New Construction Shower Doors In Grosse Pointe, MI
Glass is one of the last trades into a bathroom, but what the opening can hold was decided back at framing. Here is how to sequence the enclosure on a Grosse Pointe build so it is not the item still open at your walkthrough.
Glass Goes In Last, So Plan For It First
On almost every build the shower enclosure is the last thing to touch the bathroom, arriving after framing, plumbing, waterproofing, tile and paint. That position at the end of the schedule is exactly why it causes trouble: by the time anyone calls a glass shop, the decisions that determine what the opening can hold are already framed and tiled over. Bring us in while the bath is still on paper and the glass becomes a scheduled milestone instead of a punch list item.
We do not cut glass off a drawing or off framing. We cut it off the finished, tiled, grouted opening, because tile thickness, a mud bed, curb pitch and walls that moved during construction all change the number. That makes the measure its own trip, with fabrication behind it, so treat it as a milestone tied to your tile completion date. If you are specifying frameless shower doors in Grosse Pointe or one of our custom glass shower enclosures, sequencing matters more still, because those configurations leave the least room to absorb a field condition.
The other thing that stalls a glass order is an unmade decision. On a spec house you are choosing the configuration, the glass and the hardware finish. On a pre-sold house your buyer is choosing, and someone on your side has to own the date that answer is due. Nothing enters fabrication until those are locked. Glass shower door installation is handled by the same family that took the numbers, so there is no third party in the middle.
What A Rough Opening Needs Before We Measure
Blocking Where Hardware Lands
Hinges, wall brackets, headers and support arms anchor into something solid behind the tile. That blocking goes in at framing, when it costs nothing. Once the wall is closed and tiled, you are anchoring into whatever the framer happened to leave. Tell him which way the door swings.
Curb, Bench And Knee Wall True
Glass sits on what the tile trade builds. A curb should pitch back into the shower and stay level side to side, and a bench or knee wall carrying a panel needs to be flat along its whole length. When those run the wrong way, water heads for the seal.
Tile Set, Grouted And Cured
Waterproofing, tile, stone and grout are other trades' work, and we measure after they finish rather than around them. Numbers taken with the last row still going up produce glass cut to a wall that no longer exists. When the tile crew calls the shower done, book the measure.
The Order That Keeps A Build Moving
The sequence rarely varies. Framing with blocking in place, rough plumbing, waterproofing, tile and grout, then the free measure, then fabrication, then install after paint and before the final clean so nobody is cutting in around a finished panel. That is two appointments from us on your calendar, not one, and both need access: someone to open the house, light in the bathroom, and the finished floor protected. The build that treats the measure as a phone call rather than an appointment is the build where the shower is still open at the walkthrough.
If the same bath layout runs across several units, the specification can stay consistent. Same configuration, same glass, same hardware finish across the project is straightforward to hold. What cannot be held is the measurement. Every opening is measured on its own, because two units framed off the same sheet do not stay identical once tile is on them. Where a plan leaves a tight opening or a wall you do not fully trust, semi-frameless shower doors absorb more field variation than an all glass configuration will.
- Door swing decided before the walls close
- Blocking behind tile where hardware lands
- Curb pitched in and level side to side
- Tile set and grouted before the measure
- One person on site who can approve selections
- Access booked for the measure and the install
Common questions.
When should I bring a glass shop into a new build?
Twice. First while the bathroom is still on paper, so the door swing, the clearances and the blocking behind the tile are settled before the walls close. Then again once the tile is grouted and cured, for the measure the glass is actually cut from. The early call costs nothing.
Can you measure off the plans or the framing?
No, and you would not want us to. Tile thickness, a mud bed, curb pitch and walls that shifted during construction all move the finished dimension. We are glad to look at a drawing early and flag blocking and clearance, but the numbers we fabricate from come off the finished opening.
The tile went in out of plumb. Whose problem is that?
A common one, and far better caught before your punch walk than at it. We measure the opening as it truly sits and build to that, and some configurations absorb more variation than others. At the measure you get a straight answer on what the opening supports.
Who signs off on the selections?
Whoever you decide, as long as it is one person with a date. On a spec house that is usually you. On a pre-sold house it is your buyer, and someone on your side has to chase the answer down. Configuration, glass and hardware finish all lock before fabrication.
Can you hold one spec across multiple units?
Yes. Running the same configuration, glass and hardware finish through a whole project is easy to hold and keeps your closeout simple. The measurements are the part that cannot be copied from unit to unit. Each opening is measured individually, because identical framing does not stay identical once tiled.
What is not in your scope on a build?
Framing, waterproofing, tile, stone, plumbing and demolition belong to your other trades. We measure, fabricate in house and install the enclosure, and it stays our responsibility from the first number to the last screw. Keeping that line clear makes the glass a contained item at the end of your schedule.
Put The Glass On Your Schedule
Call (586) 315-8900 or text (586) 800-9481 and we will set the free measure around your tile date in Grosse Pointe. Showroom at 42624 Van Dyke Ave, Sterling Heights.