New Construction Shower Doors In Macomb Township, MI
Glass is one of the last trades into a house, which is exactly why it belongs in the conversation early. What the rough opening needs, when the measure can happen, and what to have locked so the enclosure is never the item holding up a closing.
Glass Goes In Last, So Plan For It First
On a house that is going up right now, the shower enclosure is a short line on a long schedule and the only item in the bathroom that cannot be ordered off the plan. Glass is cut to the opening that exists after the tile is on the wall, not the opening drawn on the elevation. That one fact sets the whole sequence. Framing, waterproofing, plumbing and tile are other trades' work, and every bit of it happens before anyone puts a tape on the opening.
The two decisions worth making early have nothing to do with the measure. First, what goes in each opening. Frameless shower doors in the primary bath and semi-frameless shower doors in the secondary baths is a common split, and the choice changes what your framer has to back and where your tile setter has to hold a line. Second, the finish. Both are easy to settle while the walls are still open and impossible to change once glass has been cut.
Openings that are not simple rectangles are where an early call pays off most. Custom glass shower enclosures are built to whatever the room actually is, but that geometry has to be settled before tile, because tile is what we measure. Once the opening is finished, glass shower door installation is handled by the same family that measured and fabricated it, with no outside glass crew arriving on your site.
What A Rough Opening Needs Before Anyone Measures
Solid Backing At Hinge Height
Heavy glass hangs on hinges and clips, and those have to anchor into more than tile and board. Blocking behind the substrate where the door will land is a framing decision that takes a few minutes while the wall is open and cannot be added afterward. Tell your framer which side the door swings from and roughly how tall the panel will be.
A Curb, Cap And Header That Run True
Glass follows the opening it is given. A curb pitched outward instead of in, a knee wall cap that runs downhill, a header out of level: each one shows up later as a gap you can see or a door that drags. All of it is easier to correct in tile than to compensate for in glass, and that correction belongs to the tile setter, not to us.
A Finished, Clean Opening
We measure completed surfaces, curb cap, bench return and niche trim included. If any of that is still coming, the numbers move and so does the glass. One measure on a genuinely finished opening is what keeps the enclosure right the first time.
The Order Of Operations That Keeps A Bath From Stalling
The sequence that works looks like this. Blocking goes in at framing. Waterproofing and the pan follow. Tile and grout go on, the curb gets capped, the bench gets its return. Only then does the measure happen, off the finished surfaces. Fabrication follows the measure, and the install lands near the punch list, after the room is painted and before the shower is put into service. Ours is the last item in the room.
Most of what stalls a bath is a decision, not a delivery. Selections still open when the tile is done. A finish changed after the glass is cut. A second bath that was never mentioned, so it was never measured. Give us every opening in the house at once, name one person who signs off on configuration and finish, and tell us who to call for access. On install day the room needs to be clear, the shower out of use, and no other trade working in it.
- Blocking set at framing, before board goes on
- Curb pitched in, cap and header run level
- Tile, grout and trim complete before the measure
- Configuration and finish locked for every bath
- All openings in the house measured on one trip
- One name for sign off, one number for site access
Common questions.
How early should a builder call about the glass?
As early as the framing walkthrough. Nothing gets measured that day, but that is the window where blocking, curb pitch and door swing can still be changed by the trades already standing in the room. The measure waits for finished tile. The conversation does not.
Do you measure off the plans or off the framing?
Neither, for fabrication. Field dimensions come off the finished tile, because that is the surface the glass has to seal against. We are glad to look at plans early to talk through configuration and clearances, but the numbers that go to the shop come from the finished opening.
The tile went in out of plumb. What happens now?
We measure the variation and build the glass to it. Almost no shower wall is perfectly plumb, and a custom enclosure accounts for that. There is a point past which an opening should be corrected instead, and if yours is past it you hear that at the measure, while your tile setter is still reachable, rather than afterward.
Can one hardware finish carry across every bath in the house?
Yes, and it is worth doing deliberately. Choose from a full range of finishes once, then apply it to every opening rather than deciding bath by bath as each one gets tiled. Handing us all of the openings on a single visit is what makes that simple.
Who should sign off, the builder or the buyer?
Whoever is paying for the enclosure, and it needs to be settled before fabrication starts. Configuration, glass and finish are the three things that get changed late, and a change after the glass is cut means a new piece of glass. One name on the selections prevents most of that.
What does the site need on install day?
Access, a clear path to the bathroom, protected floors if they are already finished, and no other trade working in the room. The shower has to be out of service. We will tell you how long to keep water off the enclosure before anyone runs it, and our packaging and offcuts leave with us.
Get The Glass Onto Your Schedule
Tell us how many baths, what shape the openings are, and where the tile stands. The measure is free and the quote comes with no pressure. Call (586) 315-8900, text (586) 800-9481, or email [email protected].