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Tub Surround with Window
I seam to always have rentals with windows over the tub, and am conflicted every time I go to remodel because I can never find a tub surround that looks decent and I hate cleaning grout. All I have found in the past is to Tile, or use something like FRP panels that looks like a gas station bathroom. What have you guys done for your rental properties with windows over the tub. Are there off the shelf tub surrounds that can be cut for window openings? If so, could you point me in the right direction. Thanks
Here is a picture of the current bathroom I'm working on. Thin plastic panels were glued to the wall initially.
Last year I tiled my rental tub, same configuration with 6x24 tiles vertically. Came out really nice. You won't find anything really off the shelf with a window due to the size variation. Some can create a custom surround with a window but haven't looked into this. Another material you can use is phenolic resin "solid surface material" like Corian. It comes in sheets. Same concept as frp panels but with better color options. A counter top shop can fab this for you.
I like Avonite for color section over the house hold name of Corian. Same quality, different color palette.
Other mfrs...
http://www.4specs.com/s/06/06-6140.html?zoom_highlight=solid+surface
I have bought surrounds from menards or home depot that come with trim for this very issue. I usually skip the trim but the surround is flat on the back so you can cut around the window and caulk very well. I also supply a shower curtain that goes against the wall to keep water from rotting the window. The kit I bought had all the shelves in the ends or corners so it does not get in the way during the shower.
Have you thought about taking out the window?
#2 General Landlording & Rental Properties Contributor
Frost the window, insulate and cover it over with your new surround. No more window in the shower, problem solved.
Be very careful about removing or covering up the window. Most building codes require an exhaust vent or operable window in the bathroom. @Thomas S. in Canada you may be able to get away with it but not in the US. @Dan Hoehn never said if he had an exhaust fan. Assuming no fan which is very common for a bathroom set up of this configuration.
Excerpt from 2009 International Residential Code (IRC)
R303.3 Bathrooms. Bathrooms, water closet compartments and other similar rooms shall be provided with aggregate glazing area in windows of not less than 3 square feet (0.3 m2), one-half of which must be openable.
Exception: The glazed areas shall not be required where artificial light and a mechanical ventilation system are provided. The minimum ventilation rates shall be 50 cubic feet per minute (24 L/s) for intermittent ventilation or 20 cubic feet per minute (10 L/s) for continuous ventilation. Ventilation air from the space shall be exhausted directly to the outside.
Window Films...
I have used the Solex brand SX-C300 Dusted Etch, SX-1309 Fine Crystal Frost, or SX-324 Frosted Sparkle for the bottom lite of the window. I had a free scrap from a glass shop so not sure which I got but it wasn't obscure enough for me. This is due to being within 12" of the window when taking a shower. There are other films by them that would work better.
https://www.decorativefilm.com/plain-frosted-light-diffusing-etch-films
Originally posted by @Jim Adrian:Be very careful about removing or covering up the window. Most building codes require an exhaust vent or operable window in the bathroom. @Thomas S. in Canada you may be able to get away with it but not in the US. @Dan Hoehn never said if he had an exhaust fan. Assuming no fan which is very common for a bathroom set up of this configuration.
Jim:
It's not about getting away with anything - in Canada or elsewhere. Even if you have an operable window, you should have - and in some places are required to have - an exhaust vent. Here folks seldom open the window when it is -30C outside ... and, if they are inclined to open the window in the dead of winter, you really do not want them so doing.
Having a window in a shower - particularly when you have tenants - is never a good idea from a maintenance point of view. We remove them all the time and install ventilation, it is by far the best long-term option.
Now, if you have a bathroom without a shower, then a window over the tub is less of an issue.
All thanks for your input! The bathroom does have an exhaust fan, but I am actually replacing all of the windows in the house right now, including the bathroom so I am a little too far along to eliminate it.
I stopped by HD last night and found their selection of their glue-in surround that are flat on the back that I could cut for the window. I'm leaning towards that solution with a solid (marble, etc) window ledge that is well sealed.
Totally agree with you!
I have both in my house and hardly open the window or use the exhaust fan. When people use the exhaust fan they never let it run long enough, typically needs 10 mins of run time. My point is most people don't realize you need a fan or an operable window. They think they can remove the window and no issues and that's not true.
Marble sill is great. For belt and suspenders I would add liquid applied waterproofing to the sill. Like Red Gard. I would hit all the corners and edge of tub conditions.
I have used AZAK or generic brand plastic trim with a vinyl window and lots of caulking. Make sure to slant the trim away from the window so water flows back into the shower (you knew that). I had the surround tiled, but there's no way I'll do that again since it went over budget.
a little late to the party but I'd have just shrunk it. Keep it high like in a 2x2 or 4 x2 slider. Since replacing windows anyhow. Perfect time. Then it is functional and out of way. Too low to keep it and tile it. Some tenant will inevitably let the grout crack and water will destroy your investment. Water will be in that sill at every showertime. Good luck
Very easy to cut & caulk the back panel.
@Dan Hoehn I am not sure what you budget is but here is one that we just finished. I’m not sure if this is what you are looking for for your rental.
Originally posted by :Totally agree with you!
I have both in my house and hardly open the window or use the exhaust fan. When people use the exhaust fan they never let it run long enough, typically needs 10 mins of run time. My point is most people don't realize you need a fan or an operable window. They think they can remove the window and no issues and that's not true.
Jim:
All our fans are wired with both a humidistat and a timer (generally set to 20-minutes), in addition to the manual switch. Once the tenant turns on the fan or light, the fan will run until the humidity drops below threshold or the timer has elapsed.
In those instances where the washroom is vented with the HRV, we use the same set-up to activate "boost" mode to clear the humidity.
Originally posted by @Amy A.:
Make sure to slant the trim away from the window so water flows back into the shower (you knew that).
But the moron that tiled my bath didn't! By the time I noticed it was improperly pitched they were paid and gone. Horrible job, now I have to rip out the tile sil and the bottom of the inset and pitch them properly, probably with a piece of granite, marble is just too damn porous and soaks up soap etc no matter how much you seal it.
I do like a window in a bathroom, it can make a small one seem brighter and nicer. The bath below was the same contractor, but a different more competent worker. BTW the ceiling is plastic tiles so a leak above is not a drywall job. When this was done a family of 6 was above, with kids who would flood the bathroom regularly.
For the record - I ended up going with a glue up surround and trimmed around the window with PVC trim. I learned that not all Home Depots carry glue up surrounds but some do.
Thanks for the input everyone.
#3 Investor Mindset Contributor
- Handyman
- Pittsburgh, PA
A step-by-step of the process of going the tile route on a surround with a window on plaster-on-lath walls. Should have changed the window to a casement version, didn't. Put in a very nice Grohe shower system that's really far too good for this rental, but I got a great deal on it and it's rock solid.
The sill was 2 cm marble I got from a friend, sealed with 511 Impregnator. Note the critical pitching issue that @Johann Jells pointed out. I can also attest that the sill still gets too soapy and slippery.
A tile surround is a huge renting point in our favor with the health care workers we tend to rent to here in Pittsburgh. Paying a tile contractor to do a moderately complicated one like this is like Russian roulette in our area.
For my window ledge in the bathtub area I with a thin cultured marble door threshold as it’s supposed to be well sealed and not need maintenance. Then did a really good job caulking with a high quality caulk. Looks good and should be fine for a while.
Glad I found this post. I have the exact same problem x 2 bathrooms. Tubs need replaced but have a window on the outside wall. Tile is cost and time prohibitive. I won't be replacing the windows but am leaning towards a surround with a cutout. There was no ventilation fan. Fortunately/Unfortunately we had to gut the bathrooms so I can put a wall mounted ventilation fan in at the top of the sidewall and run it down to the basement and outside.
Originally posted by @Joe Walker:
Glad I found this post. I have the exact same problem x 2 bathrooms. Tubs need replaced but have a window on the outside wall. Tile is cost and time prohibitive. I won't be replacing the windows but am leaning towards a surround with a cutout. There was no ventilation fan. Fortunately/Unfortunately we had to gut the bathrooms so I can put a wall mounted ventilation fan in at the top of the sidewall and run it down to the basement and outside.
Question: If the bathrooms are being gutted, why would not not put in a ceiling mounted fan and run the vent to the outside wall (are the floor joists running the wrong way)?
Joists are going the wrong way, also we didn't totally gut the bathroom. Just the tiled parts which were only halfway up the wall except for the tub surround. We ran the vent to the basement and the back of the house.
@Dan Hoehn Do you have a part number for the surround and trim kit? I am in a similar situation with the window. Thanks!
@Mike S. this is the one I used. I just looked for one that didn't have features going across the back wall. Then I cut out the profile for the window and trimmed out the window using PVC trim boards.
Distinction 32 in. x 60 in. x 60 in. 3-Piece Easy Up Adhesive Tub Wall in High Gloss White; Model # 39094-HD
Here are the REAL issues in windows in a shower area. FIRST none of the glass is safety glass, hence you now have huge liability issues if that glass breaks OVER the showeree. How you say? Big shampoo, soap, and conditioner bottles set on ledge? Elbows when eyes are soaped shut? Add a million other options if a renter is involved.
Next, with a wood frame window it will rot quickly.
Surrounds are made of materials that are not compatible with the shower daily cleaners on the market. You can talk, explain, yell, and lease notice all you want and so soon forgotten. Those daily shower cleaners WILL make the surround brittle and subject to cracking.
Ceramic tile HAS to be installed properly to adhere long term. EACH tile must be on cement board NOT drywall like flip shows. And the fast forward 30 minute tile install is all wrong. EACH piece needs back buttered as well as wall then applied and spaced and the thinset (NOT MASTIC) scraped out of grout joints. Most contractors just apply mastic to wall and stick tile.
MOVE the window up or go with glass block, NO window sill, OR if you have to have one , a 45 degree one, NO bottles allowed. Ceramic tile or the thick panels, 3 piece are more permanent unless you want a do over in 2-5 years