Bathroom Remodel Shower Doors In Birmingham, MI
One bathroom is torn up, the household is sharing whatever is left, and the glass is the last thing in. Here is how to sequence the enclosure so it is not the reason the room stays out of service.
The Glass Is Last In, So Ask About It First
A one bathroom remodel is different from every other glass job because you are living in the middle of it. The room is out of service, everyone is on whatever bath is left, and the finish date you actually care about is the day the shower works again. The enclosure stands between those two, and the most useful thing to know is that it cannot be ordered in advance.
We measure after the tile is set and grouted, never before, because tile thickness, a rebuilt curb and a wall that came back slightly different all change the opening. The glass is fabricated to those numbers and installed. That is two appointments at the end of the project, and your tile setter's finish date starts the clock on them. Ask early and you can plan the downtime instead of discovering it. If the tile is staying and it is really the enclosure that is tired, that is a much smaller project, and shower door replacement in Birmingham works to the opening you already have.
When the room is being rebuilt, settle the style before demolition, because the swing, the clearances and the opening you end up with are shaped by it. Sliding shower doors keep a panel out of the way of a vanity in a tight room. A tub opening that is staying takes bathtub shower doors. Framed shower doors absorb more variance in an older wall than a frameless detail will. Everything we build for the city sits on the Birmingham shower doors page.
Three Things That Keep A Remodel Moving
Order After Grout, Not Before
Every remodel has a moment where ordering glass early feels like getting ahead of the job. It is the most common reason a bathroom sits finished except for the shower. The opening changes when tile goes on, so we take numbers from the room once the tile setter is done.
Tell Your Tile Setter Three Things
Keep the curb flat and level end to end. Hold the wall plumb where the hinges will land. Finish the bench and niche edges square. None of it costs anything if it is said before the thinset comes out, and all three decide whether the glass sits tight or needs shimming.
Install Day In A Lived-In House
We need the room clear, a path from the front door and somebody home. The old enclosure, if there is one, leaves with us and is hauled away. Plan on the shower being unusable that day, and ask your tile setter how long grout and sealer want first.
What To Have Decided Before We Measure
The measure is quicker and the quote more useful when a few things are settled. Know the hardware finish going into the room, because glass hardware should match the faucet and the towel bar rather than compete with them. Know which way you want the door to open, and walk it with the vanity drawer and the toilet in mind, since a door that clears the room on paper can still catch a drawer front. Know what the opening will be once the tile is finished, a tub opening or a curbed shower, because the two take different enclosures and we measure whatever is there.
The problems on a lived-in remodel are rarely about glass at all. A niche edge that lands in the seal line. A curb with a slight slope out of the shower rather than into it. A shower head aimed at the door gap. A hinge location on the far side of the wall from a switch box. Waterproofing, plumbing and tile belong to other trades and all happen before we arrive, which is why it helps to know what the glass will want while those trades are still in the room. If you are unsure, text a photo of the space as it stands. It is far easier to answer a question about a wall we can see.
- Tile set, grouted and dry
- Curb capped flat and level
- Swing checked against the vanity and the toilet
- Hardware finish picked alongside the faucet
- Towel bar and hooks located
- Someone home for the measure and the install
Common questions.
When in my remodel should I call you?
As soon as the tile is picked. That call is not to order anything, it is to learn the sequence: what to ask the tile setter to hold, where blocking goes if the wall is open, and what the measure waits on. The measure happens after the grout is in.
Can I order the door during demolition to save time?
It is the one shortcut that reliably backfires. The opening you have during demolition is not the opening you will have after tile, and glass cut to the wrong numbers cannot be trimmed to fit afterward. We would much rather measure once, late, than twice.
How long is the bathroom out of service because of the glass?
The glass adds two appointments at the end, a measure and an install, with fabrication in between. We will tell you where that stands when we measure rather than guess now. Separately, ask your tile setter how long grout and any sealer need before the shower is used at all.
Our tile came out a little out of plumb. Is that a problem?
It is normal, especially in an older Birmingham house, and no reason to redo tile. We measure the wall that exists. How much variance an enclosure absorbs depends on the style, and a framed edge hides more of it than a frameless one. We will tell you what your opening can carry.
Does the old enclosure go away?
Yes. We pull it out and haul it away as part of the install, so you are not left with a framed panel leaning in the garage. If the tile and the pan are sound, they stay exactly where they are and only the glass changes.
We are only doing one bathroom. Is that too small a job?
Not at all. One bathroom gets the same process as anything else: a free in-home measure in Birmingham, a no-pressure quote, glass built to your opening at our Sterling Heights shop, and the same family that measured it doing the install.
Ready When Your Tile Is
Call (586) 315-8900 or text a photo to (586) 800-9481. We will tell you where the glass belongs in your remodel schedule and come measure once the grout is in. Free in-home measure, no-pressure quote.