Your favorite installed bathroom accessories?

[PoppyA]

I suggest the niche to hold bottles & misc. be placed in a position that is not visible. Mine faces the outside of my home & I can only see it when I’m in the shower. It gives a less cluttered appearance in the bath.

[Horologium]

Since I was thinking it when I read the title, and I didn't see it mentioned in your post... toilet paper

And if a woman will be using it, TWO rolls for toilet paper so that she never runs out!

Wow. I thought I was the only one experiencing this phenomenon.

The love of my life is a petite 5 foot 3, 110 pound woman. I always assumed it was the kids. But, since we became empty nesters, I can't help but notice still how quickly the roll disappears.

[BanquetBeer]

Forgot to say - I might skip the bench - they seldom get used due to being cold and they are in the way when not used.

We have a team bench - can move it in/out of the shower when needed. Comfortable and not tile cold.

Just a thought

I also always wanted those European shower controls with separate temperature and flow valves. Most people always shower at the same temp so you leave that put and only turn on the water flow valve

[PeninsulaPerson]

We have ceramic tile in our bath which we are replacing for two reasons: 1) cold in winter and 2) grout is difficult to clean. I don’t know if the same issues apply to porcelain tile (or your climate).

(As a quick aside, Wet & Forget Shower can be a real game-changer!)

[TomatoTomahto]

I also always wanted those European shower controls with separate temperature and flow valves. Most people always shower at the same temp so you leave that put and only turn on the water flow valve

One of my favorites. My wife and I shower at different temperatures, but it’s pretty easy to remember where we each prefer to set the temp valve. As a small token of my love, I reset the temp to her preferred setting when I leave the shower

[mookie]

We have ceramic tile in our bath which we are replacing for two reasons: 1) cold in winter and 2) grout is difficult to clean. I don’t know if the same issues apply to porcelain tile (or your climate).

We have a fixture that is a combination fan and heat lamp just outside the shower. Highly recommend for cold winters, if applicable.

With what are you replacing the ceramic tile? I like the waterproof vinyl planks (floating floor), but heard that they're not good for the bathroom because the joints between the planks are not waterproof, so water can get trapped underneath them.

I'd also like to minimize grout in the shower and bathroom, but because of the steam shower, I think I'll have do tile from floor to ceiling in both the shower and the bathroom! I don't see steam showers made with panels or pans, I think because those materials (Terestone, Swanstone) can't take the high temperature, as well as expand with heat.

[Carl53]

Probably not going to work for your steam shower but we installed the shower with a no barrier entry and a little vented storage closet inside the shower with a triple pane sliding door to open wide (no longer available from MAAX).

TP holders wife selected have holders for two rolls, so you are never caught without.

[tunafish]

Another thing I wish I had is the control valve on the opposite wall of the shower head so I don't have to turn the knob quickly and jump back so I don't get hit with cold water.

I turn the shower on and then stick my hand into the water every few minutes and when it's the right temp, climb into the tub.

[tunafish]

Since I was thinking it when I read the title, and I didn't see it mentioned in your post... toilet paper

And if a woman will be using it, TWO rolls for toilet paper so that she never runs out!

Wow. I thought I was the only one experiencing this phenomenon.

The love of my life is a petite 5 foot 3, 110 pound woman. I always assumed it was the kids. But, since we became empty nesters, I can't help but notice still how quickly the roll disappears.

Women have to pee about twice as often as men. Also, we're more anatomically complicated in this regard.

[TomatoTomahto]

Another thing I wish I had is the control valve on the opposite wall of the shower head so I don't have to turn the knob quickly and jump back so I don't get hit with cold water.

I turn the shower on and then stick my hand into the water every few minutes and when it's the right temp, climb into the tub.

I guess there’s no way this should be cross-posted in the “frugal thing I did today” thread.

By way of explanation, we’re on well water and have much more electricity (solar) than water, so we put in a hot water recirculation pump and with the thermostatic valve, the water is at the right temperature essentially immediately.

[delamer]

We have ceramic tile in our bath which we are replacing for two reasons: 1) cold in winter and 2) grout is difficult to clean. I don’t know if the same issues apply to porcelain tile (or your climate).

We have a fixture that is a combination fan and heat lamp just outside the shower. Highly recommend for cold winters, if applicable.

With what are you replacing the ceramic tile? I like the waterproof vinyl planks (floating floor), but heard that they're not good for the bathroom because the joints between the planks are not waterproof, so water can get trapped underneath them.

I'd also like to minimize grout in the shower and bathroom, but because of the steam shower, I think I'll have do tile from floor to ceiling in both the shower and the bathroom! I don't see steam showers made with panels or pans, I think because those materials (Terestone, Swanstone) can't take the high temperature, as well as expand with heat.

Funny, the woman doing the measuring for the new floor just left before I logged in here.

Our original intention was to go with vinyl tile, but she also brought a sheet vinyl sample that we liked.

Decisions, decisions!

[michaeljc70]

We have ceramic tile in our bath which we are replacing for two reasons: 1) cold in winter and 2) grout is difficult to clean. I don’t know if the same issues apply to porcelain tile (or your climate).

We have a fixture that is a combination fan and heat lamp just outside the shower. Highly recommend for cold winters, if applicable.

With what are you replacing the ceramic tile? I like the waterproof vinyl planks (floating floor), but heard that they're not good for the bathroom because the joints between the planks are not waterproof, so water can get trapped underneath them.

I'd also like to minimize grout in the shower and bathroom, but because of the steam shower, I think I'll have do tile from floor to ceiling in both the shower and the bathroom! I don't see steam showers made with panels or pans, I think because those materials (Terestone, Swanstone) can't take the high temperature, as well as expand with heat.

I saw a commercial on TV today that had a metal frame fold down seat with the seat and back made out of teak.

[delamer]

We have ceramic tile in our bath which we are replacing for two reasons: 1) cold in winter and 2) grout is difficult to clean. I don’t know if the same issues apply to porcelain tile (or your climate).

We have a fixture that is a combination fan and heat lamp just outside the shower. Highly recommend for cold winters, if applicable.

With what are you replacing the ceramic tile? I like the waterproof vinyl planks (floating floor), but heard that they're not good for the bathroom because the joints between the planks are not waterproof, so water can get trapped underneath them.

I'd also like to minimize grout in the shower and bathroom, but because of the steam shower, I think I'll have do tile from floor to ceiling in both the shower and the bathroom! I don't see steam showers made with panels or pans, I think because those materials (Terestone, Swanstone) can't take the high temperature, as well as expand with heat.

I saw a commercial on TV today that had a metal frame fold down seat with the seat and back made out of teak.

I’ve seen the same commercial. I thought it was a good option.

The bench in our shower just is used to hold soaps, shampoos, etc.

[snackdog]

A urinal can be pretty handy. It also reduces fights about toilet seats, splashing and whatnot.

[Saving$]

Many of the above suggestions are great and things I also did.

What I do not see mentioned that will contribute more to comfort than ANYTHING else is to be absolutely obsessive at an OCD level about air sealing when things are torn down to the studs. You want your gyp/cement board to be your SECONDARY air seal layer. So do some googling about appropriate air sealing in your climate, and focus on sealing. If you can eliminate the uncontrolled air leakage, which is amplified in a bathroom due to the exhaust fans, you can exponentially increase comfort.

The exhaust fan will pull air out of the bathroom, and so that air has to be replaced with other air pulled in. If your space is not air sealed, air will pull from 20 degree exterior at air leaks, 50 degree basement or crawl space, 40 degree attic and all sorts of other places. If instead you have obsessively air sealed and there are no uncontrolled places from which to pull air, the makeup air will pull from the already conditioned air in your house, which will be closest to the same temperature as the rest of the air in the bathroom.

The second thing I do not see mentioned is careful selection of flooring material. Any hard (ceramic, porcelain, stone, etc) tile will be cold to the touch, especially on bare feet. Although various surfaces have different slip resistance ratings, the ratings are usually done for a dry surface and tiles are slippery when wet. They are also hard if you fall. Second best decision I made was to use a rubber/cork product for flooring. It is slip resistant dry AND wet, it is never as cold as tile, it is easy to clean due to no grout. These rubber / cork products are VERY different than typical sheet vinyl and are not available at your standard big box or even flooring retail outlets. They are typically used in commercial installations.

Also recommend the Niagara dual flush 0.5/0.8 gpf toilets.

[Freetime76]

Bathroom exhaust fan switch with a timer. I never liked using the exhuast fan and having to remember to come back and flip it off.

Toto Washlet. It seems "gross" to now not have this. No idea why it never took off in countries outside of Japan.

Because Toto is expensive would be my guess. I just looked, because it sounds nice, and nope, not in the budget for us.
Maybe for a % of the population, but not builder grade, that’s for sure . I am envious, though!

For bathrooms, I like the motion activated light we put up. The bathroom only had a single pull chain light, so we put in LED stop lights by the mirror for temporary- about 3 years ago (you know how home rehab projects go…). The motion sensor picks up on movement outside the door, so it is lit before you walk in.

Happily, my mom likes it when she visits - no fumbling for the switch in a strange room. The only drawback is our shiba inu likes to turn on the light for herself from time to time,

[illumination]

Bathroom exhaust fan switch with a timer. I never liked using the exhuast fan and having to remember to come back and flip it off.

Toto Washlet. It seems "gross" to now not have this. No idea why it never took off in countries outside of Japan.

Because Toto is expensive would be my guess. I just looked, because it sounds nice, and nope, not in the budget for us.
Maybe for a % of the population, but not builder grade, that’s for sure . I am envious, though!

As a counterpoint, is $250 really all that expensive for something you would use every day?

I probably save that in toilet paper.

[michaeljc70]

Bathroom exhaust fan switch with a timer. I never liked using the exhuast fan and having to remember to come back and flip it off.

Toto Washlet. It seems "gross" to now not have this. No idea why it never took off in countries outside of Japan.

Because Toto is expensive would be my guess. I just looked, because it sounds nice, and nope, not in the budget for us.
Maybe for a % of the population, but not builder grade, that’s for sure . I am envious, though!

As a counterpoint, is $250 really all that expensive for something you would use every day?

I probably save that in toilet paper.

It is worth much more than that to me. I do have a related question if anyone wants to chime in. I am moving and will either put in bidet toilet seats or bidet toilets in the new home. The toilets are pricey and if they break, it seems like it could get expensive. Whereas the toilet seats at a few hundred bucks you can throw out and get a new one leaving the rest of the toilet. Has anyone had to repair/replace the bidet part of a bidet toilet?

[illumination]

Bathroom exhaust fan switch with a timer. I never liked using the exhuast fan and having to remember to come back and flip it off.

Toto Washlet. It seems "gross" to now not have this. No idea why it never took off in countries outside of Japan.

Because Toto is expensive would be my guess. I just looked, because it sounds nice, and nope, not in the budget for us.
Maybe for a % of the population, but not builder grade, that’s for sure . I am envious, though!

As a counterpoint, is $250 really all that expensive for something you would use every day?

I probably save that in toilet paper.

It is worth much more than that to me. I do have a related question if anyone wants to chime in. I am moving and will either put in bidet toilet seats or bidet toilets in the new home. The toilets are pricey and if they break, it seems like it could get expensive. Whereas the toilet seats at a few hundred bucks you can throw out and get a new one leaving the rest of the toilet. Has anyone had to repair/replace the bidet part of a bidet toilet?

I would just do the seat. I like the idea of having any sort of issue, it being capped at just having to buy a new seat for a few hundred dollars and not having to replace the whole toilet. Or vice versa if you need a new toilet, you can reuse the seat. A standard Toto Drake Toilet and a Toto Washlet Seat is like $600 total. Pretty affordable imo. FWIW, I have had the Toto Washlet seat for 10+ years and never had a single issue with it.

Some of those exotic Toto toilets that go into the thousands of dollars with all those crazy features, I would imagine any sort of repair is going to be something very few technicians are going to be able to address. It's not going to be on-hand parts on most plumber's trucks.

[CaptainT]

I have a wall mounted magazine rack/ two toilet roll holder. It wasn't expensive bit it is such a super handy item.

[michaeljc70]

Bathroom exhaust fan switch with a timer. I never liked using the exhuast fan and having to remember to come back and flip it off.

Toto Washlet. It seems "gross" to now not have this. No idea why it never took off in countries outside of Japan.

Because Toto is expensive would be my guess. I just looked, because it sounds nice, and nope, not in the budget for us.
Maybe for a % of the population, but not builder grade, that’s for sure . I am envious, though!

As a counterpoint, is $250 really all that expensive for something you would use every day?

I probably save that in toilet paper.

It is worth much more than that to me. I do have a related question if anyone wants to chime in. I am moving and will either put in bidet toilet seats or bidet toilets in the new home. The toilets are pricey and if they break, it seems like it could get expensive. Whereas the toilet seats at a few hundred bucks you can throw out and get a new one leaving the rest of the toilet. Has anyone had to repair/replace the bidet part of a bidet toilet?

I would just do the seat. I like the idea of having any sort of issue, it being capped at just having to buy a new seat for a few hundred dollars and not having to replace the whole toilet. Or vice versa if you need a new toilet, you can reuse the seat. A standard Toto Drake Toilet and a Toto Washlet Seat is like $600 total. Pretty affordable imo. FWIW, I have had the Toto Washlet seat for 10+ years and never had a single issue with it.

Some of those exotic Toto toilets that go into the thousands of dollars with all those crazy features, I would imagine any sort of repair is going to be something very few technicians are going to be able to address. It's not going to be on-hand parts on most plumber's trucks.

Thanks. That is what I was thinking. If they get substantially better in 10 years it is also cheap/easy to change it out.

They had a Toto washlet at Costco the other day. I didn't look at it closely, but it did not have a remote like my current one. It seemed to me it would be somewhat difficult to easily see/press all the buttons hanging off the side, some of which seemed to be almost behind you.

[spacemanspif]

Like many others have stated, a bidet seat. A complete game changer in life. I have a different brand in each of my 3 bathrooms and while they are all great, in my opinion, Toto is the one to buy.

[wilked]

The jump from outhouse to indoor plumbing is akin to the jump from an old-school toilet and TP to a bidet... For those still living in the past, take advantage of a bathroom remodel and spring forward to today's technology!

[Agg97]

A few to think about:

• Sconces or some type of lit mirror

• Electrical receptacle inside drawers for hair dryers/curling irons, etc. (make sure it's UL-listed)

Also, you may get a few ideas from this professional home remodeler and what he put into his own bathroom at his own house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNcwJ1wp3U8

[WhiteMaxima]

I installed compact washer and dryer in bathroom (bosch 800 series). The benefit is through dirty laundry with reach, start washer before take a shower and water is warm. Start dryer in winter so the bathroom is warm. Super efficient.

[mookie]

Second best decision I made was to use a rubber/cork product for flooring. It is slip resistant dry AND wet, it is never as cold as tile, it is easy to clean due to no grout. These rubber / cork products are VERY different than typical sheet vinyl and are not available at your standard big box or even flooring retail outlets. They are typically used in commercial installations.

Do you remember what cork/rubber floor product you used for your bathroom? Was your contractor able to install it? Are there any concerns about water getting in between joints/seams?