn’t help that the paint job was so old!
p.s.- your new profile picture is gorgeous!
May 23, 2013 @ 9:41 pm
Thank you! It is a picture from the day of our wedding last June.
Our window has a wood trim as well, but we recently had vinyl windows installed. The wood time is painted, and so far it has not been a problem. As I mentioned above, though, it is getting to be time for a new paint job. I just do not want to risk it. Besides, I have this crazy idea about painting the trim black.
May 21, 2013 @ 4:05 pm
Victoria, this is lovely! We have a tiled shower in the basement and a bathtub upstairs. I’d love to someday add a shower in the tub, but we have a window at the end. And guess what? Wooden shutters! We actually have them all over our house, and they are not only a pain to keep clean but also to paint. But they do keep the house a little cooler in the summer. I’m pleased to see how you dealt with your window. Really good ideas. Also, what a pretty toilet!
May 28, 2013 @ 3:33 pm
I’ve been having tech issues with my comments… so now am playing catch up.
I do NOT miss those wood shutters. They were gross. And my dedication to cleaning them was a little sketchy.
May 21, 2013 @ 5:10 pm
It is lovely! I think every bathroom should have a window….but can’t say that I’ve seen many in the shower. It’s beautiful!
May 28, 2013 @ 3:38 pm
Thanks! I think it’s a design from before people bathed standing up!
May 21, 2013 @ 8:00 pm
I’m about to go take “before” photos of my bathroom. Because the “one day when it is all planned and we have time and money” idea for the bathroom kind of went out the window this morning when the kitchen ceiling started dripping. I do NOT want a 1920s cast iron tub crashing into my kitchen one day soon, so planning and saving starts in earnest.
We’ve got a big window too, not right above our tub, but planning to put one in because of headspace. I may just blog about this right away…
May 28, 2013 @ 3:36 pm
I had issues with my comments all last week and am playing catch up now…
Do yourself a favor and take lots of pictures of the WHOLE room! I took lots of pictures of up close stuff that no one will ever care about… like 50 photos of a pipe. Fascinating, no?
May 29, 2013 @ 12:39 pm
I took a MILLION photos when we did the tear out of our bathroom (well, the contractor did the tear out, I did the photo-ing). I’m sure they thought I was crazy, snapping away at them wrestling the old tub out through my living room, or the pile of old pink plastic tile in the massive dumpster in my driveway!
You can see the shiny new bath here – I do love it so!! http://pinterest.com/lizaanne930/our-new-bathroom/
Your sink is absolutely stunning!!!!!! I love the tile, and the marble as well – so perfect for you period home! I had a heck of a time finding a small enough pedestal sink that had enough flat surface around the edge for our tiny bathroom. I had to get rid of the ol’ vanity, it took up WAY too much space (and was u.g.l.y.). Now I don’t miss it a bit. Pedestal sinks are so under appreciated.
🙂
May 30, 2013 @ 6:38 pm
Yes! Pedestal sinks ARE underappreciated. A giant vanity is nice if you have a huge bath, but any kind of base cabinet in a small room just makes it feel twice as small.
Your bathroom is gorgeous! Love your floor! And paint… and tile… (and the PB soap dishes are too cute.)
So nice to be done, isn’t it?
May 22, 2013 @ 2:04 am
I’m still stuck on what you’re going to be for Halloween. Are you seriously already planning? I would find that highly impressive!
We have a large window in our master bath that has a sad mini-blind on it. Mini-blinds make me cry. I some day hope to vinyl or frosted glass. Anything, but mini-blinds.
May 28, 2013 @ 3:38 pm
I’ve been planning since last Halloween. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not.
May 22, 2013 @ 8:55 am
Perfect set of solutions for this window–I love the detail of your explanations because the details are really the answer to the whole situation. It is perfect and the result looks so fresh. I love the balance of modern sleekness with classic.
May 28, 2013 @ 3:40 pm
Thanks! Who knew there was room for plexiglas in appealing design?
May 22, 2013 @ 10:46 am
Windows in the bathroom also occur in horribly designed 80’s ranches, claustrophobic cave showers and a sunken tub that sits so low that you can just roll out and dry yourself off on the carpet. Yes, I said carpet in the bathroom. We are getting rid of the tub and putting in a large shower, but we have been stumped as what to do with the huge window above the tub. This is probably the first blog post my hubby has ever read that doesn’t deal with politics or sports. Thanks for blogging about this, we are definitely keeping our window.
May 28, 2013 @ 3:21 pm
I’ve been having tech issues with my comments… so wasn’t able to tell you how delighted I was with your bath description. (I’m sure you’re less delighted by it.)
Carpet in the bath is such a luxury… I have no doubt you appreciate it as such. Especially if it’s something extra 80’s… like mauve? Or teal?
May 22, 2013 @ 2:50 pm
So…what are you going to be for Halloween? I was thinking Emma Frost (X-men First Class) because I’d like to have a reason to cover myself in glitter. It’s never too early to start planning, right?
May 23, 2013 @ 1:14 pm
You could always be a stripper… Or Rainbow Brite. I’d LOVE to be Rainbow Brite.
May 28, 2013 @ 3:22 pm
I’ve been having tech issues with my comments… so now am playing catch-up.
Emma Frost is genius… AND pulls in my love of Mad Men… (plus, who doesn’t want to pretend to have glitter-related superpowers.) However, my heart is set on John Travola from Saturday Night Fever.
I would ROCK that white suit.
May 25, 2013 @ 8:17 pm
Every time you talk about this bathroom, I want to lay down on those marble floors and never get up. Great work as always on your tasks!
May 26, 2013 @ 2:23 am
Whatever you decide to be for Halloween, I thank you from the bottom of my grammar-Nazi heart for not saying “flare” when you meant “flair.” Well done! (oh, yes, and I do like the window solution too…. might steal the Plexi idea for our huge 4-paned master-bedroom window that looks directly into our neighbor’s house. It’d be kind of exciting to be able to leave the curtains open and get some light on that side of the room.)
May 28, 2013 @ 3:28 pm
I once nearly used “hoards” in place of “hordes.” I only caught it on the 900th proofread…
I pretty much live in fear of inadvertent idiocy.
May 26, 2013 @ 7:25 pm
Oh, i didn’t notice the marble sill on the window on the last bathroom post. Simply beautiful. I love love love that idea!!
Hmm….this post is making me think i need a bathroom makeover. 🙂
May 28, 2013 @ 3:29 pm
Marble makes everything look nice, doesn’t it!
May 26, 2013 @ 9:28 pm
“Incidentally— when you start a blog, you have NO IDEA that you need to take 12,000 pictures of EVERYTHING.”
Haha that made me laugh. I have 1500 pictures on my IPhone; another 500 on the laptop; and another 500 on the camera; and that doesn’t count the ones that I just deleted last month…
Plus, we have us one of those Appalachian shacks that we’re fixin’ up n’ so far there ain’t any plexiglas in any a the dern windows. May be considerin’ it though — fer the bathroom that is…
May 28, 2013 @ 3:31 pm
The other part of my photo-problem wasn’t just that I didn’t take enough… But that I didn’t take overall pics. Like, I’d take 50 close-ups of a pipe… which turn out NOT to be what I need.
You’ll feel much more shack-like when you get your plexiglas in place.