Master Bathroom- Shower - bench or no bench
We are working on a flip that is expected to have more than $700K value and we are discussing the value of having bench in the shower. This shower is going to be in the master bathroom. There is no tub in this master bathroom.
It seems that installing a tub is couple of days work including putting a frame and filling-in with the concrete in side the frame and tiling on the outside.
Do you see a value of the bath tub or does it change the appeal of the bathroom to the buyers ?
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@Brandon Battle...get your mind out of the gutter lol. A woman's 2 cents...a bench is awesome for shaving legs fyi. I would be very excited to see a bench in the shower and we all know who really makes the purchasing decisions in the family ;)
Bathtubs are for children primarily,only the bathrooms meant to be used by the children need tubs.The master bathroom needs a large shower with decorative tile and an excellent shower head and water pressure.Benches are unnecessary unless it is an extra large shower for two people to share if you know what I mean 😜😘😎
Thank you for the suggestion. It's not very large shower but not small as well.
When you say extra large - what would be the area ?
@Brandon Battle...get your mind out of the gutter lol. A woman's 2 cents...a bench is awesome for shaving legs fyi. I would be very excited to see a bench in the shower and we all know who really makes the purchasing decisions in the family ;)
@Alison Koenig, Thank you for the suggestion.
A quick disclaimer: I'm terrible with aesthetics, and I have no eye for these things.
That said, I do have an eye for money, and I do follow trends. Benches are common in larger walk-in showers these days, and tubs are only necessary in shared bathrooms. Read:kids. A bench might cost you an extra $100 and 2 hours, but that's all. It adds marketability to the disabled, elderly, and lazy (like myself) so if you have the space, it's really a no-brainer. Unless it's the only bathroom, forget the tub, but add a bench. Just make sure it has good drainage.
@Jacob Pereira - Thank you. We have decided to add a bench.
Do we need to fill-in the bench wood-frame with the cement ?
I've actually only ever built one myself once, and that was years ago when I was helping a friend remodel his bathroom. He didn't fill in the wood frame; if I recall (and this was a long time ago) he simply put down plywood and some netting to catch the mortar and tiled and grouted right over that. If I were you I'd check out a couple of Youtube videos rather than blindly following my amateurish advice, though.
make sure to use that red waterproofing sealant. Can't remember the name but slather it over the bed/cement and tile over it
Oh yeah, RedGuard. I almost always have a bucket handy. The buyer won't know whether you used it or not until a few years later, but provided you're either an ethical person or you want to protect your reputation long term (hopefully both) that stuff is a must.
Instead of using plywood, I suggest using cement backer board and red guard or its equivalent.
Our first bench was wood and backer board but the 2nd bench we built was cinder blocks laid on top of the cement shower floor.
Thank you for all your suggestions. I will ask my guy how is planning to do it and ensure they are using red guard or equivalent.
@Pandu Chimata Hi,min reference to the dimensions of your shower, it should be at least 4 foot wide if possible and longer than that to be comfortable for couples. We were able to make one 4' by 6' with a bench at back. And most important a good "shower system in place of a shower head with hand wand. I learned of this at a meet up in Dallas. Signature Hardware has an awesome selection of bathroom fixtures. We went with a system with 6 jets, rain and deluge shower head and hand wand. It was installed for the Ladies to see and demand to have!!
You will also want to have the flexible shower membrane behind the bench, extending a foot beyond the bench. This will funnel into the shower base to prevent water from leaking down the walls and outside of your shower. Go heavy on the RedGuard, you'll want to make sure everything is well protected. I built one out of solid concrete to avoid rotting wood (potentially down the line). Cost was little, but took a bit of extra effort. I then used RedGuard to cover the concrete to add another layer of protection.
Benches are great to have in walk in showers. Dont rule out possibly a corner seat instead, possibly on a 45 degree angle in the corner. Ive always built mine with 2x4's (obviously) and sheeted the entire shower with a cement board or hardi Backer, then sealed all screw heads and seems with an elaso water proof caulking. Red guard is a good option as well, but Hardi backer is by far my favorite. Anywho, I say go for the bench! Makes bathrooms more appealing and most times kitchens and baths are what rent/sell houses